Taking Time To Learn About Different Religions Help Students Keep Faith

Teen talk about religion is rare, but at one private school, some young women say learning about different religions helps them keep the faith.

At Presentation High School, an all-girls Catholic school in San Jose, about 40 juniors and seniors are chosen to become peer ministers, a coveted role.

Peer ministers work with three adult campus ministers to provide spiritual activities, such as student Masses and retreats. Becoming a peer minister, however, isn’t easy; for most, it means taking a serious look at their own beliefs and learning how to tell others about it.

“As a freshman, I didn’t want to be a practicing Catholic at all,” says Meghan Eagleson, 18, now a peer ministry leader. “I resented my father for making me. But it’s been sort of a slow burn to put my faith in front of other stuff in my life. Different instances in my life have helped me do it, like, learning about other religions, being a peer minister and a few freaky accidents have reinforced my beliefs.”

A faith journey, no matter what religion, often starts with rebellion, school officials say. As students mature, however, faith becomes stronger.

For freshmen, concerns about faithfulness are centered around the hourlong Catholic Mass, says Eagleson.

“They haven’t separated faith from the Mass. They say, ‘I’m really bored at Mass, what do I do? Does that make me a bad Catholic?’ I tell them I went through that, too, and that they have to not look at Mass like it’s a chore, but as time they have for themselves to share with God.”

As students get older, religious beliefs are questioned because of issues such as premarital sex, abortion, campus and peer ministers say.

“It’s how I felt about some issues,” says Eagleson. “But being able to talk about these concerns at school has helped me separate faith from politics. I’m comfortable with my religion and the pope’s position on things because I know now that it’s OK to believe the rules humans set are much stricter and not as compassionate as those God would set.”

Catholicism is practiced at Presentation, but those of different religions are invited to participate through dance, song and reading Bible passages at the liturgies and prayer services.

“At first, I was really nervous about going to a Catholic high school,” says Tonya Winter, 17, a Protestant who is one of the leaders in peer ministry. “I thought I’d gag because they’d shove Catholicism down my throat and that I would not be able to share in their faith.

“But the opposite is true,” she adds. “They encouraged me to share, and it’s good for me to see different religions. It has enriched me and helped me appreciate my own faith.”

With two Protestant peer minister leaders, Winter says, spiritual activities have become more diverse. “It’s been really nice. In some of the Masses, instead of receiving Communion, you can go up and get a blessing and you feel like you’re more included in prayer service, because you can pray to whatever god you believe in.”

School officials believe a supportive and open atmosphere for students of all religions has helped those with Catholic backgrounds grow in their own faith.

“It really is the family atmosphere here that’s a big drawing point, because we can really talk about and question each other’s beliefs and it’s OK,” said Eagleson. “Last year, I was confirmed, and after talking to freshmen about continuing my faith, it sealed the whole sacrament for me. I was able to say out loud how I felt having to fight through my initial feelings about the religion I grew up in, and that helped me tremendously with reaffirming my faith.”

Last year, 45 girls received the sacrament of confirmation. “The number is pretty significant,” says Anne Madruga, a campus minister. “It’s very, very high; we’re confirming 60 percent of those eligible.”

But being a teenager is still a lot of work for the faithful and not-so-faithful, students say.

“In the hustle and bustle of being a teenager, it is really hard to make my faith a priority,” says Winter. “It’s not like I think, ‘OK, I have to fax my mother and think about my faith life.’ At school, I’m able to set aside time to talk about it and think about it. It becomes a lot more personal and that’s good. I never want to take that part of my life for granted.”