Questioning is natural as teens head to adulthood

When the high school senior has questions about teachings of the Church regarding such issues as pre-marital sex and homosexuality, she feels comfortable asking Irene Rainville, associate director of religious education, or Rev. John Waldron, pastor.

"Mrs. Rainville has been a big help with every question I've ever had, and our pastor is very intelligent," she said. "Everybody there is a big help, and you can always call and ask questions about anything."

Minds at work

Margaret Leathem, director of faith formation at Our Lady of Victory Church in Troy, said that it's okay for Catholic teens to wonder about their religion because it's a sign of a parish that's alive.

"Questioning of authority is perfectly developmentally appropriate, and it's not necessarily disrespectful of authority," Mrs. Leathem pointed out. "We encourage open-ended questions and critical thinking."

Getting answers

"You can call him up, and he'd be more than happy to meet with you and discuss anything," she explained.

Mary Town, a junior who is also an Our Lady of Victory parishioner, is involved with the parish youth ministry and lectoring, and has taught religious ed. Teens have questions about God, especially when tragedy happens, and answers aren't always easy to come by, she pointed out.

"We sometimes wonder why God does the things that He does, and teens at our school wonder if there is a God," she said.

For answers, she turns to Mrs. Leathem and other adults in the parish. "She and the older people understand a lot, and I would feel comfortable asking them questions," she said.

Willing to answer

Mrs. Rainville said that teens today are the same as when she first started working with them, and their questions haven't changed much during her years in youth ministry.

"I've been doing this for 15 years, and despite all of our advances in technology, the kids are asking the same sort of questions," she said. "The questions they're concerned about are the moral issues."

Among those issues are the consequences when a friend has had an abortion and the debate over the death penalty, to which Mrs. Rainville responds that Catholic teens should believe in the value of life in these situations.

"I try to encourage openness, whether I minister with them at youth liturgies, work in class with them, or walk down the hall and say 'hi' to them," she said.

Big questions

Joelle feels at ease asking questions about her faith. "My church is really youth-oriented, and adults don't talk to you like you're a kid, but as a person," she said.

Mrs. Rainville is glad when teens ask questions about being Catholic because their curiosity often leads them to put their faith in practice.

"They want to know why we're unique, what makes us different and what it means to be Catholic," she said. "They're more serious and feel challenged because they have an opportunity to take active roles and live who they say they are."

(11-04-99) [[In-content Ad]]