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Sierra Greer
Ms. Marlowe
Expo R/W P 5
4 October 2015
The church is my home away from home. But I not only speak of the literal church, as in
the actual building, but of the congregation that makes up this church, the brothers and sisters
that I have grown up with since my first time at mass as a tiny baby.
To understand my connection with the church it is important to understand my familys
connection with the church. My grandparents adopted the parish of St. Catherine of Alexandria
as their church when they moved to Riverside and raised my father and his brothers and sister in
the church. My father and mother were married in that very church, the church in which my
family has made their home of spirituality. And after I was born I was baptized in that church.
My parents took me to mass every Sunday since I was a baby and have played a major role in
making Saint Catherines my second home.
When I was finally old enough, I started my faith formation, or education, at Saint
Catherines. It started with the childrens homily group at the 10:15 am mass on Sundays. A
teacher would take us young children, any children between kindergarten age and elementary
school age, and go over the gospel reading with us and have us do some fun activities. From
there I progressed into formal spiritual education, catechism, which began in the first grade and
ended in eighth grade. In catechism students met with their class once a week for about one and a
half hours and progressively learned more about the Catholic religion with each passing year as
well as going over the formal training for sacraments in the designated years. Over the years our
classes were typically with the same kids and we create strong bonds with our peers, both
personal and spiritual. Many of my friends from that time are still my friends today and still play
a role in my spiritual life at the church. We still attend church functions together, go out together,
and keep in touch. Some of us were placed in the same confirmation class for two years.

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Beginning in ninth grade, the three year process of confirmation begins where more bonds are
created between us candidates as well as with our teachers. Being in the same class with the
same people for two of the three years is what created such a strong and lasting bond between all
of us in the class. We were actually sad when classes ended for the year and especially sad once
we confirmed and there were no more classes at all because we became so close and even
became each others support system. Our class went beyond just learning about our faith due to
our amazing teachers, Ken and Mary. Ken and Mary made sure to teach us about our spiritual
life but more importantly encouraged us to practice what we learned with each other and others.
Also, they made sure to make themselves and our whole class open to each of us, themselves
included, so that if something was bothering someone or an issue occurred we could support that
person and pray for them. We also got to know each other very well personally with group
sharing and had an unspoken rule that whatever was said amongst us was to be kept between us
unless that person allowed for it to be shared outside of the class. By getting to know everyone in
both their spiritual and personal lives we all created that bond that was the primary reason for my
comfort and content at the church. I felt that the church supported and protected me throughout
all my struggles and successes, which they did, and even though this feeling was the most
evident at my confirmation classes it was also felt when I was surrounded by the whole church
community. What is extremely special about the church is that the feeling of contentment does
not only occur at Saint Catherines itself but at any of the church functions and when I am with
any of my brothers and sisters in Christ.
When I went on second year retreat, third year retreat, and then returned to help organize
the second year retreat last year I felt the most content I have ever felt anywhere. The reason why
I was so content was because the beautiful settings of the retreat, the absence of modern
technology (my phone which usually has its home in my right hand), and the company of my

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fellow candidates, the confirmation teachers, and some other members of the congregation that
help with or are the coordinators of the youth activities are what made these experiences so
incredible. The group sharing of personal and faith experiences, the mind-opening talks given by
the adults, and the release of all of the stress caused by school and life were the main
components in making me feel not only content but truly at peace and blissful. I always left
retreat wanting to stay forever because of the feeling it left me with. But I cannot give the credit
to the absence of my phone, although it did help, because it belongs to everyone else, candidates
and adults, who attended the retreat. Even in a foreign place, they managed to make it feel so
much like home because they opened my mind to all of the things it could not see with the group
sharing and the talks, provided me with strength and support with their kind words and actions,
and created the perfect setting for us all to feel comfortable by bringing a kitchen staff of
volunteers from the congregation to cook us meals, writing us kind and inspiring letters to show
us that they truly cared, and opened their loving arms to include us into the family of not only the
whole of our confirmation group but also into the family of the parish. They treated us like
family and for that reason I felt content.
The church has been a place of content and bliss for me because of the amazing parish,
Saint Catherines of Alexandria, which has embraced me with open arms into their family and
has provided me with amazing friends, a family, and the most cherished of all, the incredibly
indescribable fire for my faith in which they have gifted me.
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