St. Michael's Camp -- Madge Lake, SK

Submitted by Lyrissa Kuschak, Director

April 6, 2010 -- St. Michael’s Camp at Madge Lake in Duck Mountain Provincial Park is a Ukrainian Catholic Summer Camp within the eparchy of Saskatoon. We are operated under "The Ukrainian Catholic Church Camps of Saskatchewan Inc” board of directors. We believe in engaging our campers in spiritual, cultural, social, physical, intellectual, moral and recreational activities in order to provide a fun, spiritually nourishing and memorable camp experience.

Once again this summer we will run two types of camps: a camp for teens aged 13-16, followed by two weeks of youth camp for children aged 8-12 and then a second week of camp for teens.

St. Michael’s Camp has a unique atmosphere, as it focuses on the campers’ faith in many dimensions. We welcome campers of different religious backgrounds and together we learn and grow in our spiritually-rich environment.

Each day found the campers busy rotating from one activity to the next with the staff taking time to prepare each station and getting to know all of the campers as individuals. Each morning began with the celebration of Divine Liturgy, and every night closed with intentions and an evening prayer. In between these solemn activities the campers participated in arts and crafts, canoeing and kayaking, outdoor recreation, catechism class, Rosary, beach time and campfire. Some memorable events included an evening of Mini Golf and ice cream, “the dinosaur game”, No Talent-Talent Night, Twin Night and for the oldest group, an overnight hike to Moose Lake.

Teen Camp

Teen camp is an activity-packed five-day experience for our campers. Guidance and spiritual growth comes from our “seasoned” camp professionals: Father Ivan Nahachewsky, Father Basil Malowany and Sister Janet Kozak. We also have a variety of other staff hailing from all corners of Saskatchewan (and even dipping into Manitoba) that bring with them different experiences and talents to share. In the past, our campers have come from Foam Lake SK, Ituna, SK, Prince Albert, SK, Regina, SK, Saskatoon, SK, Willowbrook, SK, Winnipeg, MB, and Camrose AB. The groups have ranged in age, experience and spiritual backgrounds, but found common ground at St. Mike's!

The days at teen camp vary from day to day with different projects, trips and liturgical services. The days in 2009 consisted of equal parts of play, prayer and projects. This year we travelled to a cemetery near Roblin, MB to do some maintenance work around the aging gravesites, cleaned up around camp and prepared some food for youth camp. All of these projects allowed us to learn about each other in different situations and settings. The recreation portion of the program consisted of beach time, canoeing and kayaking, movie analysis and a little trek through the wilderness called “Beaver Quest.”

In addition to all of our other activities we took in the opportunity to celebrate different liturgical services throughout the week, such as a Divine Liturgy, Moleben, Akathist and Vespers. The most significant part of the day was when the staff rotated through leading sessions around our annual theme. The theme for 2010 is “A Grateful Heart is A Happy Heart” and staff members have a special way of relating it to our faith and our everyday experiences. These sessions included discussion, question-and-answer and sharing of personal experiences. The group took time to reflect on the presentations and build on their spiritual self during this time.

Youth Camp

Youth camp is very similar with busy, busy days! Every day starts with a morning prayer and breakfast followed by Divine Liturgy and activities such as canoeing, kayaking, arts & crafts, swimming lessons and outdoor games. After lunch the group travels to one of the main beaches at the lake for a few hours of beach time where they can swim, relax, read, play volleyball or on the playgrounds or just spend time with new friends. When we get back from the beach we have more choice activities for the campers to participate in and then some down time followed by supper. After supper the whole camp comes together for a large group evening activity in which all staff and campers participate; once this is over it’s usually time for campfire and then off to the dorms to get some sleep in preparation for the next busy day. Last year we had campers from all over Saskatchewan including Kamsack, Yorkton, Willowbrook, Foam Lake, Ituna, Churchbridge, Regina and Saskatoon. We also had campers travel from Alberta (Calgary, Drumheller, Langdon, Sherwood Park) and from Manitoba (Gilbert Plains). The staff of Youth Camp, in addition to clergy and Sisters, includes an energetic bunch of high school and university students, plus a few extras.

At St. Mike’s we have “Christkins.” Christkins are secret friends during the week, whom each camper is encouraged to pray for or to do something special for every day. On the last day of camp we reveal to the group who our Christkin was and share a memory with our secret friend. This is a great way to get to know campers who differ in age or interest, or just to meet someone new.

For the last two years St. Michael’s Camp has been fortunate to find lifeguards who also posses a certificate to teach lessons and have been able to offer the Red Cross Swim Kids program. A number of campers chose to enroll in the program which was held at Duck Mountain Lodge.

I am eagerly anticipating what the summer of 2010 will have in store for us at St. Mike’s. The planning has begun and we hope to see our familiar faces back for a new experience and invite new faces to bring diverse skills to share with us.

We extend our gratitude to all of those who assist in the preparation and implementation of the program. For any information regarding St. Michael’s Camp contact Lyrissa Kuschak at or check out our website at www.stmichaelscamp.com.