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He had a great time and said he really enjoyed Rotisserie and the Gaga pit. I can’t believe he actually came home with most of his belongings! I also can’t believe I wasn’t called halfway into the week to either talk to him or come pick him up. He said he was really homesick so maybe he talked to someone about it? Kudos to Rotisserie and Rigo for helping to make my sons first ever sleepaway camp a good experience for him! My kids had such a wonderful time. They learned so much about God. They enjoyed going to church everyday. They really liked how predictable the schedule was (they didn’t say that, but I could tell by how they were talking). Their counselors were fantastic. They really loved the paintball guns and bow and arrows and loved learning some survival skills. They thought the food was excellent! They liked the music and the counselors. They had such a blast and cannot wait to return next year! ★★★★ My 10 year old twins had never been to camp before. They were excited and a little nervous when we dropped them off and thoroughly thrilled and full of stories when we picked them up at the end of the week. From Mass and Adoration, to the blob, gaga (ball game), arts and crafts, archery, and the fantastic staff, plus a countless amount of other details too numerous to name, they talked our ears off for hours about the adventure. When asked if they're interested in going back next year, the answer was a resounding YES without hesitation. This camp is a must-do for any and all Catholic families in the area. It's top-notch. I just wanted to say THANK YOU for running such a great camp! Our daughter truly enjoyed her first sleep away camp with your team. She continues to talk about things that happened at camp each day, even though she’s been home for 6 days now. And we are always eager to hear what she has to share! We are so blessed to be part of such a wonderful, faithful Catholic community that helps me raise him. Thank you so much for your dedication to the camp! Macon has not stopped talking about the counselors since we left camp and he showed me the Polaroid pictures that he took with some of them. He told me that he asked some of them about their application and interview process and he was very impressed to know how thoroughly you interview them and how they found out about camp, like Pearl. He also told me that camp would not be the same if they did not have good counselors that really loved being at camp with them. Please thank the counselors again on our behalf! Macon is very excited and looking forward to High School Glory Bound. Little Anthony had the time of his life. He came home talking about the priesthood, and is pretty sure it's “up to Father Whitney” if someone becomes a priest. Trying to be casual, I assured him our vocations are between us and God, but that we all need mentors. You are nurturing holiness in children in such a special way. His most humorous-to-me remarks on the drive home, offered with a sense of exasperated awe / goodwill: "...They just had me brushing.my.teeth 24-7." I'm still laughing about that one. The girls all had a phenomenal time too, and consider themselves expert church clappers. We can't thank you enough for your hard work, and I'm certain your family helped to instill in Vivian her joy in outdoor adventuring. My daughter began asking me to sign her up for the 2021 St. Therese's camp in December 2020! She had such a wonderful time that St. Therese's camp was at the top of her list of things to do after nearly a year of isolation and learning from home due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While visiting with friends over Zoom, and thinking about "life after the pandemic," she mentioned how awesome St. Therese's camp is as she gets to attend daily Mass. My heart sang when I heard these words! I'm grateful to be able to send my daughter to camp this year with one of her close friends. Knowing that they will be sharing their love of Jesus while growing in their faith this summer at St. Therese's Camp brings me great joy! Thank you for providing this faith-filled, fun experience for our children! I have “Holy Spirit” chills as I read through your update! You fill our lives with so much hope and enthusiasm for our life and our Lord. I cannot begin to express our gratitude to you and all who have made and continue to make St. Therese’s Camp a reality for our family and greater community. God has certainly blessed us with you and your whole team. All successful teams begin with a strong and faithful leader. With the Light of Christ as your guide, you are that leader for St. Therese’s Camp. THANK YOU!!! Thank you for an incredible first experience at camp! Patrick and Sarah came home on fire with their faith after their time at St. Therese's Camp. At pickup, watching my two children dance amongst others alive with faith brought tears to my eyes. For the first two hours of our drive home, we heard about the Eucharistic Procession, Mass, Fr. Whitney, the blob, messy wars, biff, how much they adored their counselors and new friends. Camp is transforming our experience as parents, raising children in the Catholic faith. I dearly wish I had an opportunity to attend a camp like this! Patrick wanted to be a priest before attending and has added camp helper and camp counselor to his bucket list. Thank you for all your work so our children can grow in their faith. We have decided that our summers will forevermore be scheduled around when our children will be attending camp. |
