Camp Fatima (New Hampshire)

Camp Fatima
Camp Fatima is located in New Hampshire
Camp Fatima
Camp Fatima
Coordinates43°23′51.9720″N 71°17′48.4080″W / 43.397770000°N 71.296780000°W / 43.397770000; -71.296780000
CampsitesCamp Fatima
Facilities
  • Arts & Crafts Shed
  • Catholic Church
  • Horse Stable
  • Tennis Court
  • Riflery Range
  • Archery Range
  • Boating and Swimming Facilities
  • High and Low Ropes Courses
  • Tetherball Courts
  • Field House
  • Basketball Courts
  • Baseball Fields
  • BB Gun Range
Fee$1950 (Regular)
OwnerDarren Van Dzura (Resident Director)
Established1949
Websitebfcamp.com

Camp Fatima is a Catholic overnight summer camp located in Gilmanton Iron Works, NH.[1][2] The camp has a waterfront on the northern shore of Upper Suncook Lake.

History

The camp was founded in 1949 by Richard Boner, after the previous establishment, a Jewish camp named Camp Wingo, closed and relocated to Maine.[3] The camp is named after Our Lady of Fátima, a Marian apparition observed in 1917 by three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria, in Fátima, Portugal.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu attended Camp Fatima from 1984 to 1989.[4]

Program

Camp Fatima has four normal sessions during the summer. Each session is two weeks long.[2] Along with the normal sessions, the camp also offers a special needs week.[5] The camp programs are as follows:

  • Juniors: Ages 6–10
  • Intermediates: Ages 11–12
  • Seniors: Ages 13–14
  • Club 15: Age 15

For those who wish to attend the camp over the age of 15, they can apply for the CIT (Counselor in Training) program.[1][2] For the campers, the camp has cabins, with each cabin having approximately eight bunk beds.

Fatima previously held "Exceptional Citizens Week" where people ages 9 and older with intellectual or physical challenges a week of traditional camp activities such as horseback riding, swimming, boating, arts and crafts, and more at no cost to the camper. In 2024 Camp Fatima decided to cancel their "Exceptional Citizens Week" citing "catholic values" not being upheld in an October 19th email from Bishop Peter Libasci. [6]

Notes

  1. ^ a b "Home". Camps Bernadette & Fatima. Retrieved 2023-01-05.
  2. ^ a b c "Camp Fatima for Boys". TeenLife. Boston, MA.
  3. ^ "History". Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish. Archived from the original on 2022-11-29.
  4. ^ Garnick, Darren (May 17, 2018). "New Hampshire Summer Camp Memories". New Hampshire Magazine. Yankee Publishing. ISSN 1532-0219. Archived from the original on 2022-08-28.
  5. ^ "Special Needs and Exceptional Citizens Week". Camps Bernadette & Fatima.
  6. ^ https://www.wmur.com/article/camp-fatima-special-needs-exceptional-citizens-week/62659648