Camp Monahan experienced many challenges during the last two years of the pandemic. But as Executive Director Lisa Marcotte says, “we’ve learned so much.” And this summer will see a return to normal camp programs.
Lisa says the experience of the pandemic, for the camp, involved “taking a bad thing and turning it into something positive. And making the most of what you are given.” For the first summer of Covid, there were no campers at all. So Camp Monahan focused on the upkeep of buildings and grounds, including renovating the bathrooms.
They also invested in staff education, wilderness skills, and exploring the area around the camp. In particular, staff visited Motherwell Homestead, Lebret residential school — where Sister Bernadette gave a tour — and took a canoe trip to northern Saskatchewan. Some staff were able to stay working, and new volunteers were added to the camp.
Still, it was not easy. Marcotte says not having kids around meant the camp was unable to do what camp is meant to do. “Especially with our staff, I think lots of them were disappointed because lots of them had been looking forward to the summer and being with campers,” she says. Adding, it was difficult “not being able to serve what we felt our purpose was and why we come to camp.”
Last summer, the camp was not allowed to have any overnight campers. “We were able to do day camps. It was actually interesting because it was something I always thought about doing and we wanted to do. But [we] never really wrapped our heads around what it would look like.”
“We’re 45 minutes out of Regina, so we felt like that drive was a barrier to people,” Marcotte says. “When we first started planning for day-camp, we were going to do day-camp in the city. And we were calling it ‘Monahan in the City’ or something like that.” However, she says they didn’t want it to be like another city day-camp program.
“That’s not what we’re about. We’re about being outside and being outdoors and canoeing. We were trying to find ways to do that in the city, but it’s not the same experience. We wanted to be still authentic to who we are and what we do. After some thought and a little bit more investigating, we found that renting a bus and driving it out to camp wasn’t as expensive as we thought. So we went ahead and planned for three weeks of day camp.”
That continued until the beginning of June when overnight camps were allowed again. “Then we were faced with, now what do we do? Do we stick with day camp? Do we open overnight camp? What do we do? We wanted to honour the people who wanted to do day camp,” Marcotte says. “And we wanted to still do our overnight. So we did a hybrid where we ran both the day camp and the overnight camp at the same time. It was fabulous.”
After the success of day camp, Marcotte says Summer 2022 will have a day-camp option. “It’s just a great opportunity to get kids out to camp who are maybe a little bit nervous about coming and spending the [time] overnight. They get to experience camp and get to go home and sleep in their beds, which I think a lot of them appreciate. We do have a day where at the end of the camp, they get to have a sleepover if they choose.”
“I do feel like that’s a really positive way to draw kids into our day-camp program,” Marcotte says. “Right now, looking at our numbers, it’s a really strong program. It’s doing really well.” There is also a new family camp which runs for one weekend this year.
Marcotte says the role of her faith in how she serves the camp’s youth “[is] huge.” Adding it’s “important to provide our children opportunities to experience our faith. And especially at camp, I think it’s a little bit less intimidating. For myself, I’ve always found moments of awe and wonder in nature. For me, that’s where I experience God intimately.
“Camp provides me that opportunity to share that with other people. Where you’re not necessarily sitting in a school desk in a Catholic school or sitting in a pew at church, but you can see the beauty and God’s creation. And just to experience it in a really, real way.”
She notes that “over the years, Camp Monahan had lost some connection to our Church community. It’s been really important to us to bring that back and to build that relationship. We recognize that those relationships are vital to who we are and what camp is. Working to rebuild that has been a big focus of ours, through both parish and school, and the Knights of Columbus.”
By Dan Sherven
The renovations continue at Camp Monahan, too: “This year and last, we’re focusing on our dining hall. With Covid, we felt it was important. Traditionally our campers washed their own dishes, and we didn’t see that being very Covid friendly. We did a renovation and were fortunate to receive, as a gift from our neighbor camp [Katepwa Lake Camp], a dishwasher.”
“And we got a donation from the Jesuits of Campion College, who provided all the electrical and plumbing to us so we could redo one end of our kitchen,” Marcotte says. “We had a stove, which actually I learned recently was a gift from Little Flower to Holy Family Parish to us, 14 years ago. She adds that a family who is “a big supporter of Monahan” gave the camp funds to replace the old stove; Knights of Columbus is helping with siding; there are new windows.
Marcotte says she is most looking forward to “having everyone back.” And continuing to build on what the camp has, including its traditions, and keeping a future-focused outlook for the camp. After Covid, “our youth have changed, and the world has changed,” Marcotte says. “How do we support these circumstances?”
In particular, Marcotte says the future involves “working very hard to continue to support the Church, and support the youth.” She wants the camp “to be a bridge between the Church and the youth in many ways.” Plus, she wants to “provide opportunities for our campers to experience Christ, to experience the Church, and to live in faith. We want to continue to build that and build that community.”
Additionally, she hopes to strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities and build on Truth and Reconciliation. “Being in our location here on Katepwa Lake, in the Qu’Appelle Valley where we have the signing of Treaty 4, and we have the Lebret residential school, and we have a Métis land-allowance camp at the top of our hill — we just think that’s an important direction too.
“We want to be a bridge and to help support, and teach, and educate … extending that into our schools as well. [And] we’re working with Regina Catholic School Division to strengthen that relationship [too].”
She wants the camp to have more land-based education in the future and dreams of eventually establishing “an outdoor education center. We want to make camp a year-round facility that supports the youth and the Church throughout the year.
“I tell everyone that we’re the most under-utilized resource anywhere. We have an absolutely amazing property with so much potential and opportunities for growth that we just want to continue to grow and build and provide for the Church and for the youth.”
This year will have overnight camps throughout the week, spanning four weeks. The overnight camp has a day of canoeing and swimming, crafts, an outdoor education program with archery, and the discovery program — a faith-based program that has a theme for every day.
“We explore that [theme] based on scripture and community living, and how we live together and live out the Gospels,” Marcotte says. There is also a campfire at night as part of the evening activities; and an available hiking challenge.
Additionally, there are senior programs, several of which are off-site. One is a canoe trip from Katepwa Lake to Crooked Lake, and there is a wilderness trip to northern Saskatchewan. Marcotte says the camp is really excited to be offering the wilderness trip this year, and there are great leaders.
To parents, Marcotte says camp offers children opportunities to grow, build grit, be resilient, learn independence, have community, and try new things. She says children can “experience the wonders and beauty of creation.”
To kids, she says: “It’s the best summer ever. They’re going to have so much fun. They’re going to meet new people; they’re going to do things they never thought they could do, they’re going to challenge themselves. They’re going to just have so much fun. They get to swim, [they] get to just play all day and be around the best people.”
There are four camps within the Archdiocese, and Marcotte says “they all do the same good work.” She notes that “it really takes a community, and takes a whole village to raise our youth. So we all need to work together in providing that, supporting each other.”
You can learn more about Camp Monahan here.
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Dan Sherven is the author of three books: Light and Dark, Classified: Off the Beat ‘N Path, and Live to the Point of Tears. Here you can find his books, articles, podcasts, and more: https://linktr.ee/dansherven |
