Today we had the privilege of welcoming our retired local Bishop at our Sunday liturgy. It was the first time my sixteen month old daughter had seen a bishop at Mass. She watched him process in with the deacon and altar servers as she had watched the priest and company process in at previous Masses. She turned to me and said “hat!” referring of course to his miter. Then she saw his “stick,” which of course was the crosier. Like previous Masses, she was mesmerized by the preparation of the gifts. Father sets the table and we get ready for our meal. Soon she knows we’ll go up to see “Gee-Gush” only after she gets to shake hands with the people around us saying “peace.”

I am Catholic because of the richness and simplicity of the liturgy. I love how much we can learn about our God through the simple repetitive actions. I often find myself losing appreciation for these traditions as I have gotten older. Watching my daughter learn about God through the rituals and traditions of the Catholic Church is something I would never trade.

Why I Am Catholic Activity

There is a great blog called Why I Am Catholic at http://yimcatholic.blogspot.com. Check it out for yourself before doing this activity.

1) Have your students read some of the reflections that the authors have written about their appreciation for the Catholic faith.

2) Have students take some time to reflect and write a reflection like the one I have posted above in the journals or on a piece of notebook paper. Encourage students who respond with something like “because my parents make me” to write about anything they like about the Catholic faith. You might even encourage them to start a blog like Why I Am Catholic.

3) Have students read their reflections in groups or to the class.