Since getting to college, I’ve been really fortunate to meet a lot diverse people. And I’ve fallen in love with being able to meet new people all the time. But since leaving high school, I promised myself that I would never sacrifice who I am or what I believe in for anyone. And that included my religious beliefs. I identify as Catholic and I continue to learn what that means for me. And I know that I am going to have many people tell me that I shouldn’t be changing what Catholicism is just to fit my lifestyle. But as a college student with pretty liberal beliefs, what else am I supposed to do?
Let me just start off by pointing out that, I decided to be a practicing Catholic. A lot of people grow up in a religion only to get to college and completely abandon it. Sometimes it was forced on them by parents and some don’t believe in religion because of everything that comes across in the media. And I get that; that’s exactly what happened to me.
My mom enrolled me into religious education classes at our local church because she decided that it would be good for me. But after my First Communion, I gave up on religion entirely. I didn’t believe in it, I didn’t see the purpose of it and I thought that there was no way for this to possibly relate to me. But at the beginning of my freshman year of high school, I met a great religious education teacher who changed my perspective on everything. Since that year, I have learned so much about myself and Catholicism that it makes me wonder how I was ever without it. I understood things in an entirely new way and it has helped me remain positive in even the darkest of times. So when I moved to my college, I was adamant on finding a church nearby. And once I did, I ended up becoming a member of the choir at the student mass. I fell in love with being in that supportive community and being able to communicate through music.
But I am also a college student and I wasn’t willing to give up that part of my life either. So when I joined my sorority, I learned a lot about balance. And I realized that I needed to go to choir practices and mass to be able to make it through the week. And my choir friends understood that. Everyone has their obligations to work, family and other things. So when I would come into practice in the middle of the week and complain about being tired, they would understand.
The second year attending the church consistently and being in the choir, I was holding a few positions in my sorority. And I loved it. I was able to be around the people I cared about and do things that mattered to me as well. And everyone in my sorority knew that I was the one who goes to church. And nobody messed with that. I was always the one to speak up about having events on Sunday because I didn’t want to miss mass.
One day, I was driving to one of my sister’s apartment after eating Chipotle with two other sisters and on our way back to the apartment, I was in a minor car accident. No one was hurt and both of our cars were fine but it left me really rattled. So upon arriving to our craft night, I broke down in front of everyone and I felt okay after a while. I was able to put my heart into crafting and we eventually got onto the topic of rescheduling an event. And someone threw out the idea of having the event on a Sunday night. I immediately responded with a no. And I was asked by not just one, but two sisters to miss the mass that day because it was no big deal to miss mass. Everyone else in the room turned to look at me and I responded with another resounding no. And I backed myself up. Not because my no was not enough, but because they needed to know what I was doing.
During the winter quarter, which runs from January through March, I was doing a lot. I was one of two girls who would represent our sorority in a team dance event at our school. The practices were twice a week and I as a result was missing choir practice. I also held a position that required me to be on a conference call on the second Sunday of every month during mass. I was already desperately waiting for the dance competition to be over so that I could see my friends again and really be a part of the choir and not like the flake I felt I was. I had given up a huge part of my life to be able to do something that was also important to me. It wasn’t fair that they had asked me to push aside my priorities.
Eventually the conversation was dropped and we decided on a different day. But no one, after that, had tried to have an event on Sunday night. And I felt proud of that accomplishment.
But that isn’t what this is about; about how I stood up for myself and got educated about the fact that I can’t be penalized for attending something due to religious. This was about the aftermath.
One of the sisters who tried to get me to miss church went inactive the next quarter. I had heard from other sisters that she started attending church and was reading the Bible. To which I enthusiastically responded that it was great for her. My answer was expected, but others were skeptic to believe that she had actually gotten into religion. The next time that I saw her was at an event and she came up to me and apologized. She began to tell me how she found a group and started attending church. And how she was sorry for what she said because at that time, she didn’t understand. I forgave her.
A lot of college students don’t turn to religion or keep close religious ties. And it’s not okay that those who are committed to a religion are continuously harassed for making the decision to be an active member of their church and believe what they do. That's why I don't let other people tell me what to do or believe when it comes to my religion because it is my choice. I constantly prove to not only myself, but prove to other people as well, that I am more that just a label and I defy stereotypes all the time. In the most challenging of moments, I find that the best thing to do is to know that God can give me the strength to do it all. And I for many, this sounds ridiculous. But I know that the more I continue to stay firm in my beliefs, I can overcome anything. And maybe, just maybe, I can be a positive impact, in whatever way, to someone else's life.
