By Eric Connolly

One platform seems to rise above the rest to effectively gauge the feelings of the youth of the Diocese of Helena upon their return from a week at Legendary Lodge.

It’s not a phone call, not a conversation over coffee. It’s Facebook, arguably the favored mode of communication for the modern young person.

Through Facebook and “status updates,” many of the youth who spent a week at the Salmon Lake camp this summer shared their thoughts with friends and family.

During the afternoon following her return from Legendary, high school camper Mackenzie wrote, “Just got back from Legendary Lodge! Amazing experience.” Using an “emoticon”—the keyboard symbols punched to convey smiles and other mood indicators—Mackenzie closed with, “Very life changing:))”

Another high school camper, Kelsey, wrote, “WHAT A WEEK!!!!!!! Legendary was unbelievable, can’t even put it into words it was so powerful!!!!” Said Bailey, also in high school, “Great friends were made... Great times were shared...Great stories were told...”

Camper Albert wrote that a week at Legendary can leave a person flat-out exhausted. “Just got back from Legendary Lodge,” he said. “I’m so tired it hurts to keep my eyes open.”

The theme for the 2010 camp season was “Be Real. Start Here. Start Now.”

“I like the theme because of its simplicity,” Shane VanDiest, for two weeks a volunteer counselor at Legendary, told The Montana Catholic in an interview. “Then at the same time, each day we kind of break it down and go a bit deeper. There’s a day when we talk about real relationships. There’s a day we talk about how God is real, and a day we talk about real choices. It’s about being real in all aspects of your life.”

Elise Kilmer, a second-year counselor from Butte, spoke about the importance of camp.

“The things that are taught and learned at Legendary Lodge are things that can be carried out the rest of your life and to start at a young age like that is so important,” Kilmer said in an interview.

“If you can get that base and foundation from a young age and have that carry through, it’s kind of addicting and it will just carry on all the way through your life.”

The end of summer 2010 at Legendary marks the end of an era, with the departure of Camp Director Colleen Dunne. After six years as director, Dunne has left a legacy of hard work and service.

“I don’t really know what Legendary is like without Colleen,” Kilmer said, “But what I do know is that it really wouldn’t be what it is today without her.”

Van Diest said Dunne is “the kind of person who doesn’t really have to get on you to make sure you’re working hard. You want to be working all the time and giving everything you have to the kids because you know that she’s been doing that for years, and she continues to do that today.”

Bishop George Leo Thomas expressed his gratitude for Dunne’s years of service at the Lodge. “I am profoundly grateful for the ministry and witness that Colleen has given to countless numbers of children and young adults at Legendary Lodge and beyond. She is faith filled, creative, prayerful and energetic, and her work leaves a lasting legacy in the diocese,” he said, in a recent interview.

At summer’s end, Dunne posted a wrap-up message on her Facebook page: “720 campers, zero emergency room visits, zero sent home for homesickness, 1 phone system struck by lightning, 1 kitchen raid busted by the bishop, 3 middle school dances, 2 bears, one grill laid to rest, and a winter weather advisory to end it all. That was a good summer!”

Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 26, No. 9, September 17, 2010.