Teens challenged in mind, body and spirit during leadership institute

Two dozen diocesan high-school age students were in Springfield July 15-20 to take part in the annual Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) held on the campus of Benedictine University.

The program, sponsored this year by the diocesan Office for Vocations, helps to teach younger teens how to be leaders in their parish, says Becky Bauerle, who is one of the CLI coordinators along with Missy Mark. Others in lay leadership roles were Brian Pekovitch, who was in charge of technology and John Barrett, who was facilities director.

Because it is important that the teens meet young adults with vocations, Bauerle and Mark also work with a small group of priests, religious sisters and seminarians. The two diocesan priests who were spiritual directors were Father Daren Zehnle, who is priest secretary to Bishop Thomas John Paprocki and associate director of vocations, and Father Brian Alford, who was ordained in 2011 and is parochial vicar in Effingham/Shumway and chaplain at St. Anthony High School.

Two seminarians took part in the week as well; Michael Friedel and Michael Meinhart. Sister M. Margaret Gibbons, FSGM, and Sister M. Karolyn Nunes, FSGM, came to work with the teens; additionally Father Tom Donovan, newly-ordained Father Zachary Edgar and Father Zehnle were available for reconciliation one evening.

The young people concentrate on leadership qualities, group dynamics, planning skills, and youth leadership. In one session, Father Zehnle explained how the Catholic Church is structured and the young people spent some time each day praying, reading Scriptures or writing in a journal.

Of course, they enjoyed social activities like participating in a scavenger hunt, an obstacle course, relay races and a final dance. The days were long, usually beginning at 7:30 in the morning and lasting until "lights out" at midnight.

The extremely hot and humid weather — with triple-digit temperatures nearly every day — kept the youngsters inside more than usual, says Bauerle. "We really appreciate all that Benedictine does to keep us comfortable. They really bend over backwards to help," she says. "But we were worried about the heat and how the kids would react to it, so sometimes you have to move the schedules around a little bit. In this heat it doesn't take long and a person can get dehydrated. We don't want anyone to get sick."

Most of the teens who attend CLI are heading into their freshman and sophomore years of high school, although a few will be juniors, Bauerle says. "A lot of them came as a result of recommendations from parishes, so they are already identified as leaders. The parishes like to send them early so they use their leadership skills early on in the parishes," she says.

"We were surprised at how quickly they bonded that first evening here," she says. "They came pretty well prepared. I think this is a very good group."