When I was younger, my family woke up at 9 AM every Sunday morning, no matter how tired, to attend mass.
It was always a struggle getting up. My family has never really been the “friendly” type. More often than not, we awoke to screaming, arguing and various other loud tones.
Nobody actually wanted to go to church, but we did it anyway.
At the time, we not only went to church every Sunday, but my siblings and I attended a private Catholic school. Holy Spirit was its name, and that school required us to attend mass every Thursday as well.
For about eight years of my life, this is how life was every single week. It was tedious. It was repetitive. It was boring.
When I was in third grade, life changed.
We moved to the suburbs and switched to public schooling (the better schooling.) We slowly stopped going to church. We grew up, and as we grew up life got busier. We no longer had time for church and I don’t think any of us really cared. At least I didn’t. I still don’t.
See, I’m not very religious. I never have been, but religion does exist in my mind. I have my own way of explaining things and it’s very personal to me. I don’t like talking about religion like I do politics, so writing this was a challenge for me. I enjoy challenges.
This past week I did something I never thought I would do again. I attended a Catholic mass here at Ball State. Specifically with the group “Cardinal Catholics.”
Let’s be clear: I do not like organized religion. I do not like being told what to think or how to think.
This specific mass was different than ones I have gone to in the past. It was a special event and it was outdoors. About 60 fellow students attended.
Believe it or not, I didn’t actually hate it. It was calming.
The most interesting thing at the mass was actually not the mass itself, or even the people at the mass, but the people around the mass. The dozens of students walked by while the service was ongoing.
Most of these students paid no mind and were very respectful. They were silent and went about their business.
However, there were a few that were just plain rude.
A note to those students: I saw you giggling. I saw you taking pictures and laughing with your friends. I saw the way you disrespected this organization because of what they are. I saw you, and it was incredibly immature and disrespectful.
Next time, think about your actions. Every religious and non-religious group has every right to practice in public places and should not have to deal with your immaturity.
But, enough with that.
At the event, I spoke to a student about her faith. The student, Caroline Owens, was raised Catholic. She, like me, attended Catholic grade school.
However, while I pushed the church away, she pulled herself into it. At first, it was her family who brought her into the faith. “It wasn’t until high school where I kind of started, like, choosing it for myself and making an effort to make my faith my own.”
Making her faith her own is what struck with me. My faith is also my own, just in a different way. Although we went in different paths, we are very similar in that.
To wrap this up, as is my specialty, I’ll get a little political.
I think it was awesome what this group did that night. Holding a religious ceremony out in the open is a brave thing to do.
I know the controversies of the Catholic church. Its prejudice and intolerance is what keeps me away from it. Those same problems are probably what caused students to give the looks they gave that evening.
I will never go back to the Catholic church.
That night, however, I did not see the intolerance that is known with the church. I was welcomed in attending and the priest spoke only about love, which we all need more of. He prayed for the sick, the poor, and even mentioned those that were going to be affected by the hurricane in Texas.
Love. Not hate.
I encourage more religious groups on campus to be more open and maybe even hold a ceremony in a public place. It was a great experience that I would like to try with another organization.
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