Campers, from left, Carson, Madeline and Sarah make crafts at Camp Guggenheim. (Enterprise photo — Dana Hatton)

SARANAC LAKE — Living out the faith in all aspects of life is at the center of Camp Guggenheim.

Campers of all faiths and backgrounds are welcome to join, but it is very much a Catholic camp. It has Mass on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and a reconciliation service on Wednesday. There is prayer throughout the day, and one of the morning activities is planning that afternoon’s liturgy.

“Our overall mission is to bring campers closer to Christ and help them see the importance of living out their faith through prayer, through sacraments, through relationships with others and through all that they do,” said Kelly Donnelly, who is in her fourth summer as camp director.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ogdensburg runs the summer camp for six weeks of the year. It started 45 years ago as a summer camp for youth. It’s named for Edmond Guggenheim, who owned the property on Lower Saranac Lake from 1917 until 1963, when he donated it to the diocese.

The camp’s first five weeks are open to 12- to 15-year-olds, and the last week to 16- to 18-year-olds. The camp facilities are also used for different groups within the diocese and for family camp programs that run on weekends throughout the summer and late fall.

They have a two-week leadership program, much like a counselor-in-training program, for 16- to 18-year-olds during two of the 12- to-15 year-old weeks. The first week the teens engage in workshops that focus on leadership and helping out as leaders. The second week they work with the younger campers and put their work into action. It gives the teenagers a sense of what it would be like to be a staff member but also a look on leadership as a whole.

The fee of $300 a week makes the camp accessible to a wide variety of young people. The diocesan Bishop’s Fund helps make that possible.

In the mornings, campers rotate through liturgy, waterfront, arts and crafts, and team-building games called Project Adventure. In the afternoons, campers sign up for activities that could include rappelling down a cliff in the property’s woods, hiking Mount Baker nearby, playing basketball or soccer, or doing arts and crafts. The entire camp gathers for beach time, when kids have the opportunity to swim, kayak or canoe or play water volleyball. In the evening, programs vary from camp-wide adventure games, Olympics, a bonfire, a variety show and a dance.

“We have really solid programs,” Donnelly said, “but even more than the individual things, it’s this atmosphere of support and love and a community that is strongly rooted in the Catholic faith, which helps kids really concretely see just how joyfully it is to live out the faith.”

“It’s just an amazing fellowship, and I love being around people who share my faith,” fourth-year camper Madeline said. Donnelly asked that campers’ names not be used. “And along with that, you get to do all these fun activities like bonfire, a variety show and a dance. It’s just super-fun, and it brings you closer to God.

“It’s my favorite week of the year.”

Hunter, another fourth-year camper, said, “You get to grow closer to Christ and you get to see all of your old friends and then you get to meet new ones.”

Lillia Woolschlager, a former camper and now in her second year as counselor, said, “I enjoy the personal interactions with the campers. We are family, and because of that I feel closer to God.” She said she likes setting examples for each camper, noting they are the ones that keep her and other counselors motivated to enhance their prayer life.

“It is a joyful place,” Donnelly said. “One thing that I hear from campers and parents is just how at home they feel here, and it’s a place they feel comfortable with themselves.”

“It’s life-changing to go home as a person of renewed faith, more strongly committed to their Catholic identity.”