being Catholic

Finally on Saturday I am going to be getting Confirmed. And I am so excited!! I did not have to do two year of Catechism. In case you are wondering why I wasn't confirmed considering that I went to Catholic school until I went to college, yes even pre-pre-school: I felt that I should have being able to get confirmed through the school. I am a devote Catholic, but taking religion class everyday from pre-school until 12th grade and going to mass every Friday in elementary in addition to going to church with my family on Sunday was more than enough to show my devotion to my faith. I felt that I also didn't need to give up after school sports, and activities for 2 years in high school to show my devotion.

I heard recently that the reason for having us "Catholic school kids" attend the after school Catechism classes was not to torture us, but to include the non Catholic school kids into the community. Yes, it is turn that we, Catholic school kids, knew the priest better, and (at that time) the boys from the school could only be the alter boys. But I didn't realize that they felt outcasted or that we were snobby/inclusive. We just knew each other because we saw each other everyday. And you can't pretend not to know your class mates when your class size is about 25 students. So we were a little close knit. Yes, we did laugh at those kids, that didn't know the Apostle's Creed by heart, took communion the wrong way, didn't know when to kneel, stand or sit, didn't know the words to the songs, or could not sit through mass without being entertained i.e. coloring books, toys etc. But you have to realize that we went to mass every Friday for 8 years in elementary school!! We had to know all the words, and songs, and weren't allowed to bring anything with us. Even as first and second graders we had to be quite all though mass. We could probably lead the mass and recite all the words if the priest was sick.

Since Phil got baptised on Easter Vigil (thanks to are friends for coming out to support us), I decided to sign up and get confirmed. Little did I realize that it was only going to be six weeks. It is great, and I don't even have to memorize the Nicene Creed!! (Although I will, because it is embarrassing not knowing all the words. For the first time I am getting a little of my own taste of being an outsider.)

I decided on a Saint, St. Camilla. I love the name. Originally I wanted to be the patron saint of alter girls, since I always wanted to be an alter girl. Alas, I was born too late. But my younger cousin was an alter girl, and it made me so so proud. And thank you too all my friends that had other creative suggestions like St. Man Cave etc. but it did have to be a real saint.

If anyone wishes to attend it is going to be at St. Bartolomew in Long Beach. Saturday, May 30 Vigil Mass at 5pm.

Unfortunately no pictures of Phil's Baptism, Bryant got really anxious after 2 hrs and I had to be in the outside part of the Church, so I couldn't take any pictures. Then afterwards we were all being pushed out of the Church so I couldn't take any pictures of us.

Here are a few pictures of the new Los Angeles Cathedral when Phil was a Catechumen (i.e. never baptized). I expected there to statues of Saints, but instead there were murals, which is different, and takes some time to get used to.

I did find one beautify statute...

Cardinal Roger Mahony, the Los Angeles Archbishop, in purple, entering to begin the ceremony...

...the blessing of half of the Los Angeles County Catechumens...

a picture of the St. Bart's parish Catechumens, sponsors and a few of their instructors...

behind them is an ornate and beautiful alter from a parish from Spain. Apparently that parish sold their alter because the city needed the money after the Spanish Civil War. Such a sad story, I could not imagine our parish having to sell the alter. They don't make them like that anymore.