Youths gave up vacation for Church

Spending their February vacation learning wasn't so bad for 42 Catholic youths. In fact, it was one of the best experiences they had during their midwinter break.

The students participated in the Christian Leadership Institute (CLI), sponsored by the Office of Religious Education and offered in the summer and winter. The February session was held at the Thousand Acres Dude Ranch in Warrensburg.

Laurie Stankavage, a junior at Sidney High School and parishioner of Sacred Heart parish in Sidney, said it wasn't difficult to give up her winter break for CLI.

"I probably would have done homework, practiced my trombone and visited some friends," she said. Instead, "I learned how to work with groups, planned liturgy and prayer services, and met new people."

Teen leaders

As a member of the Diocesan Youth Council, Laurie was required to participate in a leadership training program. She chose CLI because she had heard good things about it. Involvement in parish life is nothing new to her. Currently, she serves as a retreat facilitator, altar server, third grade catechist and recording secretary for the Youth Council.

CLI is designed to develop the leadership potential of teens and increase their knowledge about the responsibilities of leadership in parish, diocesan or high school youth ministry and in the larger Christian community.

Participants work from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on developing communication and leadership skills. Each participant also plans a project that he or she implements in their parish or cluster after completing the program. Laurie and other representatives from Sidney will be providing support for another parish in beginning its youth ministry efforts.

Good alternative

Like Laurie, Brendan O'Connor, a parishioner at St. Joseph's Church in Scotia and a junior at Notre Dame/Bishop Gibbons School in Schenectady, also had no problem giving up his break for this conference.

"I would have probably just been reading a book or something," he said. "I was looking forward to it. I didn't have any other plans."

He was impressed by the quality of the liturgies and prayer experiences. "It's nice to share my faith with people my own age," he said. "There are other people like me."

Youth Masses

Inspired by their experience at CLI, he and three other graduates have decided to try to start monthly youth Masses in Schenectady County.

"We're shooting for once a month in our cluster," he said. "We're aiming to have the first one on Pentecost. We want to make young people feel welcome and attract more people our age back to the Church."

According to Brendan, CLI is important because it shows young people the role they can play in the Church. "They can be active. They can do it themselves now," he said. "It's a good way to get excited about faith and meet people."

Values and friendships

Eliza Bouplon, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Church in Hoosick Falls and a high school sophomore, also enjoyed meeting people her age who hold similar values.

"I think a lot of the friendships will last," she said. "They were the nicest people I've ever met. They were open, not judgmental. I didn't know there were that many people out there who care about religion."

Eliza reports that through CLI she learned better communication and leadership skills. To put those to use, Eliza and three other teens from the Rensselaer Deanery plan to start a deanery-wide youth council.

(CLI is designed for young people in their sophomore through senior year of high school who are involved in or preparing for roles as parish, school or diocesan leaders, including student council officers, parish youth council or deanery youth council members, members of retreat teams and other peer ministry positions. For information on the summer session, call the Office of Religious Education at 453-6630.)

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