A new adventure awaits Kyle Mills. After six years of leading Annunciation Heights and Camp St. Malo, Kyle has decided that it is time to pass the baton to someone else. Over the next few months, Kyle will finish his CEO/Executive Director duties and help find his replacement.
This decision was hard for Kyle and was not taken lightly. He says, “It has been a true joy to lead a very old ministry and a very new ministry in the Archdiocese… This decision comes as a fruit of prayer and a desire of my wife and I to simplify and slow our lives down.”
Photo: André Escaleira, Jr./Denver Catholic
Kyle’s been with Annunciation Heights from the very start. In 2018, he shared the mission with the Denver Catholic, saying, “At the very core of everything, we’re trying to provide a beautiful, adventurous, and sacred setting for youth and young adults, parish groups, and families to be brought into a deeper friendship with Jesus.” He prays now that the good fruit born from these camps in the Tahosa Valley will continue in the lives of many souls.
Over his six years, Kyle has experienced many adventures and special memories. “There have been so many highlights over the years, it is hard to wrap my brain around it. I remember fondly the Annunciation Heights Kickoff celebration in 2018, the first Family Camp done with Sean and Jenn Dalton, and all the subsequent ones my family and I were able to participate in. Then there was the breakout of Covid-19 and trying to navigate that. I loved the 101st Anniversary Celebration at Camp St. Malo and the superb and memorable speech by Cardinal Stafford!”
Speaking of the Fiat Fest, the annual fundraiser and adventure race, Kyle said, “It is a way to celebrate and support the full-time Altum Institute missionaries who serve at the camp. I find it to be a true celebration of authentic Catholic joy. It is definitely up there on one of the best days of the year.”
Most of all, the moments with families, staff, and missionaries are the most special. He says, “It is knowing a bit about their stories. It’s sharing meals with good souls like Fr. Kaigoma, our chaplain for over three years, or conversing with Jim and Sandy Richard, volunteers who run Camp St. Malo. It is fun to reflect on all we did together and thank the Lord for his faithfulness and goodness. I truly love the mission of both Annunciation Heights and Camp St. Malo. The mission is to bring Christ to the family in the beauty of his creation. Both missions do this in different ways. Both serve a different population, but both are very important to continue in our world, and both will stay near to my heart and in my prayers.”
As Kyle’s tenure winds down, he asks that parishes continue sending youth and families to Annunciation Heights. “This ministry needs to grow,” he says. He invites parents to send their kids to camp and for people to make the drive to Camp St. Malo and get a cup of coffee at the newly opened Tahosa Coffee House.
Kyle also gives great thanks to the priests he has met over the years, those who supported him, his staff, and all the guests who have enjoyed time among the mountaintops to grow and strengthen their relationships with Christ.