Patrick Kenney has endless fond memories from childhood summers spent at Camp St. Charles with his brother. He remembers the excitement he felt leaving home for the first time and the fun schedule filled with horseback riding, BB guns and canoes that kept him too busy to be homesick.
Camp St. Charles, a Catholic overnight summer camp located on the shores of the Charleston Creek and Wicomico River in southern Maryland, has provided unique summer adventures to tens of thousands of people since 1952. Through multiple one- and two-week sessions, the facility offers a long list of traditional summer camp activities to more than 700 children, ages 6-13, each year, inviting them to unplug from the busyness of modern technology and reconnect with nature.
“It was oftentimes a highlight of my summer,” said Kenney, a parishioner of St. Philip Church in Falls Church. This year, his 7-year-old son, Robby, is excited to find his own adventures at the camp, following after not only his father, but also his grandfather, who attended the same camp with his brothers in the 1960s.
“It’s an experience that’s really good for kids,” said Kenney. “You get a sensation of being out on your own, away from your family, which helps build character and self-confidence.”
While the camp welcomes participants from around the world, the majority come from the Washington metro area and like the Kenneys, hundreds of other families from the Arlington diocese have made lasting memories at the Maryland retreat over the decades.
With its rustic cabins and waterfront vantage, Camp St. Charles boasts a range of activities, from watersports such as swimming, boating and tubing to horseback riding and arts and crafts.
“Our focus is living Christian values of forgiveness, community, care for one another,” said Laura Hall, camp director. “There’s definitely a focus on care for creation and being good stewards of the environment.”
Built with the sponsorship of the Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians), a religious community of priests and brothers, the camp originally served only boys for nearly 50 years, before expanding into a fully coed program after an initial test run with girls in 2001.
This year, a special event will be held May 2 in celebration of the camp’s 75th year, an opportunity for camp alumni to reconnect and enjoy some of the campus amenities, including canoes, paddle boards and the ropes course. The celebration will honor Father Glen Willis, a Salvatorian priest who served at Camp St. Charles for more than 60 years and died in March 2025.
One of the ways that Hall reaches new campers is by visiting Catholic schools, including several across the diocese.
That’s how Rachel Sincere, a seventh grader at Our Lady of Hope School in Potomac Falls, first heard about the camp in early 2020. Because of COVID-19, Rachel had to put her camp dreams on hold for a couple years until she was finally able to attend a two-week session in 2022. This summer will be her fifth at the camp.
“At Camp St. Charles, you’re always doing something. You’re never bored,” said Rachel, 13, whose favorite camp experience so far was spotting dolphins while tubing on the river last year. “When I first showed up at my cabin, all the counselors were really nice and welcoming, and I think the best part about going is making new friends.”
The perks of attending a Catholic summer camp include in-house Masses and communal prayer at meals.
“They get to go and experience everything about camp, but God is still center in everything,” said Lisa Sincere, Rachel’s mother.
Another aspect that many parents appreciate is the camp’s unplugged policy, banning the use of electronic devices among campers.
“By not having that technology, it forces kids to find more activities in nature,” Lisa said. “Kids are able to build more authentic relationships with each other, because there’s none of the distractions. They just get to really show their true selves.”
Camp St. Charles is the kind of place where lasting friendships are made, as Hall can attest.
Before becoming director in 2002, she started out as a camp counselor in 1994 and met her husband, John, while they were both working as camp staff. Their children have grown up spending their summers at the camp.
“I thought it was going to be one summer, but God clearly had other plans,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve spent every single summer of my adult life at Camp St. Charles. It’s challenging work, but it’s also really fulfilling.”
In addition to the summer camp program, Camp St. Charles also rents out the facility to various church, youth or education groups to utilize outside of the summer season.
Over 75 years, the camp has served countless multi-generation families, including the Domanskis, parishioners of St. Ann Church in Arlington. Mark Domanski went to the camp with his brother in the ’90s and now, his children Mateo, 11, and Sofia, 8, attend each year, learning valuable life skills that Domanski said are hard to find elsewhere.
“Raising a child to become a mature and independent adult is not something that can be accomplished in one day, or alone,” he said. “Places like Camp St. Charles are critical to this natural development.”
The camp, Domanski said, has a quality that is timeless. Much of the experience is the same as when he attended, but there are some improvements and updates, such as air conditioning in the cabins. This year, his son is anticipating the fishing and canoeing, while his daughter is looking forward to the ropes course.
“Something I’ve seen as a parent is that kids really love simple things,” Domanski said. “The camp isn’t super impressive, but it’s super special. … The petting zoo doesn’t have exotic animals, just cute bunnies; one day of each session the children get ice cream for breakfast. It’s the simple things that children remember.”
Engbert is a freelancer in Fredericksburg.
