Teens develop skills, renew faith at summer retreats

LAURA DODSON | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 07.29.08

COURTESY PHOTO | GAYLE ZAMBITO
Teens from 10 parishes gathered at the Catholic Leadership Alive Retreat at San Pedro Spiritual Retreat Center June 13–15 to improve their skills in “Takin’ It To The Streets – the Gospel!”

ORLANDO | Many teens found self-enrichment another way to spend their summer break. The weekend of June 13-15 found teens from parishes throughout the diocese heading south to the Steubenville Florida Youth Conference 2008 at Lynn University in Boca Raton or to San Pedro Retreat Center in Winter Park for the diocesan sponsored Catholic Leadership Alive retreat.

St. Paul Parish in Leesburg, Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Indialantic, Most Precious Blood Parish in Oviedo, and Prince of Peace Parish in Ormond Beach all sent participants to the Steubenville event, which was sponsored by the Diocese of Palm Beach and the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. Mike Buckler, youth ministry director at Prince of Peace, explained, “The experience of Steubenville, and so close to home, is phenomenal. They experience Christ in the sacraments and they do it in a way that is very powerful and meaningful to young people today.”

Jonathan Kyer, 17, is a senior at Father Lopez High School in Daytona Beach and a Prince of Peace parishioner. He said, “I didn’t want to go at first, but finally gave in to it and started to enjoy it. The speakers were great. We learned a lot. It was pretty interesting. The monstrance and the atmosphere were incredible – you could feel God’s presence there. We met a lot of cool people from other dioceses. I would recommend it for others and of course I’d go again.”

Catholic Leadership Alive at San Pedro Spiritual Center attracted participants and presenters from throughout the diocese, including Corpus Christi Parish, Celebration; St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Orlando; Holy Family Parish, Orlando; St. John Vianney Parish, Orlando; Ascension Parish, Melbourne; St. Theresa Parish, Belleview; Our Lady of Hope Parish, Port Orange; St. Andrew Parish, Orlando; and St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Wildwood.

A weekend experience sponsored by the diocese for the past six years, Catholic Leadership Alive was developed by youth ministry leaders whose primary goal is to prepare youths to be Christian leaders in their parishes, schools and the wider community.

Julie McAllister, administer of religious education at St. Theresa Parish, provided an example. “We gave a skit on listening skills to show examples of good and bad listening, but the issue of racism is what came out of it,” she said. “They discussed saying things that hurt people and how we don’t know what we communicate and how our words can hurt someone. We must have an awareness of what we say and how it affects people – we always have to be aware that we are alive in Christ and be an example. We must let the Holy Spirit guide.”

Emily Zambito is a sophomore at Saint Leo University in Tampa and a parishioner at Holy Family Parish. A former participant, she was asked to be a presenter of the session on “Knowing Jesus.”

“There’s a difference between knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus,” Zambito said. “It’s not just going to Mass, but also living it; not just reading the word, but also bringing it into your daily life. It was really powerful. The questions they were asking indicated that we are all on this journey together, getting to know God. It was a very connecting experience – with adults and teens.”

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