I was just thinking of the variety of places I lived at Easter.
I remember Easter in Snow Lake, Manitoba, because I had my First Communion and had a small bunch of tulips, which must have been quite an acquisition for my parents to make in that Northern town. I really couldn’t think of any sins to confess, and was embarrased by that. I guess I was 7!
At age 10, we were living in Magog, Quebec. I had new shoes and a new hat and gloves, and walked down the street to the huge church, where the Mass was in Latin and the Priest preached a message in French, but I liked the incence. Coming home was somewhat more memorable because I had blisters from the new shoes.
At age 14, I went to confession at the church in Waterloo, Quebec. The priest was quite inappropriate, (I thought) questioning me, and it left me wondering what he said when he went to confession, but our parents had ingrained in us that we should go to confession at Christmas followed by midnight Mass, and confession on Good Friday followed by a high mass on Easter Sunday.
My final Easter in the Catholic church would have been in Chibougamau. I was married there and denounced my religion, when the church and I just couldn’t agree on certain principals like birth control and hell. Having said that, the power of our upbringing is ever present and I had both of my babies baptized in the Catholic Church!
I always believed in God in my life and returned to church off and on over the years. Early on, it was just to teach my children the value of a religious upbringing. During the 60′s & 70′s it was popular for parents to say “when they grow up, they can choose for themselves”. I thought that was an odd approach, since, what would they choose from?
Finally, it was time to join a church when my 3 year old Grand daughter looked up at me one Sunday and asked “How come you don’t have a church, Nanny?” I have found a church I love. It’s the little Nazarene Church in Franklin Centre. It’s an outreach church, that makes teaching & youth services, helping less fortunate people around the world & in our community, on the streets, their mission. It’s what I always thought God would want us to do.
Happy Easter. Yes! God is “in the house”.
Love to all, Pat
April 24, 2011 at 12:42 am |
Thanks once again Pat, you made my Easter special just reading your words….
April 25, 2011 at 12:09 am |
Pat, You and your family have been part of many of my own wonderful memories. I love reading about yours, it makes me think of mine.
xoxo