Teens call retreat 'life-changing'

The recent Christian Leadership Institute was a "life-changing" experience for 30 teens from the Albany Diocese, according to one of the participants.

The semi-annual retreat -- sponsored by the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis -- includes workshops, prayer experiences and social activities aimed at allowing teens to have a firsthand experience of Christian community, while also working on communications and leadership skills.

All of the young Catholics gave up a portion of their winter school break to participate.

Growing faith

A community is "all of us, working together, to make our community better and helping our faith grow in a healthy way," said Stephanie Chow, a parishioner of St. Helen's Church in Niskayuna.

Stephanie, 15, was attracted to attend by tales CLI graduates have told her.

"They said the experience changed their lives," she reported. "They found it fun; they made friends; they learned a lot; and their faith grew. So I thought it would be a great experience. It was amazing, and I'm so happy I went."

'Life-changing' time

Tenth-grader Dan Wood called CLI a "life-changing" experience.

The retreat is a chance to "change your ways a little bit," said the parishioner of Blessed Sacrament Church in Albany. That meant learning to participate in a group by banishing his bashful tendencies and speaking up.

"I'm usually shy and in the corner a lot," he said. "CLI made me able to be out there a lot more. It gave me confidence in what I do."

Learning

Fifteen-year-old Kelly Haggerty, a member of St. Michael the Archangel Church in Troy, considered herself "outgoing" when she arrived at CLI, but she still felt changed by the experience.

"I went in there thinking I was a good listener and that I communicated well," she explained. "But you realize you're not really that great at it.

"I came back a better person. I respected others, but not as much as I do now. You think you're a leader, but you realize sometimes that you're not going in the right path. [CLI] straightens you up."

Faith element

The participants also had a lot of time for prayers, Mass and reflection, something that Dan said kept "everyone at the top of their game, because we could think about what we'd done and find out what we needed to improve on."

"The quiet time was just so nice," said Bradley Fay, a 15-year-old parishioner of St. John the Baptist Church in Valatie. "When you're home, the television goes on and there's always something going on. [At CLI,] it was peaceful, and you had time to look back at what happened and what I wanted to take from my CLI experience."

Jeremy Wrobel, 18, found that the different types of meditation and prayer techniques helped him connect more with God.

"Before I went [to CLI], I prayed once a week," he said. "Ever since this experience, I've been praying every night, spending more time with God. I felt like they were talking on our level [during the liturgies], not too smart and not too dumb. These Masses were directed towards teenagers, and it helped me better understand everything."

Socializing

There's a social aspect to CLI as well, which exposes participants to other teens who share their faith, as well as creating trust and friendships among them.

"I was there, all nervous, saying, 'What happens if nobody likes me?' And, ten minutes later, I was dancing, doing stuff, talking. I was even acting, and I never do any of that stuff in front of people," said Jeremy, who teaches kindergarten and first-grade religious education at St. Patrick's Church in Troy.

"These people got me to open up and feel better, and it was amazing. It was one of the best times I've ever had."

Still linked

The participants grew so close that they didn't want the week to end, said Kelly; so they exchanged email addresses and internet messaging names, and now gather at scheduled times in a virtual chat-room to continue sharing their stories.

They're also forwarding one another events at their parishes, hoping to meet their CLI friends again at other teen functions around the Albany Diocese.

"We talk about CLI a lot, about how much we miss it," she said.

(3/30/06) [[In-content Ad]]