Summer is right around the corner which means vacations and new adventures. The Diocese of St. Petersburg has a wonderful opportunity for children ages 7-15 to attend Good Counsel Camp in Floral City.

The Citrus County camp is celebrating its 75th year of operation this year.  Generations of children have come through the rustic camp, growing in appreciation for nature, team building, and making new friends in a faith-based setting.

Father James Johnson, Pastor of St. Scholastica Parish in Lecanto, and Good Counsel Camp Executive Director, has a special fondness for the camp.

“I started working here 51 years ago as a counselor right out of high school.  I’ve been directly involved with the camp for 35 years.   It’s a special place if you ask anyone who’s been there; it’s touched their lives.  They always share how it’s helped to make them who they are today. And it’s unique because it’s the only Catholic camp in the southeastern United States.”

Good Counsel Camp is grounded in faith-filled activities.  There’s daily Mass, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, Bible lessons, and opportunities for faith sharing. In this natural outdoor setting one feels a special closeness to God our Creator.

Father Johnson says, “Like our Catholic schools, you do not have to be Catholic to attend but we do have a daily Mass, so even the non-Catholics would attend the Mass. We have prayers before and after the meals and we have an evening prayer service sharing Scripture, but you do not have to be Catholic to attend.”

Some of our local priests attended the camp as seminarians.

“As a seminarian in the early 90’s I spent two summers as a counselor at Good Counsel Camp. It was wonderful to share my love of the faith, the joy of the Lord, and the beauty of the great outdoors with so many young people,” says Bishop David Toups, Bishop of Beaumont, Texas.

“Now three decades later, I have run into some of those young campers who have spoken to me of the impact of those summers and who are active members of the Church. That is what GCC is all about … planting seeds of faith and laying a foundation for the future,” says Bishop Toups.

Bishop Stephen Parkes of the Diocese of Savannah also served as a seminarian counselor at the camp.  Bishop Stephen is the brother of the Diocese of St. Petersburg’s Bishop Gregory Parkes.

Father Johnson shared, “When I first went up, I was not a camper but a counselor. In many ways, Good Counsel Camp and Monsignor George Cummings, the director at the time, helped me to decide my vocation to enter the priesthood.”

While there’s a spiritual element at the camp, it’s not all about prayer.  According to their website www.goodcounselcamp.org, morning activities include archery, boating and fishing, riflery, swimming, and arts & crafts.  There are also team sports like soccer and basketball.  The socials in the evenings include dances, ice cream socials, night hikes and evening campfires.

Parents have often said after picking up their children from camp that they wished that they could go to camp.  Good Counsel Camp now offers a Family Camp Week where the family gets their own cabin and participates in activities as if it were summer camp.

Registration for 2022 campers is underway with early bird registration discounts available until May 1st.  For details on camp registration, the 75th anniversary activities, and the family camp, visit www.goodcounselcamp.org.

Summer Camp at Mary Help of Christians Center

Located near Brandon, Mary Help of Christians Center also offers a Catholic summer camp program. Children enjoy days filled with various water activities, exploring nature, playing sports, cooking, and much more! The backdrop for Camp Mary Help is the 140-acre campus of Mary Help of Christians Center, which is also home to a retreat center, Parish, Mary’s Little Farm, and Cristo Rey Tampa Salesian High School, all of which serve the Tampa Bay community. The foundation of Camp Mary Help is Faith Formation, which comes alive through daily Mass and faith activities. To learn more, visit https://www.mhctampa.org/summer-camp/.