Faith Revealed Generation to Generation

The impact our parents and past generations have on us is not realized quickly.  Now I see that the foundation of my faith was constructed in those formative years with my parents.  A reverence for the church and a sense of aligning one’s life with God in some fashion was sprinkled throughout my life from an early age.  Starting with baptism as an infant and the assigning of godparents who take responsibility for the care of the child’s faith in case the parents cannot, a sense of faith is cultivated from a time before one is even aware of it.  This experience is then soon followed by the ceremony of first communion, rich in pageantry and celebration which in my case formally initiated a connection of faith.  Then, through the parochial school curriculum, that connection of faith was nurtured and cultivated through daily study in catechism and Bible history. Principals of faith such as “the Catholic church is the one true church” (as stated in our Catholic catechism at the time) are reinforced starting at this early age.  It makes sense now, looking back, that if a child is of a compliant nature, this message resonates profoundly as it did with me.  It was in the sixth or seventh grade, that the boys were given a sales pitch to sign up for the priesthood.  I believe the appeal was to sign up early, so that we could then be directed to the appropriate high school a couple of years later to prepare us better for our devoted lives as priests.  Whether my heart was tender at that early age with a willingness to serve God, or I was simply pressured to do so, I raised my hand to participate. I do remember I was a little skeptical in approaching my parents with my decision. When I presented the papers for them to sign to approve my request to enter the priesthood, they collectively hit their emotional ceilings at the same time, instantly!   I do remember being surprised at the level of their emotion as they rejected the idea, while feeling relieved at the same time.  I am grateful for all the support my parents gave me in forming a foundation of faith, but I am equally glad that they had the insight to know that their son really had no clue whether he wanted to be a Catholic priest for the rest of his life.