SEPTEMBER 2023

RELIGION
Campers enjoy the
many activities,
including a ropes
obstacle course.
Chaldean Youth Camp
& Our Lady of the Fields
BY MICHAEL ANTOON
Chaldean Youth Camp, or CYC
for short, is a summer camp
program containing a variety
of traditional camp activities such
as sports, team building activities,
art projects, campfires, and indoor
games, while at the same time promoting
the values and ideals of the
Chaldean Catholic Church.
The CYC was created in 2014 and
is held annually at Our Lady of the
Fields Camp & Retreat Center in Brighton
(previously Camp Chaldean). A
group of seminarians and volunteers
pioneered this camp to bring our
Chaldean youth together while making
faith fun. In our rapidly evolving
world, cultural heritage and identity
play an essential role in connecting
us to our roots. This camp serves as a
beacon for Chaldean youth, providing
them with an avenue to (most importantly)
foster faith while also being
connected to their culture.
Our Lady of the Fields Camp has
become a haven for our community
to connect and unite. Bought in
2007 from the City of Detroit, it was
originally named “Camp Chaldean.”
In 2010, construction began on the
beautiful St. George Shrine, which
was completed in 2012. The property
and shrine, located around Euler
Lake, was purchased and built with
money donated from the Shamaya
(Sam) Kassab Fund, the late father of
Mary Ann Kassab Ayar.
In 2014, Chaldean Youth Camp
was officially in business, offering day
and overnight sessions. Later in 2018,
His Excellency Mar Francis Y. Kalabat
renamed “Camp Chaldean,” giving it
the new name Our Lady of the Fields
Camp and Retreat Center (OLF). The
Diocese also hired Mr. Michael Hickey
to be the Executive Director of OLF.
Under the great leadership of Mr.
Hickey, 2019 saw the introduction of the
high and low ropes course, and the gates
of OLF were further opened beyond the
Chaldean community. Through 2020
and 2021 OLF continued to host Catholic
youth groups and many schools from
the Archdiocese of Detroit, as well as
from the Diocese of Lansing.
In 2022, OLF partnered with Damascus
Mission to host over 1,200
campers over 8 weeks, on a yearly basis.
The diocese also purchased an additional
54-acre parcel of property that
will be used for future development.
Today, in 2023, the Camp has just
about anything, and maybe more
than you can even ask for. It features
a renovated dining hall with a new
deck overlooking the lake, renovated
sleeping cabins with new bunk beds
and showers, a high and low ropes
course, kayaks and canoes, a beach,
large sports fields, a rock-climbing
wall and zip-line, GAGA pits, updated
pontoons for lake cruises, an inflatable
water activity course, basketball
courts, bonfire pits, and much more!
Many thanks for the camp’s successes
are owed to Mr. Michael Hickey,
the executive director. Mr. Hickey
has been a theology teacher in the
Archdiocese of Detroit for more than
30 years. He has taught at St. Frances
Cabrini High School, Brother
Rice High School, U of D Jesuit High
School, and is now the campus minister
at Marian Catholic High School. He
was also the previous executive director
of Camp Sancta Maria, a Catholic
summer camp in Gaylord, Michigan.
Mr. Hickey, his wife, and five children
wholeheartedly dedicate their time
to the Camp and its mission of fun,
faith, and fellowship. Our Lady of the
Fields would surely not be the same
without Mr. Hickey.
With the support of OLF and Mr.
Hickey, as well as the Chaldean Diocese,
CYC’s committee has continued
to nourish and inspire our future generations.
With 5 different camps, 3 one
day and 2 overnight, CYC continues
to grow yearly. 1st and 2nd-grade students
attend the Co-Ed Junior One Day
Camp. 3rd to 6th graders attend the
boy’s/girl’s one-day camps. Finally,
7th to 10th graders attend the boys/
girls overnight camps.
With fully booked camps year after
year, CYC also requires a strong base
of volunteers. Many Chaldean young
adults, including myself, give their
time to CYC because of the fruit they
know it bears.
Many (again including myself)
were campers in the past and their values
were formed through this camp in
their childhood.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus said,
“Let the little children come to me, and
do not hinder them, for the kingdom of
heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew
19:14) This is what CYC is about,
bringing the youth to God.
“CYC provides a chance for our
youth to connect with Christ, celebrate
our culture, and simply have fun. All
these aspects find their foundation in
Jesus Christ,” says Chaldean seminarian
Matthew Bakkal, who oversees the
camp’s ministry program.
From committees to volunteers to
activities, all must reflect on Jesus. This
camp is such a blessing to our Chaldean
community for many reasons, but
at the heart of all, it reflects on Jesus.
The successes of both Our Lady of
the Fields and Chaldean Youth Camp
are ones that our community should
take extreme pride in. OLF has become
an esteemed retreat center, not just for
those in the Chaldean community, and
CYC has become a true part of our children’s
formation.
If you feel called to support the
future of Our Lady of the Fields, as
well as our future generations of
Chaldean youth, visit olf.camp. Also,
visit Chaldeanyouthcamp.com for
sponsorship information, and stay
tuned to the CYC Instagram page or
website for registration information
coming in 2024.
14 CHALDEAN NEWS SEPTEMBER 2023