BOARDMAN — Four high school seniors, two from Youngstown Ursuline and two from Youngstown Cardinal Mooney, tackled topics ranging from religion and the Internet to the value of Catholic education during a panel discussion Jan. 7 at Antone’s Banquet Center here.

Mooney students Garrett Guerrieri of Boardman St. Charles and Lauren Tonti of Austintown St. Joseph joined Ursuline students Daniel Catello of Austintown St. Joseph and Diandra Lazor of Hubbard St. Patrick for a different twist on the monthly First Friday Club of Greater Youngstown luncheon speaker series. Students from Warren John F. Kennedy High School were also at the luncheon.

Each student on the panel was given a question related to teens and faith, about which they were to prepare a presentation.

Guerrieri’s question was “What brings Catholic youths to the Church and what pushes them away?”

“A number of people are lured by what society tells them is cool and acceptable rather than doing what Jesus would do,” Guerrieri said. “Today’s young Catholics are surrounded by more temptations than their parents and grandparents had to deal with, such as pornography and having sex outside of marriage.” It is difficult to be Catholic in a society where abortion and euthanasia are an everyday thing, he added. Today’s society pushes sex and sin — and it considers “Merry Christmas” to be offensive, he noted.

He suggested that another reason young people may not be involved in the Church is because they were not guided in their faith as they grew up and did not have a mentor to teach them about the Eucharist or devotions such as the rosary. Other teens don’t become involved in church, he said, because they want to be “spiritual, but not religious.”

On the flip side, Guerrieri said there are plenty of teens who want to be part of the Church and who are actively involved in their parishes. For those who do not attend Catholic school, he suggested the best way to become involved and learn about their faith is through youth ministry. This experience helps teens establish a more personal relationship with Jesus and leads them to share their faith with others, he said.

 Lazor’s topic highlighted ways that young people are involved in service or ministry in their schools or parishes and how that service is related to social justice. She said growing up in a Catholic school has helped put her in touch with God; she wants him to remain a central figure in her life even after graduation.

“Catholic schools are the gateway to active faith,” she said. “Attending a Catholic school gives students the opportunity to participate in a variety of clubs and activities that are faith-based and helps them grow in spirituality,” Lazor said.

Catholic schools encourage students to get involved in volunteer service and participate in retreats, which allows them to “step back from the hustle and bustle of everyday life” and gain a new perspective so they can “return to school and their daily lives with a more faith-filled attitude.” Lazor said Catholic schools also offer ministry clubs that enable students to help others in the community so they can experience the world outside the confines of a classroom.

Tonti’s topic was how modern media connects teens with their faith and how it also lures them away. She suggested that Church adapt to modern media such as the Internet, Twitter, social networking sites and text messaging or risk becoming obsolete. Pope John Paul II embraced technology because he recognized it as the link between the Church and young people, who are its future, Tonti said.

The Internet has revolutionized the Church today, with information on Catholicism available at one’s fingertips 24 hours a day, seven days a week, she noted. However, that same availability of information also has played a role in the decline of Church attendance among teens and young adults. Today, many young people are content to get their information about the Church from online sources. Social networking sites such as Facebook enable today’s teens and young adults to find others with similar beliefs and backgrounds so they can debate topics and create discussion boards, she noted.

Tonti said one of her favorite things about the Internet is being able to chat with people from other religious backgrounds. This helps her learn about other faiths while deepening her own because she has to explain her beliefs to someone who may be Jewish, Hindu, etc.

“If you are going to be asked to defend your faith to someone else, you better know what you are talking about,” Tonti said.

The Church also can use the Internet to advertise itself and recruit members as well as spread the gospel, she suggested.

Tonti said as with anything, there are negative aspects to technology as well. She said people can use the Internet for the wrong reasons and it also creates a feeling of isolation and disconnect from society.

“You can have 10,000 followers on Twitter, but it does not compare to entering a church with 10,000 people. Experiencing your faith with others provides the divine spark needed to deepen your faith,” she said.

Catello’s topic was how Catholic education has prepared him for college and life. He said he plans to attend Notre Dame University in the fall and expects that his faith will always be an important part of his life.

Catholic education focuses on the development of the whole person, Catello noted. Catholic high schools are college preparatory schools with challenging curriculums that will benefit students in college. Teachers are more attentive at a Catholic school, he suggested, because of the smaller class sizes; this makes it easier to catch learning problems early and correct them through tutoring and mentoring programs.

Catholic schools also provide excellent socialization opportunities through athletics, extracurricular activities, clubs and service opportunities, Catello suggested. “Colleges look for well-rounded students and that is what a Catholic school provides,” Catello said.

He said Catholic education gives students a better “moral compass” than what is offered at public schools and gives them a strong foundation on which to build their faith and values.

Catello pointed out that religion is part of every aspect of the educational process at Ursuline, from prayer before each class and frequent liturgy to religion classes and service opportunities. However, he added that the same problems that exist in public schools can also exist at Catholic schools, though such problems occur with less frequency at Catholic schools and they are dealt with differently.

“The kids who have problems are offered help instead of being turned away by expulsion,” he said. “Our students are held to a higher moral standard, but the teachers and administrators know we are not perfect,” he said.

Marly Kosinski, a journalist working in Warren, freelances for the Catholic Exponent. She is a 1990 graduate of Ursuline High School