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By Eric Connolly
First, a situation theoretical, but very
plausible.
At Legendary Lodge, parents of 13-year-old
Johnny settle into their car, ready
to drive him home after his summer week
at the Diocese of Helena’s lakeside camp.
Johnny, his clothes faintly smelling of
campfire, takes the backseat and mentally
notes the idleness of the boat that had shuttled
campers across the Salmon Lake channel
separating Legendary from the parking
area.
“How was camp?” his mother asks.
“What exciting stories do you have to tell
us?” The reply: “It was fun. We swam, we,
um, played games and talked about Jesus
and stuff.”
“Anything else?” asks the mom, anxious
for at least a smidgen of detail. Prolonged
silence. Johnny’s parents look back
and see him fast asleep, his head against the
car window.
To fill in the gaps about his week at
Legendary Lodge, consider what campers
experienced day by day.
Sunday:
Having crossed the lake channel,
checked in and settled into one of four cabins,
they gathered as a group for the first
time. Daily Mass is part of Legendary life
every summer, and on the first day of
camp, it is in the evening. After a day of
meeting new people and taking the initial
steps toward building a community, the
campers retire to their cabins, ready for a
good night of sleep.
Monday:
There are two defining events for a
Monday at camp. One is Mass on the
mountain. The other is an evening game of
Capture the Flag. The 40-minute hike to
Mass takes campers on a mountain trail to
a large cross, which is visible to drivers on
Montana 83.
Throughout the 2011 season, the camp
theme on Mondays focused on the virtues
of faith and hope.
“Monday, I think, is the best and probably
most important day of the week because
it kind of sets the tone for the week,”
high school camper Kelsey Bogumill told
The Montana Catholic. “It kind of helps
everybody get their hearts and their minds
ready to grow spiritually and improve their
friendship with others.” During camp, she
was a eucharistic minister, an experience
that she said “changed my heart.”
Tuesday:
This day’s catechesis was based on the
virtues of prudence and temperance.
Campers participated in a Legendary
Lodge staple: themed, small-group competition
affectionately called “The Big
Game.” For 2011, it drew on fairytale
characters and had campers working to
solve the mystery of why those characters
were at camp. Teamwork and creativity
netted points.
“We met a bunch of characters and we
talked about how to have faith,” said Logan
Rauk, who was at Legendary for its girlsonly
week open to fifth- and sixth-graders.
“We talked about how to have faith in
yourself. I think that one was the princess.”
Wednesday:
Justice was the theme, with campers
being asked questions such as, “In what
ways do I defend justice?” or “What is the
most difficult thing about standing up to
what is right?” Wednesdays bring skit and
talent night, when campers and counselors
offer songs, dancing, poetry readings and
more. It’s understood that all will get loud
and enthusiastic shouts of approval. No exceptions.
Thursday:
Often called “celebration day,” Thursdays
at camp typically are fast and exciting.
This year, the morning session was based
on the virtues of fortitude and courage.
“Thursday is all about celebrating our
relationships that we’ve formed with each
other throughout the week and the relationship
we’ve formed with God,” said Katie
Oberweiser, a counselor who graduated
from Carroll College last spring.
“We have a barbecue or a celebration
dinner. And that transitions to the dance.”
Oberweiser revels in the dance “because it
really just shows true happiness, with the
kids letting themselves be free and be
goofy and not care what anyone else thinks
of them.”
The night closes with a bonfire, complete
with storytelling, some of it about the
camp’s history. “Scary stories” are part of
the mix, too.
Friday:
As campers make their way across the
lake channel, to their waiting parents, one
camp essential remains. It is the closing
Mass, in the chapel near the parking area.
Parents did not participate in the opening
Mass, but they are present at this one. For
campers, the closing Mass is one of the
steps in bringing the lessons of camp back
across the lake.
The next step comes as they try to tell
their parents—think of Johnny’s mom and
dad—what happened in a week at Legendary
Lodge.
Montana Catholic staffer Eric Connolly was
a happy camper at Legendary Lodge during
four summers and worked there as a counselor
for four summers, the last in 2009.
Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 27, No. 9, September 16, 2011.
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