A sign on the wall of Boone Lodge is seen tying into Gasper River’s 2026 camp theme: “Life with Christ is a Wonderful Adventure!” ELIZABETH WONG BARNSTEAD | WKC
You’re invited: Gasper River homecoming takes place Sept. 13
BY BEN WARRELL, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
You and your family are invited to our first-ever Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp Homecoming, kicking off our 20th year! If you’ve ever been a summer staffer, camper, camp family, donor or involved with camp in any way, you are more than welcome to attend.
It will be held on Sept. 13, starting at 1 p.m. We will have Mass with Bishop Medley at 2 p.m., followed by activities and free time and ending with a cookout at 5 p.m. prepared by our local Knights of Columbus Council 1315. The zip-line and vertical playground will be open for all to enjoy along with disc golf, corn hole, basketball, soccer, gaga ball and more!
Please go to our website, www.gasperriverretreatcenter.org to get signed up. There is no cost to attend but you must register to come and enjoy the day.
In July we completed our 19th summer at Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp & Retreat Center and it was another amazing summer at camp! This was our biggest summer ever with 530 campers and 23 on our waiting list that we didn’t have enough room for them to attend. The American Camp Association released a survey saying that 60% is the magic number. This means if you had 60% rate of return campers, that you are running an exceptional program. Our number for this summer was 65%!
Our theme for the summer was “Life with Christ is a Wonderful Adventure,” which is a quote from St. John Paul the Great. We talked about the hero’s journey and living our lives as an adventure. On Mondays we discussed the “Invitation,” that Jesus is always inviting us into a deeper relationship with Him. On Tuesdays we talked about preparing for the journey and the tools that we will need for the adventure. Wednesdays were “Living a life with Christ,” being yoked to Him and how to do that. Thursdays explained how the adventure is more fun with friends that help and support you along the way. On Fridays, campers were challenged to go live out their adventure and to continue to allow God to write the story of their lives.
The camper evaluations were again off the charts with many saying, “This was the best week of my life.” “I’ve never felt closer to Jesus.” “Adoration was life changing for me.”
You can visit all our social media sites and our website for more information and feedback from campers about this summer. Thank you all so much for the prayers and support for the ministry at Gasper River. We could not do what we do without your support. Please be assured of our prayers for you all.
Campers enjoy canteen time on July 15, 2026, at Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp and Retreat Center in Bowling Green. RILEY GREIF | WKC
Originally printed in the September 2026 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
