ST. NOEL RETREAT & CONFERENCE CENTER – THE BEGINNING

By Pati Egan

The September 1983 Camp Newsletter announced a big construction project that was in the planning stages for Camp. It would be for the full-time Rangers, visiting priests, and guests. Full-time Rangers included a few Camp Staff who stayed on after the Summer.

The summer of 1984 brought the first workers to volunteer on this project. The whole “lower level” would be garages for Camp visitors’ vehicles.

In 1985, Gene Canavan became Director of Camp Ondessonk. It must have been overwhelming to see this huge structure and no real plans for its use. At that time all that there was a lower lever that plans were to make into garages.

I spoke to Gene about his thoughts on becoming Director and inheriting this huge undertaking. The first thing Gene did was to get help from professionals to make sure everything was up to code. Gene did not have access to the original blueprint. A new blueprint was drawn up by an architect. A commitment was made to go forward but a new philosophy was developed. It would be a Retreat & Conference Center.

Everyone comments on the beautiful rock work used to build St. Noel. Gene has a fascinating story of how Camp got the stones. He was looking in the Paducah, Ky., area for stone that would stay within the budget. He stopped at a small business that supplied stone for building projects. He was met by two middle-aged gentlemen, owners who are no longer in business. Gene could be quite persuasive when he truly believed in his project. Nothing was promised, no agreement was reached. Gene stated that he would contact them either way on the stone.

The next day, Gene was called to come quickly to the St. Noel Retreat & Conference Center site. These two gentlemen had a dump truck full of the most perfect stones! The men did not run a fancy business, and Gene recalls that the owners did not appear to be affluent. They told Gene that they felt a strong need to help Camp even though they did not appear to be familiar with Camp Ondessonk. All of the stones were donated by the kind, generous men.

This is just the beginning of the story. Camp has always been blessed by kind, generous individuals. I am quite certain that God’s love will inspire countless more individuals to do and give what they can to this wondrous place – where God’s love is everywhere – in the future.

Click here to learn more about the St. Noel Retreat & Conference Center.