More than 30 Catholic teens spent a week improving their prayer life and leadership skills at the annual Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI), held July 11-16 at the Villa Maria Catholic Life Center on Lake Springfield. The retreat featured daily Mass and Liturgy of the Hours, personal prayer time, talks and small group discussions on discipleship and leadership.

"The main focus is offering them the opportunity to grow in their relationship with the Lord," said Father Brian Alford, diocesan director of Vocations and co-director of CLI along with Missy Mark and Becky Bauerle, youth group leaders of Collinsville/Maryville's Catholic Crew. "They definitely grow in their leadership skills, but they grow in their relationship with Christ and that is the most important aspect of the week."

"I have seen a change in their relationship with Jesus which seems to be really noticeable just through the things that they share," said Mark. "From the time that they come in that first night to the time that they leave, it's sort of expressed through their demeanor and in their personal prayer time and in their participation at Mass, in their love and care for one another."

It appears a week away from cellphones and other electronics gave participants the opportunity to grow closer to God and in community with each other.

"I only know some of them [participants] if you put the days together, for two or three weeks, but I trust in them more, I believe in them more than any of my friends from school whom I've known for two, three years, just because we have that base knowledge and love of Jesus Christ," said Caleb White, 16, of Decatur.

"I pay for my CLI trip every year, and it is by far the best thing I've ever spent my money on. It helps you in so many ways, through so many hard times in this anti-Catholic, secular world. I didn't realize that at CLI, the first time I went, it is a 'detox' from harmful things you just end up ignoring because you're just so used to them, so it's such a shock when you go back," continued White.

"The main thing that I've learned is that there's always going to be somebody there for you, no matter what hard times you're going through, and that you're not the only one going through them," said Sally Reed, 14, of Jerseyville, attending her first CLI.

The CLI experience gives youth hands-on skills to put to use back home.

"I feared public speaking since I got here," said Jacob Wargo, 14. "I used to hate getting in front of people and talking, and now it's 'Oh, yeah, I'll do it, like it doesn't really matter anymore,'" continued Wargo, also a first-time participant from Jerseyville.

"Over my three years of coming here, it's taught me lots of leadership qualities and how to communicate with people properly so that we don't get into disagreements," said Robert Frisbee, 16, from Collinsville. "And if we do get into disputes, it teaches us how to handle those, also."

CLI's directors are already looking to next year to give the retreat a fresh approach.

"Our goal is to take a look at the program and try to align it with the bishop's goal of discipleship and stewardship, and to begin to really focus in on what it means to be a disciple," Mark said.

"I've had young people here who have vocations to the priesthood, vocations to becoming sisters, and married life," said Bauerle. "This is the place where the word discernment is probably introduced to them for the first time, and they are just allowed to be the person Christ is calling them to be."

For more information on the Catholic Leadership Institute, contact the diocesan Office of Vocations, (217) 698-8500, ext. 194, email or online at www.dio.org/vocations/catholic-leadership-institute.html.