My Faith Story ~ part 1

At the request of Leila of the Little Catholic Bubble

My story:

Actually my story is boring but blessed; I'm a cradle Catholic ~ my mom was (and is) a practicing Catholic and raised me in the church. My dad (now gone) was Unitarian and while he had been more active when younger only belonged to a church community until I was ten.

My mom wanted us to attend and belong to a church together as a family so for much of my childhood we attend Mass on Saturday evening and Sunday morning services at the Unitarian church. For us children that meant Sunday school where I learned about different faiths. It was for me the often spoken about 'roots and wings' and I loved it ~ I was Catholic, an identity and home, but also with some insights into how others viewed and worshipped God. The church had a very involved community so there were social dinners, Halloween parties, book sales, camping trips and always lots of kids to play with. One year my family was 'the family' as the community learned about and hosted an interactive Seder dinner.

Part of my parents agreement about my sisters and my religious upbringing was that we would receive the sacraments offered during childhood but those pertaining to adulthood were to be our decision. So when the time came for Confirmation it was my decision to make, and a relatively easy one ~ I was Confirmed. One of the great blessings to me was the vibrant Youth Group our parish had, led by a wonderful Youth Minister and filled with a bunch of other teens committed to having fun as we learned about our faith ~ it was a great place to begin to think about what God and being a faith-filled person meant to me. I ultimately served on the youth council and was one of the seniors chosen to speak at the Graduation Youth Mass my senior year.

That same grace followed me to college where I found a Newman Center busy with that same welcoming, seeking energy. Part II soon.