Feature Friday- Mickey & Lita

Did you know that many people have found thier husbands & wives at camp? While we don’t put on our staff recruiting materials dozens of couples have fallen in love & got married after working at camp together. At camp you are the truest version of yourself; living together sweating together & having crazy hours seems to bring people together. This weeks feature friday is just that- a couple that met at camp years ago! 

Mickey & Lita are now parents professionals & CYC Board Members! This past summer they came to camp to visit & had the most fun I’ve ever seen telling stories to each other (and us) about thier long lost days working at CYC. We are so lucky to have them still involved! 

Special Note: Mickey & Lita always refer to CYC as CYC Camp this is because CYC was originally started by the Catholic Youth Center (then called CYC) so it really was the CYC Camp back in the day! 

LITA

Q: What years & roles did you have at CYC?

A: 1981 1982 – Junior Counselor/Kitchen Aide

 1983 – Cabin Counselor – Goupil 2 NCR (Nature Crafts & Rec)

 19861987 1988 – Summer program director

 1988-89 – FT – year-round program director

 * Left for a FT job in Junior High Youth Ministry before the summer of 1989.

Q: What do you do now? How has your history with CYC helped you with your

current profession?

 A: Currently I am a licensed teacher who is on a year-long Sabbatical to finish my MA in gifted creative and talented education. I plan to head-back into the classroom next year. I’m also married to Mickey Friesen who I met at CYC Camp. Which is discovering another vocation – marriage and family life.

 It was at CYC Camp I discovered my vocation for working with youth.

Q: What is your favorite CYC memory?

 A: There are many favorite memories. Mass outside opening and closing campfires staff skits chapel running daily in Nature (saw many deer a bear or two and a lynx). Camp game. Watching the northern lights and stars on the dock. Moonlight sailing friendships with other camp staff through play laughter sharing faith purpose hard work campouts day-to-day routines and traditions which made camp.

 Most favorites: Having Mass in the lake with the dock serving as the altar Tim Malone the camp director singing and playing songs on the piano in  Indian Point Lodge as staff sang and danced along.

Q: Where is your favorite place at CYC?

A: Two places: The dock (which is no longer there) on the beach next to Indian Point Lodge. Look-out point (which actually near the top of “mercy” hill not on camp property). The breeze and sound of the pine trees at that place was amazing and the view was stunning at both places at sunrise/sunset.

Q: What does it mean to be part of the CYC family?

Hmm. That’s a good question. At it’s best CYC Camp is Church on a mission. Church = people of God. Mission= faith-formational journey.

Because the context and setting of camp is really a temporary experience of Church and Heaven on earth I think it is experience that invites forms and provides a rich experience of Catholic community at its best IF it is done well.

I do not think it is a context and setting (like many experiences in our life times) that is to be permanent but rather transformative and formative (if done well). A Faith touch point. There is a time and season for CYC camp in one’s lifetime. I wish every child adolescent young adult could experience a fun faith-filled community-building nature-filled opportunity within the Catholic context and within their life times.

Q: Describe CYC in ONE word!

heaven-on-earth

DEACON MICKEY

Q: What years & roles did you have at CYC?

A: I was at camp in 1985 and 1988.  In 1985 I served as a cabin counselor and worked in the waterfront teaching swimming and being a lifeguard.  In 1988 I was hired for a new position of Volunteer Coordinator.  This meant I recruited summer volunteers of all kinds and coordinated weekly Mass including finding priests.

Q: What do you do now? How has your history with CYC helped you with your current profession? 

A:  I am an ordained deacon and have been serving in Church ministry of various kinds for over 25 years.  Currently I’m the director of the Center for Mission in the Archdiocese and oversee missionary activity.  My time at CYC Camp was formative on many levels.  I got to be part of Christian community of young adults and ministering with youth in the beauty of nature.  I learned and experienced relational ministry and learned about experiencing God in the midst of whatever we were doing.  Sometimes the best faith sharing and prayer happens in a canoe or over a campfire.

Q: What is your favorite CYC memory?

A: I have many memories of camp but one that sticks out to me is the weekly final campfire with all of the children and counselors.  We did so many creative skits songs cheers and sharing at those campfires.  It was always a highlight for me. 

Q: Where is your favorite place at CYC?