Hawaii Catholic Herald
The Christian Leadership Institute, which this year marked a decade of being held in the Diocese of Honolulu, has trained hundreds of high school students in Hawaii to “know their faith, communicate it with confidence and accompany others in their journey with Christ,” according to Lisa Gomes, director of the diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.
Gomes said teens who have attended the weeklong institute, held each summer at St. Stephen Diocesan Center in Kaneohe, now serve in parish youth ministry and school campus ministry, as catechists for younger children, and in various liturgical ministries.
Gomes said the diocese continues to offer the institute because officials have seen firsthand how investing in young people transforms lives.
“One of the greatest joys has been watching former participants become leaders in their own parishes,” she said.
This year, for example, the Big Island Youth Day held in February was planned entirely by CLI alumni.
“We also have at least one CLI alumnus who has discerned a vocation to the priesthood and, God willing, will enter the seminary this year,” Gomes said.
“Just as importantly, we’ve seen participants grow in confidence, deepen their prayer lives and discover that faith is something to be lived, not simply learned.”
The students also “discover gifts they never knew they had,” Gomes added. “They leave realizing that leadership isn’t about being in charge — it’s about serving others, building community and helping people encounter Jesus.”
In 2009, when Bishop Larry Silva established the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry and appointed Gomes as director, her first action was to meet with parish youth ministry leaders throughout the diocese and listen to their needs.
“One thing I heard over and over was the need for leadership training for high school youth,” Gomes said.
Through networking with other dioceses, she discovered that several had implemented the Christian Leadership Institute, which was developed nearly 50 years ago by the New Jersey-based Center for Ministry Development.
In 2015, colleagues from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles invited Gomes; Kathy Lee, then-coordinator of youth ministry at St. John Vianney Church in Kailua; and Art Fillazar, then-coordinator of youth ministry at St. Anthony of Padua Church in Wailuku, to attend a CLI there.
“We recognized that many young people have a desire to serve the church but often aren’t given the opportunity or the training to lead,” Gomes said. “We wanted to create more than just another summer camp.
“Our vision was — and still is — to develop young people as missionary disciples: leaders who understand their faith, know how to work with others and are equipped to return home ready to serve their parishes, schools and communities with confidence.”
The first CLI in Hawaii was held in 2016 with 36 youth participants.
This year, participants came from 13 different parishes and two Catholic schools representing Kauai, Oahu, Maui and Hawaii island.
Hannah May Arconado, a high school senior from Christ the King Church in Kahului, Maui, said what inspired her to attend CLI was spending time with her peers. Her brother, Hunter Arconado, also was an institute participant in 2018.
She said the one lesson she’ll take back with her to Maui is the importance of making everyone feel welcome.
“The CLI community made me feel comfortable from the start, and I want to do the same for others in my parish and community,” Arconado said.
Natazia Eve Mercene, an incoming freshman who is a parishioner at St. Theresa Church in Kihei, Maui, said she was inspired to attend CLI because of her friends.
“I’ve started to pray a lot more, and my faith in God has gotten stronger,” Mercene said of her growth following CLI. “Just like Father Taylor (Mitchell, who was ordained in May) said, ‘I believe that God has talked to me through other people.’”
Zaylen Miyasaki, a senior at Honokaa High School who attends Annunciation Parish in Waimea, Hawaii island, said that what inspired her to attend CLI was hearing fun and exciting things about it from her youth minister.
“There are many ways this program helped deepen my faith with the Lord and realize that God works in a lot of special and good ways,” Miyasaki said. “He is always going to be there with me during the hard, fun, scary and eventful times in my life.”
Above: This year’s Christian Leadership Institute attendees and adult volunteers paused for a group photo at St. Stephen Diocesan Center.. (Courtesy Ryan Fielding)