Fortieth in a series on the 75th anniversary of the Diocese of Madison
In the remaining articles in this series on the history of the Diocese of Madison, we will focus in more detail on some of the key ministries in the diocese.
One of the earliest ministries is Camp Gray, located in Reedsburg, which is the Catholic summer camp and year-round retreat center owned by the diocese and funded by the support of patrons and donors.
According to its mission statement, “Camp Gray invites persons of all ages to encounter Jesus Christ in all creation, experience a fun and vibrant Catholic community, and be challenged to ever more deeply know, love, and serve God and neighbor.”
It started with a dream
Camp Gray started with a simple dream back in 1953.
Msgr. Francis Xavier Gray, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Baraboo, dreamed of a “place where youth would be free and away from the temptations of the streets; where they could enjoy nature and become acquainted with it firsthand . . . a place where they could commune, under supervision, with their Creator and away from paths so frequently leading to delinquency.”
Monsignor Gray scouted many potential sites, but he became enamored with an unoccupied, uncultivated 100-acre wooded tract west of Hwy. 12, about eight miles northwest of Baraboo.
He persuaded the parishioner-owner, Charles McGinnis, to sell the land at a reasonable price, and the land was transferred in March of 1953.
The purchase money was donated by six local people. On July 15, Bishop William P. O’Connor officiated at the dedication of the camp.
Early years
In the summer of 1953, local parishioners began work on the first camp structures (the St. Clare Cabin is the only original cabin remaining), using surplus ammunition crates from the inactivated nearby Badger Ordnance Works.
Among those who helped build the cabins and support the camp were members of Knights of Columbus Council 746 In Baraboo.
During the early years, the camp was used primarily by Boy Scouts, and other local groups would use the land for camping.
In 1957, a chaplain’s cabin — The Cottage — was built on the site of what is now the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel, but unfortunately Monsignor Gray died on July 27, 1957, before he had the opportunity to use it.
Fr. Vincent Browne succeeded Monsignor Gray as camp director, and soon thereafter officially named it Camp Gray.
More buildings and cabins were erected. During the summer of 1958, Camp Gray held its first summer camp for boys only.
In 1961, the Diocese of Madison purchased 125 acres of property adjacent to the southern boundary of the camp with the expectation of sometime developing a lake on the site.
The proposed 40-acre lake was to be formed by damming Harrison Creek. However, the Department of Natural Resources did not approve the plan for the lake.
In 1964, a freshwater, sand-bottom swimming pool (eastern half of the present-day Lake Jake) was excavated, and a spring was diverted to feed the pool.
On May 31, 1964, the Chapel of St. Joseph (the present-day “The Joe”) was dedicated by Auxiliary Bishop Jerome J. Hastrich. This building served as the camp chapel until June of 2005 when the St. Francis of Assisi Chapel was built.
In 1965, the 90 by 45-foot gymnasium was built and dodgeball was played for the first time and has been played every summer since.
Camp continues to grow
By the mid-1960s, the summer camp grew by leaps and bounds with about 500 boys attending each summer. During this time, college seminarians served as camp counselors.
In 1968, the Diocese of Madison incorporated the camp.
Fr. Kevin Cassidy was the camp director in the 1970s and oversaw much growth in the summer camp program and in the buildings and facilities. One of the buildings was the St. Vincent Retreat Center built in 1974; it was remodeled in future years.
In 1979, Fr. (now Msgr.) Larry Bakke, who had been serving in the diocesan Office of Youth Ministry, was hired as camp director. He is still active at Camp Gray and is a member of the camp’s Board of Directors.
Father Bakke oversaw extensive remodeling at Camp Gray and was responsible for the winterization of several buildings to enable year-round usage of the camp.
In the 1980s, girls were given the opportunity to experience Camp Gray, at first for two weeks only until 1984, when the camp went entirely co-ed.
In 1993, Father Bakke stepped down and Camp Gray hired its first year-round lay director, Jake Czarnick-Neymier, who in turn hired an assistant director, Phil DeLong.
Czarnick-Neymier played a huge role in the camp’s enormous growth both in the summer and hear-round programs.
He left after four years and DeLong transitioned into the director role. DeLong expanded programs for older campers, including the Counselors in Training Program, now known as Leaders in Training, launched in 1994.
The Explorer Village, the Voyageur program, the Pathfinder program, and the Ranch program were also begun.
With the Ranch program in 2000, 80 acres of Camp Gray were leased to Wagon’s West Riding Stables providing horseback riding services to campers.
Recent years
In the 2000s, DeLong created a year-round program with the purpose of serving diocesan schools and parishes with a variety of retreats.
The year-round program grew so much that these days, a team of six to eight missionaries is hired each year to serve as part of the camp’s Servant Leadership team.
These missionaries live at Camp Gray with the full-time staff and plan and facilitate Confirmation, teambuilding, leadership, and environmental stewardship retreats.
After 11 years, DeLong stepped down as director in 2007. Jeff and Rebecca Hoeben were hired as co-directors.
Currently, Jeff Hoeben is the executive director of Camp Gray and Tim Chaptman is the camp director.
Family ties have remained strong at Camp Gray. Hoeben has said, “If you come to Camp Gray for a day, you leave as part of the family.”
Generations of campers and counselors have been involved at the camp. As Hoeben said, “It is a place where kids can be themselves and feel valued for who they are, children of God in His beautiful Kingdom. At Camp Gray, they are all part of His family.”
Source: Archives of the Catholic Herald newspaper and website of Camp Gray (https://campgray.com).
Mary C. Uhler served on the staff of the Catholic Herald-Diocese of Madison for almost 47 years, the last 34 years as editor. She retired in July of 2020.