Our Story
A name that means growth
The word Iskali comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) language and means growth, renewal and new beginnings.
From its very name, Iskali was conceived as a space where young people could flourish in faith, in identity, and in purpose.
Growth is not only a result of our work. It is our reason for being.
2010
Iskali is founded in Melrose Park, Illinois, in response to the growing need for formation and accompaniment of young Latino adults seeking faith, community, and purpose.
2011
2012
The mission expands to new parishes, launching weekly small communities centered on authentic friendship, belonging, and the joy of the Gospel.
2013
2014
Iskali launches its retreat program, creating spaces of encounter with Christ that lead to deeper commitment, healing, and growth in parish communities. These retreats become a central pathway for leadership formation.
2015
2016
Structured mentorship and leadership formation programs begin, equipping young adults to grow in faith, human development, and service.
2017
Iskali opened the Bishop John Manz Center, which today serves as the organization’s headquarters and a hub for leadership formation, staff development, and community life.
2018
Founder Vicente Del Real received the Bishop Quarter Award from the Archdiocese of Chicago in recognition of his pastoral leadership and service in parishes throughout Vicariate IV. This work was carried out in close collaboration with John R. Manz, whose guidance and mentorship helped shape the mission and growth of Iskali.
2019
2020
Founder Vicente Del Real is recognized among Chicago’s 40 Under 40 Latino leaders for his work in leadership, community building, and entrepreneurship.
2021
Iskali launches its Scholarship Program, investing in first generation Latino students and opening pathways to higher education, leadership, and long term stability for families. A strategic partnership is also established with the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, strengthening theological formation, leadership development, and national collaboration.
2022
Iskali acquires Casa Iskali, Our Lady of Guadalupe Campus, becoming the first Latino owned and operated Catholic retreat center in the United States. This sacred space serves as a home for formation, prayer, and community, rooted in the faith and culture of the Latino community.
2023
2024
Iskali strengthens its commitment to service through regular Service Days, accompanying families in need and forming young adults in solidarity with the poor and those affected by immigration challenges.
Iskali begins the Christian Parenting Initiative, walking with young parents through faith formation, community, and practical support, strengthening families as the domestic Church.
2025
Iskali launches the Missionary Apostolate, sending full time missionaries to serve in parishes. Through ongoing human, spiritual, and pastoral formation, missionaries help build communities of missionary discipleship and renew parish life.
Today
Iskali has grown into a dynamic and expanding community forming and equipping young Latino leaders who flourish in faith, family, and professional life. Through retreats, mentorship, scholarships, service, and missionary leadership, Iskali is renewing the Church and strengthening communities.
2010
Iskali is founded in Melrose Park, Illinois, in response to the growing need for formation and accompaniment of young Latino adults seeking faith, community, and purpose.
2011
2012
The mission expands to new parishes, launching weekly small communities centered on authentic friendship, belonging, and the joy of the Gospel.
2013
2014
Iskali launches its retreat program, creating spaces of encounter with Christ that lead to deeper commitment, healing, and growth in parish communities. These retreats become a central pathway for leadership formation.
2015
2016
Structured mentorship and leadership formation programs begin, equipping young adults to grow in faith, human development, and service.
2017
Iskali opened the Bishop John Manz Center, which today serves as the organization’s headquarters and a hub for leadership formation, staff development, and community life.
2018
Founder Vicente Del Real received the Bishop Quarter Award from the Archdiocese of Chicago in recognition of his pastoral leadership and service in parishes throughout Vicariate IV. This work was carried out in close collaboration with John R. Manz, whose guidance and mentorship helped shape the mission and growth of Iskali.
2019
2020
Founder Vicente Del Real is recognized among Chicago’s 40 Under 40 Latino leaders for his work in leadership, community building, and entrepreneurship.
2021
Iskali launches its Scholarship Program, investing in first generation Latino students and opening pathways to higher education, leadership, and long term stability for families. A strategic partnership is also established with the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, strengthening theological formation, leadership development, and national collaboration.
2022
Iskali acquires Casa Iskali, Our Lady of Guadalupe Campus, becoming the first Latino owned and operated Catholic retreat center in the United States. This sacred space serves as a home for formation, prayer, and community, rooted in the faith and culture of the Latino community.
2023
2024
Iskali strengthens its commitment to service through regular Service Days, accompanying families in need and forming young adults in solidarity with the poor and those affected by immigration challenges.
Iskali begins the Christian Parenting Initiative, walking with young parents through faith formation, community, and practical support, strengthening families as the domestic Church.
2025
Iskali launches the Missionary Apostolate, sending full time missionaries to serve in parishes. Through ongoing human, spiritual, and pastoral formation, missionaries help build communities of missionary discipleship and renew parish life.
Today
Iskali has grown into a dynamic and expanding community forming and equipping young Latino leaders who flourish in faith, family, and professional life. Through retreats, mentorship, scholarships, service, and missionary leadership, Iskali is renewing the Church and strengthening communities.
Our Beginnings
Iskali was founded on June 12, 2010, by Vicente Del Real, a young adult from St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Melrose Park, Illinois.
At the time, Vicente noticed a reality shared by many communities across the United States: Hispanic young people were slowly disappearing from parish life. Many felt disconnected from the Church, unseen, or unable to find a space that spoke to their real experiences.
Iskali began as a simple response to that need: a small group of young adults gathering to pray, talk, and walk together in faith.
What started in one parish hall soon became something much larger.
Responding to a Silent Crisis
Between 2010 and 2015, more than 14 million young Hispanics left the Catholic Church in the United States, according to a report from Boston College.
This was not only a statistic. It was a call.
A call to create spaces where young people could:
- belong
- be heard
- encounter God personally
- and rediscover their dignity and mission
Iskali was born as an answer to this reality, not through programs alone, but through community, accompaniment and lived faith.
Inspired by Our Lady of Guadalupe
From the very beginning, Iskali placed its mission under the protection of Our Lady of Guadalupe, star of the new evangelization in the Americas.
Iskali members make a personal commitment of consecration to her, embracing a special call to become agents of evangelization, especially among young people.
Guadalupe represents what Iskali seeks to live:
- a faith that speaks the language of the people
- a message rooted in culture, dignity and hope
- a Church that goes out to meet those who feel far away
A Mission Rooted in Baptism
Iskali is founded on a simple but powerful conviction:
Every baptized person is called to be a protagonist of the Church’s mission.
As the Second Vatican Council teaches, the faithful share in the priestly, prophetic and kingly mission of Christ, and are commissioned by the Lord Himself to bring the Gospel into the world.
For Iskali, this means forming young people not as passive recipients of ministry, but as leaders, witnesses and builders of community.
Speaking the
Language of the Heart
Speaking the
Language of the Heart
As Iskali expanded to multiple parishes, one principle remained central: to announce the Word of God in a language young people can truly understand.
Just as Jesus spoke in ways people could grasp, Iskali meets young people where they are — culturally, emotionally and spiritually — so that faith becomes accessible, personal and lived.
Not imposed. Not distant. But experienced.
From One Parish to a
Growing Movement
From One Parish to a
Growing Movement
What began in one parish in Illinois has grown into a network of communities across cities and countries, forming young people through:
- faith and formation
- mentorship and leadership
- education and scholarships
- service and outreach
Iskali today is not just a ministry. It is a way of life.
Our story Continues
Iskali’s story is still being written.
In every young person who discovers their worth. In every mentor who chooses to accompany. In every community that believes faith can be lived with joy, depth and purpose.
Our story lives wherever someone chooses to grow.