News Briefs: Centro Guadalupano seeks volunteers to staff front desk MADISON -- Centro Guadalupano of the Diocese of Madison is looking for volunteers to staff its front desk. Duties include answering the phones, welcoming clients, transferring calls to staff who provide services, maintaining clients' log, and assisting in light clerical duties. Volunteers should be able to communicate verbally in English and Spanish. For inquiries, contact Romilia Schlueter, phone 608-255-8471 or e-mail: guadalupe@straphael.org Mass of Healing and Hope Aug. 3 EVANSVILLE -- A Mass of Healing and Hope will be held Saturday, Aug. 3, at 5 p.m. at St. Paul Church, 35 Garfield Ave. Prayer and praise will begin at 4:30 p.m. Fr. Eric Nielsen will be the celebrant. After Mass, prayer teams will be available to pray with people for spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, and relational needs. The Mass is sponsored by the Madison Diocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal. For more information, call 608-833-6560 or 608-754-0693. Support groups for divorced, separated MADISON -- Friends on a Journey is a peer support group for those hurting from separation, divorce, or loss of a significant relationship. The next meeting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish Center, 401 S. Owen Drive. For more information, call Paul at 608-862-3613. New Directions is a peer support group for those hurting from separation, divorce, or loss of a significant relationship. The next meeting will be from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8, at St. Dennis Parish Center, 505 Dempsey Rd., top floor. Open to all ages and faith. For more information, call Ron at 608-835-2907. Dean/St. Marys offers free Asthma Clinic on Tuesdays MADISON -- The Dean/St. Marys Neighborhood Asthma Clinic, at 4633D Madison Plaza (near the Allied Dr. neighborhood) serves children, teens, and adults with asthma or breathing problems. The clinic - open every Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. - provides free check-ups and information from Dean/St. Marys doctors and nurses. For more information call Lynne Edebohls, nurse practitioner, at 608-446-3344. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Seminar on various drug programs MONROE -- Prescription drug programs for seniors: are they for you? Senior citizens are invited to help answer that question during an informational seminar to be held on Wednesday, July 31, at The Monroe Clinic here. The seminar will provide details on various programs designed to help seniors save money on drug costs. Mark Aylesworth, director of pharmacy at The Monroe Clinic, will speak at 7 p.m. He will present information on a variety of different drug programs and will direct seniors to resources they need to access if they are interested in a certain program. Aylesworth will focus on Wisconsin's new prescription drug assistance program, SeniorCare. The program is open to the public and there is no cost to attend. It will take place in Founders Hall, which is located on the lower level of The Monroe Clinic building.

Camp Gray: Encouraging environment at Catholic camp and retreat center

By Julianne Nornberg
CATHOLIC HERALD STAFF

(See also front page photo.)

BARABOO -- "Come on! You can do it!"

Words of encouragement from a camper and counselor cheer on a young girl above who uses her hands and feet to climb to the top of a newly built wooden climbing wall.

A few yards down a path through the woods, young archers shout "Good job!" as a fellow camper successfully hits the "bull's eye" with his bow and arrow.

These are the common sights and sounds one discovers on a visit to Camp Gray, a diocesan-run Catholic camp and retreat center located on 225 acres in the Baraboo area.

Catholic summer camp

Camp Gray is a place children experience Christian community, said Phil DeLong, director of Camp Gray. "When it permeates everything you do, it can have such a deep impact," he said. "There's a culture established here: we lift each other up and encourage each other."

This summer, more than 1,300 people have have registered to attend Camp Gray, which was founded in 1953 by Msgr. Francis Xavier Gray, pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Baraboo.

During nine weeks of summer, children from all over the Diocese of Madison and beyond come to Camp Gray to build new skills and learn more about their faith. They stay at camp for one or two weeks at a time. Campers range in ages from those going into first grade to those entering 12th grade.

"I love being with a Catholic camp," said Lawrence Scheeler, counselor and teacher of archery.

Camp Gray activities

After morning praise and prayer, campers work on different skill-building areas such as archery, arts and crafts, canoeing, swimming, fishing, field sports, nature, horseback riding, outdoor living skills, performance, and mountain biking.

