As grade schools across Ontario wind down for the year, anticipation for C.Y.O.'s Camp Brébeuf's 84th year of combining faith and outdoor fun is ramping up.

The Catholic Youth Organization of Hamilton is well known for its faith-based summer camps that blend a traditional camp atmosphere’s fun and adventure with added opportunities for spiritual growth and fellowship. 

Located in scenic Rockwood, just north of Guelph, west of Toronto, for decades Camp Brébeuf has been a staple offering for day and overnight camp adventures, rooted in Catholic values, for youth. During that time, the camp has also had leadership programs for teens in Grades 8 to 11. 

Advertisement

This year’s intake is offering two unique leadership camps, one from July 6-11, as well as a three-week B.L.T. (Brébeuf Leader in Training) program from July 20-Aug. 8, aimed at older campers. 

The camp’s regular offerings for overnight and day camp start the week of July 13, with five sessions of both set to run at that time. The day camp for campers aged four to 13, and the overnight camp aged seven to 14, both with age-appropriate activities scheduled throughout each option. 

Katie Moncrieffe, Brébeuf’s camp director and youth ministry specialist for C.Y.O., says the  overnight camp is expecting anywhere between 70 to 100 campers a session, and 50 to 60 per day camp session. While not quite at pre-pandemic levels yet, the director said the return to form is promising. 

“We are also expecting about 50 seasonal camp staff to come in and work the season.  We're slowly rebuilding ourselves as COVID put a dent in a lot of the camping industry’s staffing, but I am happy that we have enough trained staff to handle the number of campers, which have continued to climb,” she said. 

She said while campers can expect the blueprint of customary camp activities, such as sports, arts and crafts, campfires and sleeping under the stars, the faith-driven delivery makes Camp Brébeuf stand out from your typical secular offering. 

Advertisement

“ I do feel very blessed to be able to work at a place where I can share my own faith. Grace before meals is the norm, we have fun singing songs, morning and evening prayers with our campers are common and we have daily liturgies, even having a local pastor who comes in and does Holy Mass for us during the week as well,” Moncrieffe said. 

The camp also hires a specific faith programmer to assist campers in helping run liturgy themselves, adding to the independent growth aspect of the camp. 

The combination delivery model has allowed Camp Brébeuf to excel as a leading Catholic summer camp offering for more than eight decades. The camp was officially opened by Bishop Joseph Ryan in July 1940 and was operated by Fr. James Ford, directed by Fr. Joseph Power and staffed by Hamilton diocese seminarians. 

Hamilton’s Catholic Youth Organization has been responsible for the operation and maintenance of the camp since the late 1970s and has seen a steady increase in camper enrollment since. Camp Brébeuf has also been operating year-round through its successful outdoor education program since 1987. 

For Moncrieffe, the lasting success of Brébeuf is more than its itinerary. It’s the spirit of the camp community that has continued for generations, and how it still manifests itself with each year’s newest influx of eager participants. 

“The legacy speaks a lot about the kids and how when you impact the youth, they return and become alumni staff. Our alumni have had a huge part in keeping us open and thriving. The feel of the camp has a lot to do with the alumni community,” she said. 

The Diocese of Hamilton have also been a massive supporter of the camp. The director revealed that, coming out of COVID, the renovation work needed wasn’t feasible for C.Y.O., until the diocese stepped up. Its continued support, especially from Bishop Douglas Crosby, has allowed Camp Brébeuf to continue excelling in the modern day. 

Advertisement

Even as the camp has adapted to offer modern activities, the core memories staff hope children take away from their experience have remained. Memories that reflect the long-established ambition of the camp itself — wholesome, outdoor enjoyment combined with a growing understanding of Christ’s love. 

“For our younger campers, we try to keep it pretty simple and have them walk away knowing that God loves them no matter what.  Having that underlying faith is important because God is here, He’s present and He is alive. The kids continue to see that and they can feel that when they are surrounded by each other,” Moncrieffe said.