Nov. 17th – I am thankful for my faith.
Growing up in an Italian home, church on Sunday was a central part of our weekend. With our “church clothes” on and hair brushed just right, my sisters and I would follow our parents single file into the pew (middle towards front) and wait for the one hour mass to begin.
Growing up Roman Catholic meant church on Sundays, and prayers before bedtime. It meant learning the “Our Father” by the age of 4 and the Ten Commandments by 12. It meant observing Holy Days and lighting of the Advent Wreath before Christmas.
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Being Catholic meant going to long masses (with no goldfish crackers, no toys and no juice boxes). Back in the day, you went to church to listen and behave. The mass was long and the church would be hot in the summer. My parents didn’t even have to look at us twice if we started twitching, eager for mass to be over. Then the fun began… donuts in the back hall afterwards. The hall was used for donut hour, preschool classes and our Christmas pageant during the holidays.
Being Catholic wasn’t something my sisters and I chose, it was something we just were, from birth. Italians and Catholics go hand in hand. We like to be martyrs and to feed the whole world. To say my parents were active members of our church growing up, is an understatement. My father is a Eucharist Minster, and my mother used to organize the hospitality hour.
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Most people I knew growing up were Catholic. In fact when I was 13, Archbishop Whealon of Hartford instructed that another church be built to serve the growing number of Roman Catholics in our town. (Lots of Italian Catholics.)
Growing up with religion was something my parents gave us. Finding our faith was something we came into individually as an adult. We were not an “overly” religious family, but being Catholic was a part of who we were. It was our moral compass, a set of guidelines to live by.
While I don’t always believe in the Church’s doctrine or opinions, my faith has been a tremendous source of comfort and strength to me. It’s help guide me to who I am today, and helped me raise my girls to believe in seeing the good in others and that just because it’s raining today doesn’t mean the sun won’t shine tomorrow. It’s given me hope during difficult times, and strength when I needed it most. Sometime just believing and having faith makes a world of difference. How grateful I am for my faith…