I'm still the camp’s biggest vicarious fan as [my] grandkids continue to be shaped by your programs. Also sharing your Facebook page with friends in Fairbanks who are raising families. This camp is a pearl of great price. God bless all your labors for our kids. Your counselors all seemed pretty amazing this year! Congrats on an attracting & selecting a great group! They love it! The girls went twice last year and begged again this year. Our kids had a great time at camp. I was especially surprised (and pleased) to hear how excited our 9 year old was that he had a rosary blessed by the priest. He often doubts his faith and camp really seemed to give him strength. Thank you so much for all that you and the counsellors and helpers and all the background people did and do to make camp possible! My children LOVED every second of their experience. It is definitely the highlight of their summer and they are super excited about going again next summer. They told me that the food was outstanding! - they enjoyed not having to do kitchen chores like they do at home. They loved having daily Mass, water front, the rockwall, messy wars and rest time! They suggested that it would be fun to give the kids camp names too and wondered about having Mass before breakfast. It's been two weeks since we picked them up and they still mention stories about camp a number of times each day. The counsellors had a beautiful impact on them in living out a life for God that is full of sacrifice but so much joy and vitality. Thank you for everything. Thank you for a wonderful camp experience for my daughter! She loved it so much and we felt so happy sending her off into such good hands with the counselors, the priest, and your family. Here's what was good: Having a priest on the premise to offer Mass, confessions, and adoration. She loved the night games and her counsellor. The counsellors seemed like great young role models for the kids. They loved their faith and passed on that excitement. She loved the arts activities and the Survival Alaska. The food was great! My daughter loved it last year! I’m so grateful that something of this nature is available to the kids in Alaska. Both the kids are excited about attending! Thank you all for providing a wonderful opportunity for our Catholic kids! It was absolutely worth the drive [from interior Alaska]. In fact, we had friends that told us about the camp, so I drove all the kids (3) down and our friends picked the kids up. We’re glad to have found out about St. Therese’s Camp. We hope to send the kids as often as possible. Thank you for an incredible first experience at camp! Our children came home on fire with their faith after their time at St. Therese's Camp. At pickup, watching my two children dance amongst others alive with faith brought tears to my eyes. For the first two hours of our drive home, we heard about the Eucharistic Procession, Mass, Fr. Whitney, the blob, messy wars, biff, how much they adored their counselors and new friends. Camp is transforming our experience as parents, raising children in the Catholic faith. I dearly wish I had an opportunity to attend a camp like this! Our son wanted to be a priest before attending and has added camp helper and camp counselor to his bucket list. Thank you for all your work so our children can grow in their faith. We have decided that our summers will forevermore be scheduled around when our children will be attending camp. Your counselors so resonate with my daughter she chose one to be her confirmation sponsor. And she wasn’t sure she even wanted to be confirmed. Camp always reignites the flame of faith for her. Thank you. Our children will be attending St. Therese's Camp for the first time this summer. We are all beyond excited and have heard excellent things from families on the Kenai about how camp has ignited their child's faith. I felt called to reach out and express our gratitude. Thank you for all the hard work you do. Currently, counter-culture living is the sole option for raising saints. You are providing opportunities for our children to grow closer to God and be surrounded by like peers. It is a wonder such a camp exists in these times. As our children are hounded by messages rooted in lies, we are incredibly grateful for an experience that speaks truth, aligns with Catholic teaching and builds relationships with Jesus Christ, the beautiful sacraments and prayer. We are praying for you and all involved with camp. We asked our son if he was scared or upset anytime during his camp experience. Our son replied that he almost cried once when Grizzly said a personal prayer with him asking God and Jesus to watch over our son as he grew and give him strength and faith (his synopsis of the prayer), we were so moved by how Grizzly took the time with our son and really made a life long impression and memory with him. My husband and I also very appreciated the kindness that was bestowed to our son even though we aren't Catholic. He appreciated his time with the Priest during the confession time where the bottom line message was "Love Others". Thank You to everyone at your camp for sharing your religion and beliefs (we are Bible believers and believers that Jesus is our Christ and salvation). We chose to give St. Theresa's a chance because of family friends who send their children to camp. It was a huge blessing and we hope you will welcome our son back again. He also heard of a winter camp called Glory Bound that he would be interested in. Thank you again and God bless you all. Hanging out with old and new friends and the counselors were very supportive, nice, and just plain amazing. The spiritual connection while at the camp was very helpful and fulfilling. Over all the camp was awesome and I would 100% go back for next year. |
