LOCAL TEC HISTORY
Though she grew up in a Catholic family, Tracy VandeMoortel "never saw Jesus as a friend" until she made her first Teens Encounter Christ weekend as a high school student.
TEC gives teens the opportunity to become "more aware that He is there as a friend," said VandeMoortel, who served as the lay director of the diocese's Northwest TEC community in its early years. "The retreat weekends also take youths out of their normal routine of study, work, and socializing to focus on their faith," she added.
Noting that she and her husband, Mike, had been actively involved in the retreat program since 1985, VandeMoortel said the opportunity to help others allowed the couple to reflect on their own lives and faith journeys.
Cursillo and TEC retreats for the Peoria diocese's northwestern counties were originally held at the Villa de Chantal, Rock Island, when they began in the mid-1970s. After the Villa closed in 1992, both programs moved to Culemans Hall at Sacred Heart Parish in Moline.
Teens "need to have a place where they can express their faith and have fun expressing" it, said Father Joseph Dondanville, spiritual director for the TEC program in the early years. He added that "a lot of young people have nowhere to go."
In the fall of 1999, Father Duane Jack of the Cursillo community approached Father Donald Levitt of Christ the King church and the board of the TEC community to enlist a new vision for a facility to meet the growing needs of their faith communities.
This vision resulted in a new $3.5 million facility opening in August 2022 for use by the three communities. The facility, known as the Believers Together Center (BTC), is located south of Christ the King Church and includes a gym, dining area, conference room/library, parish offices, small meeting rooms, six classrooms for parish CCD program, and a chapel.
"TEC really reinforced my Catholic ideals (that were) already taught by my parents," said Katie Cornelis of Moline. "The faith community also gives me the strength I need to go out into the real world," noting that being a Christian in a youth group is far easier than being one in society.
Jean Edmunds, a 20+ year veteran of the Northwest TEC community, continues to stay involved in the program because she finds that "teens can teach me a lot." It's also a "good program for young people to discover their own spirituality in a loving and safe environment," she said.
Jeremy Vidmar, a former TEC-ite, followed the example of his brothers and sisters in making a TEC retreat. "It was a mystery . . . I wanted to know more about," he said. "(TEC) planted a seed in my life, which brought me closer to God," said Vidmar, who served on several teams and then the TEC board of directors. Through his involvement his faith seed "continued to grow."
While experiencing a "low time" in her life, Katie Jackson of East Moline encountered Christ on a TEC weekend which she says "helped me to come back up again. It was a renewing and fulfilling experience for me," she added. Jackson continued her involvement in TEC and said she "enjoys sharing my faith with others and watching them grow. Each weekend is a new experience."
The TEC community continues to thrive providing six TEC weekends a year (3 girls, 3 boys) and has introduced / grew faith in thousands of young lives in Christ's love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace.
TEC gives teens the opportunity to become "more aware that He is there as a friend," said VandeMoortel, who served as the lay director of the diocese's Northwest TEC community in its early years. "The retreat weekends also take youths out of their normal routine of study, work, and socializing to focus on their faith," she added.
Noting that she and her husband, Mike, had been actively involved in the retreat program since 1985, VandeMoortel said the opportunity to help others allowed the couple to reflect on their own lives and faith journeys.
Cursillo and TEC retreats for the Peoria diocese's northwestern counties were originally held at the Villa de Chantal, Rock Island, when they began in the mid-1970s. After the Villa closed in 1992, both programs moved to Culemans Hall at Sacred Heart Parish in Moline.
Teens "need to have a place where they can express their faith and have fun expressing" it, said Father Joseph Dondanville, spiritual director for the TEC program in the early years. He added that "a lot of young people have nowhere to go."
In the fall of 1999, Father Duane Jack of the Cursillo community approached Father Donald Levitt of Christ the King church and the board of the TEC community to enlist a new vision for a facility to meet the growing needs of their faith communities.
This vision resulted in a new $3.5 million facility opening in August 2022 for use by the three communities. The facility, known as the Believers Together Center (BTC), is located south of Christ the King Church and includes a gym, dining area, conference room/library, parish offices, small meeting rooms, six classrooms for parish CCD program, and a chapel.
"TEC really reinforced my Catholic ideals (that were) already taught by my parents," said Katie Cornelis of Moline. "The faith community also gives me the strength I need to go out into the real world," noting that being a Christian in a youth group is far easier than being one in society.
Jean Edmunds, a 20+ year veteran of the Northwest TEC community, continues to stay involved in the program because she finds that "teens can teach me a lot." It's also a "good program for young people to discover their own spirituality in a loving and safe environment," she said.
Jeremy Vidmar, a former TEC-ite, followed the example of his brothers and sisters in making a TEC retreat. "It was a mystery . . . I wanted to know more about," he said. "(TEC) planted a seed in my life, which brought me closer to God," said Vidmar, who served on several teams and then the TEC board of directors. Through his involvement his faith seed "continued to grow."
While experiencing a "low time" in her life, Katie Jackson of East Moline encountered Christ on a TEC weekend which she says "helped me to come back up again. It was a renewing and fulfilling experience for me," she added. Jackson continued her involvement in TEC and said she "enjoys sharing my faith with others and watching them grow. Each weekend is a new experience."
The TEC community continues to thrive providing six TEC weekends a year (3 girls, 3 boys) and has introduced / grew faith in thousands of young lives in Christ's love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace.
