REEDSBURG — “But among you, it shall not be so. Rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest and the leader as the one who serves.” — Luke 22:26
For the past 70 years, Camp Gray near Reedsburg has been instilling a spirit of servitude into the hearts and minds of youth from across the Diocese of Madison through its summer camp program.
A long, proud history
Camp certainly looks different from its beginnings in 1953.
Originally a plot of land owned by Charles McGinnis, according to Camp Gray’s website, Msgr. Francis Xavier Gray purchased the land from him with a dream of building a place where youth could commune, under supervision with their Creator.
Monsignor Gray died in 1957, and succeeding him as camp director was Fr. Vincent Browne who soon after named the area Camp Gray after Monsignor Gray.
Originally an all-boys camp, Camp Gray officially became a co-ed camp in 1984 by the board of directors and then-director Fr. Larry Bakke.
Since then, Camp Gray has rebuilt its pool, dining hall, and gym; added on cabins; and added on to the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel last year.
One thing that has not changed about Camp is its dedication to serving, forming, and inspiring youth from across the diocese.
Inspiring to many
Camp Gray has been inspiring not only youth but hundreds of young adults who have worked as counselors and camp staff over the years.
It has been so inspiring that one counselor, Mollie Carter, moved from Kentucky to work at Camp Gray this summer.
Carter’s older sister was good friends with Zoe Bernard, a long-time camper and staffer at Camp Gray.
Carter loved hearing about Camp from Bernard and hoped one day that she could visit.
For a while, Carter forgot about Camp Gray until she graduated this past spring from Murray State University with a degree in conservation biology.
Knowing that she wanted to work outdoors with her faith, Carter began to ask the Lord what He wanted for her.
Camp Gray kept coming up in her prayer, and she encountered Shane Reinbold, Camp Gray’s summer camp director at the FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic Univeristy Students) SEEK conference this past winter. She then applied and was hired in the spring.
“I love it a lot. One of the things that excited me about Camp Gray is that I knew it was truly a Catholic Camp and working and being here has proved it to be true,” she said. “It’s a gift to have daily Mass and prayer and to live out our Catholic Faith. For the campers, and staff too, it’s good to unplug and re-center our life in Christ.”
Having moved here from Kentucky, Carter gave some advice to those who are thinking about working at Camp Gray or coming as a camper but who don’t live close.
“Just go for it. At the beginning of the summer, I was nervous, having never worked or lived outside of Kentucky,” she said. “But Camp Gray feels like home, like family. If we just take that small step of trust toward God, He’s going to take care of the rest.”
Celebrating Christ
Carter along with the rest of Camp Gray were excited to celebrate Jesus’s “half-birthday” month of July in full style with Christmas decorations, Christmas music, and cookie decorating, though admittedly some of the campers’ frosted cookies looked like just frosting.
At the end of each lunchtime, the campers recite Luke 22:26 before going off to their afternoon activities — “but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.”
It’s beautiful to think about how many hundreds of kids and young adults also hold this verse in their hearts during their time at Camp Gray.
Thousands of campers have come to call Camp Gray “home” over these past 70 years.
Thousands have prayed in the chapel and had opportunities to encounter the Lord through the sacraments, creation, and each other at Camp Gray — attracting people from across the United States and helping to form youth in their Catholic faith.