Pyramid Life Center at milestone

This summer, volunteers and program participants at Pyramid Life Center in Paradox will have their own ways of celebrating the Center's 20 years of operation.

Dana Sherman will put his hammer to good use on a number of improvement projects. Pat Brophy will sail out to the cove and watch the loons. John Fuerst will close his eyes and enjoy the solitude.

And Sister Monica Murphy, CSJ, the director, will spend time sharing stories about two decades of providing spiritual and recreational respite for guests.

Camp restored

In 1986, a group of Catholic priests, religious and laypeople banded together to restore an ailing summer camp on Pyramid Lake. Once Marian Lodge, a diocesan Catholic camp for girls, the site was in disrepair.

Sister Monica, one of the group, "fell in love with the place the moment I drove in and saw those big trees."

She imagined Pyramid Life Center -- named for the lake it abuts -- becoming a place "where life can happen," where people could come to refresh their spirits, shed the noise of everyday life, learn something new and experience God in nature.

"Right from the beginning," she continued, "our hope was to provide a place where people could come away and re-create their spirit in a beautiful environment, where their spirit could grow, where they could come into a relationship with God and with others."

Ready for summer

On Memorial Day weekend, 120 friends of Pyramid Life Center, including Mr. Sherman, gathered to ready the center for summer activities.

One of the Center's longtime volunteers put together a slide show of the last 20 years, contrasting "then" and "now."

The difference is considerable, said Sister Monica. Volunteers have revamped the boathouse to serve as a conference center, brought the electricity up to code, created a children's playhouse and teen center, and upgraded the cabins, lodge and dining hall.

Community spirit

Sister Monica calls the Center a "community experience. So many people have a sense of ownership because they put their blood, sweat and tears into it. It's a place to come home to."

Among those people are Mrs. Brophy and her husband, Jerry, members of Our Lady of Victory parish in Troy. They met when she was a counselor at Marian Lodge and he worked in the kitchen. They currently run the souvenir shop.

"As far as we're concerned, it's heaven," said Mrs. Brophy. "You can just feel God's presence everywhere. One of my favorite places is way out on the other side of the island. There's a cove where the loons hang out. If you know where they are, you can let the boat drift and just watch them."

"The most important thing to me is observing the people having such a good time," Mr. Brophy said. "It's amazing. At night, we just sit on the porch, seeing everyone have such a good time."

Place of peace

Mr. Sherman, a member of St. Bernadette's mission church in Berne, was among the first volunteers to connect with Pyramid Life Center.

"I've had some very low points in my life," he explained. "As bad as it gets, you'd get up there and know, 'Yes, I can.' Here, God talks to you, but you have to listen very carefully. It can happen in a boat; it can happen everywhere. I feel very [much] in contact with the Lord up there, and that's helped me a lot.

"There's not many places I've been to in the world that even compare."

Programming

Events for the Center's anniversary year include youth programs, peace conferences and meditation weekends. Other highlights include a quilting retreat, nature retreat, conference for women writers and storytellers, and program on forgiveness.

Many parishes book group vacations at the Center. John Fuerst and Jane McKenney from Our Lady of Grace Church in Ballston Lake were among the first to arrange a parish vacation there. Their children, now in their twenties, "grew up there," she said. "They say it wouldn't be summer without it."

"It eliminates all the hustle and bustle and demand and schedules of normal daily life," he added. "We hope it revitalizes our parish. It introduced us to a lot of families in the parish that we wouldn't have met otherwise."

More to do

Sister Monica's plans include winterizing the Center so it can expand its three-month season. She also hopes to build a few smaller cabins to accommodate a wider variety of retreatants.

No matter what happens, "we will always extend a spirit of hospitality to all those who come there and create a place where people can grow," she said. "We want to continue to make this an affordable place for people who are looking for inner peace. "Pyramid Lake was a dream we had years ago, and it has been a privilege to have been part of helping this dream come true. It's overwhelming to think back over all the people who have been a part of this and worked so generously through the years to make this happen. It is a holy place."

(For information about Pyramid Life Center, call 585-7545.)

(6/29/06) [[In-content Ad]]