OUR 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 is now the lay director of the diocese's Northwest TEC community. The retreat weekends also take youths out of their normal routine of study, work, and socializing to "to focus on their faith," she added.
Noting that she and her husband, Mike, have been actively involved in the retreat program since 1985, VandeMoortel said the opportunity to help others allows the couple to reflect on their own lives and faith journeys.
The faith journey of the Northwest community will begin a new chapter this summer when a new $3 million facility opens at the end of June or beginning of July for use by Christ the King Parish in Moline and the area's Cursillo and TEC Communities.
The facility, Believers Together Community Center, will be located south of Christ the King Church and will include a gym, dining area, conference room/library, parish offices, small meeting rooms, six classrooms for parish CCD program, and a chapel.
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, Father Joseph Dondanville, spiritual director for the TEC program. He added that "a lot of young people have nowhere to go."
"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," she said, noting that being a Christian in a youth group is far easier than being one in society.
TEC gives teens the opportunity to become "more aware that He is there as a friend," said VandeMoortel, who is now the lay director of the diocese's Northwest TEC community. The retreat weekends also take youths out of their normal routine of study, work, and socializing to "to focus on their faith," she added.
Noting that she and her husband, Mike, have been actively involved in the retreat program since 1985, VandeMoortel said the opportunity to help others allows the couple to reflect on their own lives and faith journeys.
The faith journey of the Northwest community will begin a new chapter this summer when a new $3 million facility opens at the end of June or beginning of July for use by Christ the King Parish in Moline and the area's Cursillo and TEC Communities.
The facility, Believers Together Community Center, will be located south of Christ the King Church and will include a gym, dining area, conference room/library, parish offices, small meeting rooms, six classrooms for parish CCD program, and a chapel.
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, Father Joseph Dondanville, spiritual director for the TEC program. He added that "a lot of young people have nowhere to go."
"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," she said, noting that being a Christian in a youth group is far easier than being one in society.
Meanwhile, Jean Edmunds, an 18-year veteran of the Northwest TEC community, continues to stay involved in the program because she found that "teens could teach me an awful lot." It's also a "good program for young people to discover their own spirituality in a loving and safe environment," she said.
The dedication and commitment of people like Edmunds is exciting to Father Dondanville. "People who were very active in the initial TECs are still very, very active," he said. "They have a great sense of dedication and loyalty."
Jeremy Vidmar, a senior at Alleman, 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 17-year-old Vidmar, who has been on several teams and is currently serving the TEC board of directors. Through his involvement that see "has 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, who currently serves the board and was graduated from Alleman High School May 31, told The Post that she continues her involvement in the TEC program because she "enjoys sharing my faith with others and watching them grow. Each weekend is a new experience."
VandeMoortel expressed her gratitude to Sacred Heart Parish for allowing the TEC and Cursillo programs to be held at Culemans Hall. "Sacred Heart has been very good to us to allow us to use their facilities," she said.
The following is a story that appeared in The Catholic Post June 2, 2002 and is reprinted with permission from Kimberly Souba, author, and The Catholic Post.
The dedication and commitment of people like Edmunds is exciting to Father Dondanville. "People who were very active in the initial TECs are still very, very active," he said. "They have a great sense of dedication and loyalty."
Jeremy Vidmar, a senior at Alleman, 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 17-year-old Vidmar, who has been on several teams and is currently serving the TEC board of directors. Through his involvement that see "has 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, who currently serves the board and was graduated from Alleman High School May 31, told The Post that she continues her involvement in the TEC program because she "enjoys sharing my faith with others and watching them grow. Each weekend is a new experience."
VandeMoortel expressed her gratitude to Sacred Heart Parish for allowing the TEC and Cursillo programs to be held at Culemans Hall. "Sacred Heart has been very good to us to allow us to use their facilities," she said.
The following is a story that appeared in The Catholic Post June 2, 2002 and is reprinted with permission from Kimberly Souba, author, and The Catholic Post.