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April 8, 2021This summer, for the 22nd year, school-age campers from across the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City will gather at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Youth Camp for a week of prayer, activities and friendship.
Camp OLOG, which is located between Luther and Wellston approximately 45 minutes from Oklahoma City, offers students of all faiths an opportunity to attend. The camp is open to students who will be entering fourth through 12th grades in the 2021-2022 school year.
Camp will be facilitated by counselors, priests and seminarians and is designed to instill the values of the Catholic faith in an exciting, safe and supportive environment. In addition to individual campers, Camp OLOG will once again welcome families to join a family camp.
In 2020, Camp OLOG offered only a family camp option, rather than hosting individual campers, in response to safety restrictions implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last year, we tried to make it as normal as possible while following guidelines,” Camp Coordinator Daniel Spurr said. “We still went swimming and canoeing, and we still had adoration and Mass every day.”
Each family attending camp had their own designated cabin and bathroom.
“It was really cool for the parents to have that same experience,” he said.
Spurr expects around 600 campers (families and individuals) to attend Camp OLOG this year. While individual campers are restricted to fourth through 12th grades, there are no age restrictions on family campers.
“It's going to be an amazing summer,” Spurr stated. “The kids need it. Whatever protocols are in place at that time by the archdiocese, we will follow them.”
In addition, camp will operate with a limited capacity.
Camp activities are designed to encourage campers’ personal and spiritual growth through participation in Mass, reconciliation, adoration and group prayer. There will be an emphasized focus on active participation in outdoor activities, including fishing, archery, sports, scavenger hunts and campfires.
Lauren Linck, who attended family camp last year with her three young children, described it as a family retreat.
“I think every family needs to do it! You get to pray together and play together. It was an awesome experience,” she said. “We went hiking, they had slip and slide. We also did archery, went canoeing and fishing. The kids were so excited. They had never been able to do these things before, and they thought it was the coolest thing!”
Camp OLOG is led by a group of counselors, mostly high school and college students, who have previously attended Camp OLOG as a student. All staff members are required to complete the archdiocesan Safe Environment training program, which includes focus on boundaries and keeping staff and campers safe.
“It’s been a hard year for everyone, especially for our kids,” Spurr said. “Camp is important to begin with, but now more than ever, it is needed to help kids grow in their relationship with Christ.”
Registration for summer 2021 is now open. Camp OLOG will offer eight weeks of individual camp and three weeks of family camp. The individual camp schedule is divided by grades. Elementary camp is for fourth through sixth graders, middle school camp is for seventh through ninth graders and high school camp is for 10th through 12th graders.
Applications are also being accepted for counselors, mission team members and leadership team members.
Sally Linhart is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
Photo: (above) Dominic Lynch climbs a tree at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Youth Camp. Visit archokc.org/camp to learn more or to apply for a camp staff position. Photo provided.
SUMMER SCHEDULE
Grade entering fall 2021
Elementary School = 4th - 6th
Middle School = 7th - 9th
High School = 10th - HS grad
Camp 1
High School
June 9-12
Camp 2
Middle School
June 13-16
Camp 3
Elementary School
June 23-26
Camp 4
Elementary School
June 27-30
Camp 5
Middle School
July 7-10
Camp 6
Elementary School
July 11-14
Camp 7
Middle School
July 21-24
Camp 8
High School
July 25-28
Family Camp
June 17-20
July 1-4
July 15-18
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Youth Camp
Register at archokc.org/camp
campers or staff
Youth, Young Adult and Campus Evangelization and Discipleship
(405) 721-9220
dspurr@archokc.org
