Catholicism is one of the oldest and most established monotheistic religions in the world, and it is comprised of the largest community of religious followers in the U.S.A., at 22 percent of the population. The Catholic Church is a crucial part of the world's history, especially the western world, so what I have to say about it can't begin to scratch the surface. But these are the things I've noticed about it and the impact it has had on my life.

1. The Catholic Church is all about Unity

As someone who has spent a good 18 years of her life wearing plaid skirts and uniform khaki pants, I have learned the importance of universality and uniformity. When I'd whine and complain to my dad about wearing a uniform to school, he'd remind me that my uniform represents the community that I belong to, it wasn't about suppressing my individualism. Part of me still begs to differ...The word "catholic," itself means, "universal." Every Catholic Mass says the same liturgical prayers and celebrates the Eucharist, so if you go to mass at your parish and go elsewhere on vacation, there's a safe bet that you'll fit right in, because it'll be the same as it is at home! Pope Francis is doing a nice job of encouraging unity in the world across race, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender, and sexual orientation. I think that is the true message of what it means to be a Catholic– it means being open to entering into community with others. (Not sure that the Catholic Church has ever been known for its acceptance though).

2. Worshipping the Saints is Frowned upon

This one is lesser known among people. When I started school at St. Olaf (which is ELCA and fabulous), I figured there wasn't going to be a big difference between the Lutheran Church and the Catholic one I'd always known (and there really isn't). However, I met a lot of nonreligious and non-Catholic friends who really helped me to be more open-minded and to even question and research my beliefs. However, there were disappointing moments when I'd get asked the age-old anti-Catholic question, "Don't you guys worship the saints? Isn't that like, idolatry?" No. No, we do not worship the saints. Yes, that is idolatry, it is against the first commandment. We do not worship the Saint Francis statues that we keep in our gardens. "But you pray to the saints...so...that's worship right?" Technically, we pray for the saint's intercession on our behalf when they pray to God for us. So it's just another step to reaching the guy upstairs. Saints are actually really cool in fact, because they too were human beings like us who suffered persecution and had incredible experiences of the divine. If there's anyone to ask for advice on how to talk to God, I'd say it's the saints.

3. I will probably never get married on the beach.

As the daughter of a guy who almost became a priest, I've been given the spiel about all the special rules in the Catholic Church, several times. Even in my high school theology class, we went over all of the sacraments, why we do them and how. There are a couple things about marriage, such as you have to take a pre-cana class before you get married where you meet with the priest at the church where you want to be married and are prepared for marriage in the catholic church by that priest, maybe a deacon and other married couples. What's the point? Well, marriage in the Catholic Church is intended to last forever, so you have to do it once and do it right. Divorce is not something that is recognized by the church. When you do get married in the Catholic Church, you must get married inside of a physical Catholic Church because that means that you were married before God, so it makes it "official." I guess I can kiss my wedding-on-the-beach dreams goodbye.

4. I wish women were more represented by the Church.

When I was little, I remember asking my dad why on earth only men can be priests. As an eight-year-old I wanted to be a priest, not a sister, not a nun, a priest. His answer was that Jesus was a man, and he ordained only men as his apostles. Additionally, it's believed that women had other roles which Jesus wanted them to play, such as prophets, gospel-proclaimers, and people who prayed. They were not ordained to teach in the Church like the apostles were, and apparently the Church cannot change something that Christ instituted 2,000 years ago. In my opinion, that's a bunch of baloney, but what do I know? It seems somewhat asymmetrical that all the administrative and authoritative offices in the church are held by men. This is not to say that women have no power in the church, for in high school I was taught by several Catholic Sisters who belonged to an order that founded my high school. In my hometown, most of the hospitals and schools were founded by an order of Sisters in the Catholic Church, so the Church owes its growth in part, to women.

5. Vocation is something Catholics have to seriously consider.

Throughout high school, we were asked to question and seriously reflect on our callings, or vocations in life. Having a father who realized that his vocation wasn't what he thought it was has always been a source of anxiety for me. How will I know what my calling is? Vocation is a multi-faceted word, but in my Vocations class in high school, we referred to it as either the single life, married life or religious life. There was even a vocations fair where religious orders brought information on their orders and explained to us their mission, which was really fun and interesting. There have been several times when my friends and I wondered about our vocations. Marriage is such a common practice that we wondered if maybe we were called to something else. Granted, none of these vocations are easy because life isn't easy. Most Catholic youths have imagined themselves wearing a clerical collar or a habit. There are even overnight stays at convents and monasteries where young catholics can imagine what life with a religious vocation would be like. One of the most important things I've discovered about vocations in the Catholic Church is that they are determined by God, as he is the one who calls you to a certain path. Secondly, my mom told me something interesting about vocations, which is: God would never call you to a lifestyle that would make you unhappy.

These are only a few things I think are important to mention about the Catholic Church. I have had my fair share of questioning throughout college. Taking a religion class at a non-Catholic university has been one of the most enlightening things I've ever done because it has led me to study theology more intensely than I ever have. Instead of feeling confined to one community of religious followers, I have been given the opportunity to explore multiple belief systems. There have been multiple times since graduating high school where I've considered myself non-religious out of confusion or uncertainty. But there have also been times when I've wanted to retreat into the Catholicism I've always known and use it like a security blanket. However, I've found that studying religion requires you to leave all certainty at the door, so I've had to take my Catholic-ness less seriously in order to really search for truths, not that you can't find them in whatever religion you practice, but this was something personal to me. Even if I find myself questioning, I still try to follow what is going on with the Church across the world.