Camp Alumnus, Fr. Levi James, Ordained to the Priesthood
On June 7, 2025, surrounded by family and friends at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Belleville, Ill., Levi James was ordained to the priesthood. The Mt. Carmel native and member of the Camp Family has been appointed to serve as Parochial Vicar alongside Fr. Steven Beatty for the following parishes: St. Joseph in Olney, St. Joseph in Stringtown, Holy Cross in Wendelin, and St. Lawrence in Lawrenceville.
Fr. Levi’s Camp story began in the summer before his 13th birthday. “Although I came later than some,” he shares, “I fell in love all the same.” From the very first Mass, unit chants, and opening campfire, Camp felt like a whole other world he would belong to by the end of his first week. That sense of belonging guided him through his next year as a Horse Camper, being inducted into the Lodge of Ondessonk & Tekakwitha, as a CIT, and eventually an LIT and proud member of the summer staff.
“I have so many good memories from my time at Camp, but the best are always those memories of the friends I had along the way.” Fr. Levi continues, “Nothing beats scream-singing Camp songs, misty-eyed at the final campfire of the year, beside the summer’s companions; the ones who stuck by me through all the ups and downs of a summer at Camp, the ones I still see, and the ones I still miss.”
“All of this was before I had any inclination that I would one day become a priest,” Fr. Levi explains, “but looking back it makes sense now why the job I was always gunning for was Council Coordinator.” His fascination with the stories of the North American Martyrs and their faith foreshadowed a future even he couldn’t see at the time. “I found their courage inspiring and still find myself praying for their help today,” Fr. Levi recalls.
In 2019, while studying for the priesthood, he returned to Camp one more time as a staff member, “The diocese asked if I would go back to Camp and serve on staff one more time. I jumped at the chance!” he says. He served in Council much of that summer, working alongside that summer’s Council Coordinator, Sean Walsh, and spent a week with Adventure Camp, white water rafting in West Virginia.
Fr. Levi recalls that many of his favorite Camp memories were walks around the lake, early morning walks to the shower house, or evening walks from the Staff Lounge to his unit, but walking the Blessed Sacrament from the Grotto to the Chapel stands above all others. “I held our Lord close to my heart and prayed for Camp, for its staff, for its future. I could hear all the campers singing the final songs at the end of the Mass as the opening campfire began, and I remember thinking to myself, ‘I love this place.’”
For Fr. Levi, Camp’s most important work is giving young people space to be themselves to grow in confidence, experience internal peace, and maybe even hear God speak. “There’s a lot of self-discovery that happens at Camp,” he says. “With a good guide, that can be instrumental.”
“Camp is becoming even more necessary in our changing world.” He explains, “It is essential that we provide our children with a place to get out and experience how good a simple life can be. Grounded in faith, cared for by dedicated staff, and situated in the most beautiful place in the state, Camp Ondessonk is the perfect place to encounter God, to encounter ourselves, and to return to the ordinary world forever changed.”
Fr. Levi hopes Camp will continue to grow in numbers and in faith, touching more lives while staying rooted in its Catholic mission. “As Camp grows, I hope it always grows more deeply in the faith that brought it to life. In the long term, I want the mission of Camp to spread throughout the diocese. I want every household and parish to know what a gift Camp Ondessonk is for our children.”
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