A new rock climbing wall built this summer allows campers to stay on Camp Gray grounds instead of traveling to Devil's Lake for this skill-building activity.

Older campers may experience rustic camping in the Explorer Program; hiking, canoeing, or biking trips in the Voyageur Program; and working with horses in the Ranch Program. A Counselor-In-Training Program is offered to 12th graders.

Alexis Klas, fifth grader from St. Albert the Great Parish, Sun Prairie, said she likes being able to select from the different activities. "You can pick people in your cabin, too," she said.

"Everyone is nice and there are fun activities," said camper Stewart Winter of Edgerton.

Summer outing: Mass, water show in Dells Aug. 23 for handicapped, elderly

WISCONSIN DELLS -- The Apostolate to the Handicapped announces its 35th annual summer trip to Wisconsin Dells for the handicapped and elderly will be on Friday, Aug. 23.

As has been the case for the past 25 years, it will feature the Tommy Bartlett Water Show. The entire day will take place at the Tommy Bartlett Water Show site on Lake Delton in Wisconsin Dells.

There will be a concelebrated Mass at 11 a.m. with about 20 priests of the Diocese of Madison. This is under the direction of Fr. Kent Schmitt and Fr. Mike Klarer, with Msgr. Tom Campion, Apostolate director, principal celebrant and homilist.

Following the Mass, there will be a picnic lunch and then the world famous Tommy Bartlett Water Show. This year the water show is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the show's production. Tommy Bartlett, now deceased, was the founder. Tom Diehl is now the president of the corporation. The show provides good, wholesome family entertainment.

All handicapped and elderly persons are invited to this day, which is held in rain or shine. "It is one of our high points of the year, as we celebrate all of life in God's great outdoors," said Campion.

The usual staff of volunteers - drivers, nurses, food preparers, servers, helpers, and workers of all kinds - put their efforts together to make it a great and memorable day for all. The staff of the Tommy Bartlett Water Show in their orange shirts work hard to see that guests get seated and back to their cars or buses, in addition to putting on the performance.

Reservations may be made by writing Campion at Box 443, Monroe, WI 53566. Transportation will be furnished whenever possible for those who need a ride. There is no cost since those attending are guests of the show and other expenses are taken care of by friends of the Apostolate to the Handicapped.

"Together we celebrate life, beauty, joy, courage, love, generosity, and compassion. We do this in sign and symbol in the Eucharist as we share the body of Christ; as we share a meal together to feed our body; and as we share ourselves with others," said Campion.

Catholic Herald honors:
Received for online and print editions

MADISON -- Both the online and print editions of The Catholic Herald of the Diocese of Madison have recently received honors.

Leemark Communications announced that it has received an Award of Distinction for the Madison Catholic Herald Online Web site in The Communicator Awards 2002 Print Media competition.

"I am very proud of all of the Web sites I've built, but the Madison Catholic Herald Online site seemed like an especially good candidate for this year's entry," said Leemark Communications owner Chris Lee. "The site represents the results of a lot of hard work, and a great deal of the credit goes to The Catholic Herald staff, its Advisory Committee, and the committee's On-line Task Force. Everyone involved should consider this award a pat on the back for a job well done."

The Communicator Awards is an international awards competition. According to the award notice, entries are "judged by industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry." The notice said there were 3,660 entries in the 2002 Print Media competition and that approximately 19 percent of those won the Award of Distinction. The Madison Catholic Herald Online was entered in the "Web Site/Overall Site" category.

The Madison Catholic Herald Online, located at www.madisoncatholicherald.org, is updated weekly in conjunction with the print issue of The Catholic Herald, official newspaper of the Diocese of Madison. The Web site is also updated when breaking news occurs.

The Catholic Herald print edition was also honored in the annual Catholic Press Association (CPA) wards Competition. Winners were announced at the recent CPA convention in Minneapolis.

The Catholic Herald won awards for Best Editorial Page or Section and Best Feature Photo. The winning photo was taken by Patrick Scullion of a Christmas program at St. Peter School, Ashton.