A nonprofit group of private donors in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis is pursuing its goal of buying property for a Catholic summer camp for middle schoolers and for fall, winter and spring retreats for parishes and schools.
Minnesota Catholic Youth Partnership members identified a 600-acre property last year, in May Township in Washington County, but they continue “to face headwinds with the township and a group of lakeshore owners on Square Lake,” one of three lakes on the property, said Tim Healy, president of the partnership.
At the same time, partnership members have been in contact with “a number of people” from May Township who are “very supportive of what we’re trying to do,” Healy said. “They appreciate that we are reaching out to young people and … (offering) a positive alternative in an incredibly negative and damaging culture. Our goal all along has been to work with youth and eliminate the noise of the outside world, including social media, and help them through nature, God’s creation, hear God’s voice.”
Healy met with, and answered questions from, township board members at the board’s most recent meeting Aug. 3. No public comments were made, and the board took no action.
Board members planned to analyze the group’s proposal and discuss it at their regular meeting Sept. 7, Healy said. He expects public comments at the September meeting “and we’ll see what happens from there.” No date has been set for the board to vote on the partnership’s plans, Healy said.
Members of the Square Lake Conservancy, formed earlier this year, raised concerns at a previous township board meeting about the proposed camp’s environmental impact. A school that had been on the property had 225 students and was approved for up to 300, Healy said. “We’re not asking for anything more than that.”
Existing buildings on the property include a dining facility with commercial kitchen and dining room, and four large dormitories, Healy said. One building called “the meeting house” is too small for projected needs, so the partnership needs approval to construct another building for campers to enjoy “songs, talks and skits,” he said.
The partnership’s vision is to “create a safe, fun, supportive environment where young people can have that great encounter with Jesus, a really life-changing encounter” in a camp or retreat setting, Healy said. Referencing the Aug. 6 Scripture reading about the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, “go up on the mountain top and you see the glorified Christ,” he said. “We want them to have that mountaintop experience and something that they’ll carry with them their whole life.”
