As Camp Christopher prepares for its busy summer season, officials celebrated the ribbon-cutting, blessing and dedication of a new cabin and shelter on April 13. The handicap-accessible structure is the first new cabin in nearly two decades at the camp, which began in 1924. It is dedicated to St. Edith Stein, also known as Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, the religious name she took after becoming a Discalced Carmelite nun. The cabin was blessed by Father Frank Basa, pastor of St. Bernard Parish in Akron.
The new cabin has a spacious dormitory area with bunk beds that can accommodate as many as two dozen campers. There also is a large, handicap-accessible restroom, making it the first cabin to have indoor plumbing, said Deacon Will Yoho, chair of the Catholic Charities Community Services/Summit County Advisory Council.
?We are breaking with tradition by having a restroom in this new cabin. It ends the long tradition of trekking through sleet and snow in the middle of the night and stepping on frogs or whatever on the way to the restroom facilities,? Yoho quipped.
He said the support of Catholic Charities, which oversees the 165-acre Camp Christopher, ?means the camp is here to stay.? Yoho also emphasized the importance of faith at the camp, noting ?it is a critical piece of what this camp is all about.?
Patrick Gareau, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland, explained that the new cabin was named after St. Edith Stein because she is a modern, 20th century saint and someone campers might be able to identify with. Although born Jewish, she converted to Catholicism, became a nun and was among countless people who were arrested by the Nazis and killed in the gas chamber at Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II.
Gareau said formation of faith in youth is the top purpose and value of Camp Christopher. Campers learn many other values, including leadership and teamwork, as well as having fun, he added.