He liked all the singing and running and even going to confession. Ha! I’m happy we all survived the week and he’s ready to sign up for next year already! My kids have been attending camp for a few years now. It is always a highlight of their summer. But this year there was something that struck me to the core. When I was on the campus I could feel the Holy Spirit. I could see the Holy Spirit working in the counselors. I could see how my kids felt the love of Christ. There is no amount of money or thanks that I can send to explain how much this means to me. God Bless you for hearing God’s call and seeing this need and saying yes. Our kids need to see the Holy Spirit working in others so they know how to feel the Holy Spirit working in them. I feel infinitely blessed to have this special place for my children to grow in their faith with Christ and in Christlike friendships with others. Thank you!! I’m impressed with the Catholic exposure and increased knowledge that my kids come home with. My kids LOVE the camp counselors nicknames and the surprise of not knowing their real names. It’s such a little detail that makes things so fun. No one complains about the food or the bedtimes, so all successes there. Messy war is always a favorite activity. My daughter and son really enjoyed camp this year. Both of them were hesitant to go (pre-camp jitters) but now they don’t want to leave. They haven’t stopped talking about all the awesome and exciting things they did at camp. Both of my children talked about how wonderful all of the staff were and how they bonded with many of them. They both wanted to see if you had any openings so they could go another week! My boy has expressed his desire to be a helper next year as well. I can tell you as a father, I see a noticeable difference in my children when they come back from camp. The spiritual growth I see in them is amazing. Both of them could tell me what was discussed at Mass during the week. This is not always the case outside of camp. It shows me you have grabbed their attention and have them engaged mentally and spiritually. I have to admit -it is hard for me as a dad to let go of my children even for a short week. It has taken me two years to get used to trusting others with my most precious gifts. Thank you and your amazing team for teaching, caring, and providing a wonderful, safe, loving, experience for them. Rudy, I know you don’t get many letters from camper/former campers during the summer but you definitely deserve it. I wanted to say thank you for everything you do for the camp. St. Therese’s Camp has played such a huge role in my life since 2015. The first time I went home from camp, I cried myself to sleep because of how much I loved camp. Camp is where I've met so many good friends and camp has always given me so many young adults to look up to. I’m still in contact with several of them and Chaco (former program director) is my confirmation sponsor. Camp is the reason I have grown so much in my faith. St. Therese’s Camp is where I first found out about Franciscan University, and now I get to go. At camp I can encounter Jesus by growing closer to Him through prayer and adoration. At St. Therese’s camp, there are many opportunities for adoration and prayer every day. This is an important part of the camp because adoration lets us grow closer to Jesus when we encounter Him physically in the monstrance. Many of the camp counselors share their helpful ways on how to encounter Jesus. They share personal experiences, read us scripture, and explain to us how to let others see Jesus through us. I can grow closer by encountering Jesus through adoration by asking them to guide me in my life in faith at camp. Also at camp, I can encounter Jesus through prayer, by praying every day at night prayer. During night prayer at camp we reflect on our day and contemplate on how we saw Jesus in our day. This is a good time to pray and reflect because at home, I am busy with studies, ministries, and extracurricular activities and usually do not get to reflect on how Jesus was present in my day. Adoration and prayer are essential parts of camp and are beneficial to my faith, because when I become busy I can remember my encounters with Christ and slow down and use what I have learned at camp to encounter Jesus again. When camp is over, I do not leave my encounters with Jesus behind. I practice at home with my family and friends. In previous years of camp, I have learned how to share what I have learned at camp with my family and friends by showing them different ways of prayer such as adoration, group prayer, silent prayer, and much more. I share these things with my friends and other people who I know. Leaving camp is not the end of my encounter with Christ. I don't know you, but I feel compelled to write this note of thanks. Two of my grandkids attended St Therese's camp a week ago. Tears in my eyes as I pour over camp photos and the youtube video of Eucharistic processions, carrying the cross, Mass on a mountaintop, water fights, shaving cream skirmishes, archery, rock climbing, kayaking, canoeing, swimming... you do it all. Watching a priest in a cassock, cannonball into the lake & off a blob, reminded me of watching Holy Cross sisters in full habit, bomb down the alley hill behind the convent on 'sleds' which were garbage can lids. It was a beautiful sight then and it's a beautiful sight today. Thank you for capturing the 'ever ancient, ever new' joy and journey of Catholic life, and for imprinting it into every cell in these children's earthly bodies with unforgettable encounters of truth, goodness and beauty, as only summer camp can. May God bless your labors, and long may you run. They are all so excited! Thank you for continuing to work so hard to provide a wonderful, faith filled experience for young people. |