April 2, 2020
With heavy hearts, we must advise that our planned summer camps at Our Lady of Victory Camp will not take place this year, due to the risk of spreading the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Archbishop Smith recently participated in a teleconference hosted by the Premier, the Minister of Health and the Chief Medical Officer and involving religious leaders from across the province of Alberta. The advice they received was clear: since there is no expectation that a vaccine for the virus will be found before the summer, it would be prudent to take steps now to cancel summer events that draw together large numbers of people.
This is a very sad and difficult decision, especially since so many were looking forward to the reopening of OLVC. But we also realize it is a necessary one. We simply cannot host camps when we know that doing so would risk the health of the young people who participate, their families, and the staff and volunteers. Anyone who has already paid a camp registration fee will receive a full refund; there is nothing you need do.
As you may know, we also had to cancel three parish information sessions in March, where we had planned to share details of the Business Plan for Archdiocesan Camps, as well as the Open House planned for June 14 at OLVC, and the Stewardship Days work bees scheduled for April 18, May 8, May 9, June 12, and June 13.
We invite you to join in our prayers to Our Lady of Victory, that through her intercession this pandemic will come to an end, and that we will once again be transforming lives, deepening faith, and building community through our Catholic camps. Archbishop Smith remains committed to the camps ministry.
In light of this news, the redevelopment work on the camps and the Revamp the Camps capital campaign has been paused. But we plan to restart as soon as we are able. If you are able, donations will be gratefully accepted online http://bit.ly/CAEdm-Camps.
We are grateful for your patience and prayers as the Camps Renewal Project proceeds, even if it is not proceeding as we had hoped.
Our Lady of Victory, pray for us!
Lucy Kaakyo
Chair, Archdiocesan Camps Renewal Committee
For more information, contact Lucy Kaakyo at 780-469-1010 ext 2134
Or
Lorraine Turchansky at 780-392-2456