HOW I REMEMBER CAMP FATIMA!

     CHAPTER 9.

       “WHAT A SHOCK!  FATIMA TORN APART!”

In the summer of 2003, the Boston Herald reported on a very shocking and upsetting story.  There’d been reports of allegations of sexual abuse by priests and counselors at Camp Fatima in Gilmanton Iron Works, New Hampshire.  The reports that some boys were assaulted at the camp by the camp director at the time, Father George Dowd, and a priest named Father John Martin.    I was horrified by this! 

I was particularly shocked by this, because Father John had been a friend of mine up at Camp Fatima.  He was a very jovial man who always like to make kids feel at home, especially kids with special needs.  It was during the regular camp sessions with the boys that he might have gone off his rocker.  Another priest I know, Fr. Jim Nyhan, was a very good friend and my counselor during 1974’s EC week.  He has denied any of those allegations of sexual abuse himself.

As you know, the Boston Archdiocese was rocked by the sexual abuse scandal in 2002, which had certain people accuse priests of sexually abusing them in the 1960s and 1970s.  This caused a falling out of people from the church and forced Bernard Cardinal Law to resign as Archbishop of Boston.  Well, this has become an international controversy, since women in Ireland were abused by priests and nuns in the 1960s whenever they were punished for their immorality.  Look, we all have immoralities to struggle with, but sometimes certain members of the clergy can take it too far.

I went there in 1974 and 1975 on the Last Week in August each of those 2 years.  And those weeks were dedicated to Exceptional Children’s Week: a time when those who have special physical and mental needs are welcome to enjoy camp.  Yes, there are all the trimmings there: arts and crafts, swimming, baseball, softball, games and horse riding.  And what a time those 2 weeks were.

During the 1974 week, the theme was Raggedy Ann and Andy.  And all of their friends, Marcella, Mimi the French Doll, the tin soldiers, and Fido the Dog….and so much.  They were spending the week “singing and dancing with counselors, campers and all.”  During that week, the kids were caught up in celebrations of Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day.  We had a re-enactment of the Pilgrims landing at Camp Fatima and a Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner.  We also had a Christmas in August celebration with Archbishop Medeiros visiting the camp and celebrating Mass for us.  And we had a Valentine’s Day carnival with kissing booth, games and all.  And each evening, we would have entertainments such as fireworks, talent shows, games and dances.

In 1975, we had Mother Goose and all her storybrook friends: Little Bo Peep(whom I had a crush with), Jack Be Nimble, Humpty Dumpty, Little Miss Muffett, and so many more!  We had a few story lines that really made the week big: Little Bo Beep’s sheep being stolen by the Frito Bandito who needed some winter coats for the winter.

“I get some from the sheep!” the Frito Bandito said.

“You can’t get them from the sheep,” said Fr. John(who was dressed as Old King Cole).  “They belong to Little Bo Peep.”

Yes, Little Bo Peep really lost her sheep that afternoon, but we went into the woods and found them that same evening.  In fact, in the Mass that was celebrated that afternoon, we heard about the lost sheep and how Jesus goes out to find them and bring them home.

I was acting a bit rambunctious that afternoon because I had a bad habit of crying every time that the priest sang “Through Him, With Him, In Him…” which is the Doxology of the Catholic Eucharistic Prayers.  And I sometimes put my fingers in my ears in order to keep from bursting into tears.  I won’t go into anymore details.  Still, I managed to get the message into my heart.

Later in the week, we met Old Mother Hubbard who invited her to her shoe where she lived.  And we saw Humpty Dumpty get himself broken after falling off a wall.  But Mother Goose’s magic feather was able to heal him after Old King Cole and the Wizard of Rhyme failed.  And we had a parade to celebrate the event.

The week ended with a “graduation” celebration for all of us receiving diplomas for “memorizing Mother Goose’s rhymes.”  And we had a farewell dance that evening, celebrating what Camp Fatima’s Exceptional Children’s Week symbolizes: Love In Action!

Yes, those 2 weeks up there were Heaven.  Still, I wonder if I want to return up there after what I heard about the abuse up there.  I felt shattered by what happened up there, but I have learned that those priests have been removed, as well as those who were responsible for what happened.  God willing, I will return one of these days to visit Fatima and re-accquaint myself-if only for the visitors day-of the joy of what Camp Fatima’s message to all truly is: Love In Action.

And…who knows?  Maybe I might see Little Bo Peep or Mimi The French Doll again.