Serendipity

My parents were married in 1956, in a Catholic church. Mom was Protestant. That very fact that she was, caused a lot of issues to rise on my dad’s side of the family, all devout Catholics. I’m really not sure how well my mom was liked by her in-laws, but in the years to follow, despite the family’s animosity, she refused to convert to dad’s religion. Mom was a gentle woman, very loving and giving. She wasn’t one to meddle in other’s affairs yet she stood her ground when she believed she was right. I was born in 1958 and by the time that I was 6 or 7, a silent war raged on that I was unaware of. Mom wanted me to know both religions, so I went to church school at a Baptist church on Tuesday afternoons as a time-release from my regular schooling. On Saturdays, one of my parents drove me to another church school at the family’s church (St. Vincent) for a couple of hours of Catholic teachings. This went on for at least a year, maybe two. I remember that one day, sometime af...

The Chapel in the Glen, Watkins Glen, NY Today I went to church...for the first time in nearly 36 years.  My daughter has been nearly begging me for a couple of years to go and I always declined, feeling that I would be the very kind of hypocrite I despise: being a non-Christian acting like I was a Christian.  It's just wrong to pretend to be someone you are not, you know? A little history: I come from parents who were of two different religions:  Protestant and Catholic.  My mom felt it was necessary as I went through my childhood to know and understand both religions, so that when the time came, I could chose the religion that was right for me.  On Tuesdays, I went to a Baptist church school for an hour or so in the afternoon as a time-release from my regular schooling.  Then, on Saturdays, I went to a Catholic church school for a couple of hours in the morning.  At about age 8, I received my first communion. After my mom died when I was 16...