Former ropes course was damaged in 2025 ice storm; new course part of $180,000 renovation at northern Michigan camp
GAYLORD — Camp Sancta Maria in Gaylord has built a new high-ropes course to replace the old structure that was damaged in an ice storm in 2025.
The St. Pier Giorgio Frassati Ropes Course has been built just in time for the 2026 camping season, inspiring campers to follow in the footsteps of St. Pier Giorgio Frassati and go “Verso l’Alto” “To the Heights.”
A high-ropes course has been a bedrock of the camping experience at the 90-year-old Catholic campus, so it was important to camp leaders to restore the course.
“This project reflects who Camp Sancta Maria is at its core,” said Fr. Bob Spezia, president of the Camp Sancta Maria board of trustees. “We are committed to helping young people encounter Christ through authentic friendship, adventure, challenge, and the beauty of God’s creation.”
Since its founding in 1933, Camp Sancta Maria has been a place where primarily boys, with a few select weeks reserved for girls, have enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation in northern Michigan, growing closer to Christ and each other.
The camp includes a lake, horseback riding, hiking trails, waterfront activities, campfires, athletics, outdoor skills, and extensive opportunities for prayer and spiritual growth, including daily Mass at the onsite chapel. In addition to being a place for recreation and spiritual renewal, the camp has fostered many priestly vocations over the years and is a common place for seminarians to serve in ministry over the summer.
Fr. Spezia hopes the new ropes course will encourage campers to emulate the spirit St. Pier Giorgio Frassati showed in his brief life. He was canonized in 2025.
“St. Pier Giorgio Frassati is a powerful example for our campers because he understood the pursuit of holiness is much like climbing a mountain — challenging, rewarding, and best experienced alongside others,” Fr. Spezia said.
“Jesus calls us to climb toward heaven and draw closer to Him in everything we do,” Fr. Spezia added. “The St. Pier Giorgio Frassati Ropes Course is a symbol of each young person’s journey toward God and fully becoming who they were made to be.”
The new modular ropes course accommodates up to 16 campers simultaneously and is part of other recent upgrades to the 96-acre property, including a new beach house and expanded waterfront; a new corral, stable, and fenced-in riding arena; and updated bathrooms, along with existing camp features such as the climbing tower, zip line and rock wall.
“In God’s providence, what began as a challenge following the 2025 ice storm became an opportunity to reimagine and strengthen Camp Sancta Maria’s outdoor adventure programming for future generations,” said John David Kuhar, camp executive director, of the $180,000 project. “St. Pier Giorgio Frassati once said, ‘The higher we go, the better we shall hear the voice of Christ.’ Similarly, we want campers to discover the strength and confidence God has placed within them. The ropes course will encourage them to step forward with courage, trust one another, and grow in confidence while surrounded by an atmosphere of faith, friendship and fun.”
Boys camps begin June 21 and run through Aug. 8, and girls camps are June 14-20 and Aug. 9-15. Visit campsanctamaria.org for more details on dates and rates.
