Chapel

Religion is a touchy subject.

Growing up I remember my dad telling me that politics and religion are two topics that shouldn’t be discussed with others.

I became a Catholic at a few weeks old in Ireland 1982! 

I was raised Catholic.  Hello Irish Catholic family…shocker right. I joke that my mother was a nun in her past life…and she believes it too!  She is a VERY VERY spiritual person and believes fully in God and all that good stuff.  Her faith has gotten her through some very dark times. She brought my brother and I to mass every Sunday until we got to high school.  We both made our First Communion but were “CCD drop outs” in high school and never made our Confirmation.  Mom says its one of her biggest regrets in life…letting us drop out of CCD for high school sports.

Catholic mass is VERY boring for kids…shit lets get real…its boring for adults too. Our parish doesn’t do a “children's mass” or have bible studies during mass for the little ones. We were always taught to be quiet, sit still and “listen” to the priest (which never happened…we were always counting down the minutes until we got to visit the donut shop!)  I dreaded doing the “Our Father” because I knew my brother Paul was going to crush my hand and get me in trouble for squealing.  But it was just our way of life growing up…whether we liked it or not.

After Paul passed away, going to church was hard…brought back a lot my memories of him and I would be like an idiot there crying during the Our Father in the middle of mass. And since he passed away in a “not so very nice way”…I had some quarrels with God..and his “reasons”. Anyway….all of that made me really shy away from my church.  And its only been like 14.5 years but I always figured that something would being me back at some stage.

This past year just me and Owen went to mass because it was being offered for Paul and mom was in Ireland…so we went. He loved it… 

This school year Owen started going to the extended care daycare at a church up the road from his school.  They have an actual school there as well, but didn’t think twice about it being a “Christian” church/school as opposed to a Catholic church/school (I know Catholics are Christians too…but you know what I mean).  The other night after bath Owen asked me if we could pray! I was shocked.  He told me to put my hands together, close my eyes and bow my head.  And he then said the prayer that Ms. Harris has taught him to say before lunch everyday. Shock was somewhat an understatement on how I felt.  Talk about feeling like a parental failure.  I have made no effort to teach him about our faith…other than having him baptized when he was 18 months old.

Owen has always loved going to mass with Nana. And at one point in his life he knew more prayers than his father (which is not difficult) He knew the Our Father, Oh Angel of God and was working on the Hail Mary until Nana retired and his daily morning rides to daycare with her were over. But he loves mass.  Its weird. He's quiet, he listens and its great.  Nana says he’s like an old soul…and is very spiritual. And I agree.

Oddly enough I have recently started researching churches to have Ella baptized and again was discouraged about how difficult the church makes it to have a child baptized in the Catholic religion. Why is it so hard?? Shouldn’t they be welcoming anyone with open arms?? I just don’t get it. 

Well at daycare Owen’s daycare group joins the school kids on Thursdays for Chapel.  He has told me before how much he loves it and on those days to not pick him up too early.  So funny.  Today I got there in the middle of Chapel.

And what i saw and heard, gave me goosebumps and tears in my eyes. I’m not sure why exactly but it was just weird.  It was my very first experience with “worship”. But watching all those little elementary school kids singing Godly songs was magical.  Watching little kids raise their hands and sing their hearts out…it was nuts!
Owen saw me and asked if we could stay till the end.  I agreed and we stayed.  He loves the singing and really loves the sermon/stories they teach too!  I felt out of place, uncomfortable and kinda strange BUT watching my son made me start thinking.

 

This isn’t about ME. This is about HIM!  Sometimes as parents we have to do things that put ourselves out of our comfort zone for our children.  He thrives in this environment.  I don’t hear many kids ASKING to go to Chapel and Church…but our Owen does.  And I’m a failure as a parent in the religious category…for the fact that what he has learned and knows about God isn’t from me…I never know the answers to tell him when he asks me about God stuff.  Nana teaches him.  But its about that time that I have to start some type of religious foundation for him.

So. Goal is to get us back in church….I don’t know WHICH church but we gotta find one that is a great fit for our family….regardless of whether its a Catholic one or not.