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About Us
We have a heart
for Camp John Paul II
A generous, anonymous donor decided to gift the Diocese an 80-acre camp just south of Cascade, complete with its 25 cabins, chapel and dining hall. The property transfer – valued at just under $2 million – closed in late June. Camp Cascade is now Camp St. John Paul II. Bill Green is camp director and Mike Fretwell is the chef.
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Mike Fretwell, who owns his own landscaping company, was laying brick pavers when he started to feel dizzy. His breathing was labored, a sharp pain burning in his chest.
He went inside to tell his longtime companion, Carleeta, “I think I’m going to die tonight.”
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The heart attack gave him a short route to baptism – though he still plans on taking RCIA this fall – and a new lease on life, at age 50.
“The heart attack was the best thing that could have happened to me.” He went home five days after the attack and threw out all the methamphetamines, other drugs and alcohol that were sapping the life out of him. “The doctors told me that if I took meth or any of that just once more, I would be dead. I could tell by the looks on their faces that they were serious.”
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Mike Fretwell spends as much time working at the camp as possible. “When I get tired, I rest. Carleeta makes sure of that.” If his life should end while he’s clearing brush at the camp, he’s OK with that. “I couldn’t think of a better way to go.”
