Family Reflection

We attend mass regularly as a family – on Sundays, Holy Days of Obligations and special occasions. Both of our daughters have attended St. Paul of the Cross Elementary school. Our older daughter, Rebecca, graduated four years ago from St. Paul and is now a senior at Northside College Prep High School in Chicago. Rebecca belongs to the St. Paul Youth Group, Network; she attends meetings and volunteers with the other teens in the parish. Samantha is in 8th grade and has attended St. Paul since pre-Kindergarten.

Every Monday, Wednesdays, and Sundays, My sister, me , and my Mom would be at church. If we woke up late we would have bible study in her living room. She found a different church in Athens, Georgia named Timothy Baptist Church .That’s when she actually felt accepted in a church. I knew during the week my Mom had me I would be at church every other day. The weeks with my Dad were slightly different.

Praise God; that was the phrase I would here every morning when my dad would drop me off for school. Although my family has gone through many hard times, they have grown to know Christ and wanted to share that with their kids. I grew up in the kind of household that if you said “shut up” then you were going to be spanked several times. I knew one thing on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights; you go to church. Church became a hobby to me, I didn’t hate going there but it was just what you did.

My family was the stereotypical perfect family that had a dad, mom, and children. We, along with my cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, always attended church where we sat in our specific section every Sunday. My parents, aunt, and uncle were the musical leaders while my cousins and I sang along. I have spent so many Sunday mornings in that church. The church with the stained glass windows and accessorized atler.

It is here that I believe she knew her destiny s, a destiny of dedicating her life to the church and God and people destitute. She would go on to encourage many people. At an early age (Agnes) Mother Teresa was introduced to sharing, her parents, who under no circumstances would ever turn away anyone in need. By the age of 8 Agnes life would be forever changed. Grief was brought upon the family, her father had passed away.

I believe my mom wanted her kids to know about the Creator and endured the ‘mental pain’ to complete the task. Soon enough when I turned twelve, things changed and we did not attend church that regularly and eventually leading to not at all. In middle school, I made a friend, Kelly, who attended church every Sunday. My mom did not frown upon me being with her so I would spend some Saturday nights with Kelly and wake up to attend church with her. It was great fun because there was a band and they made it lively.

On Sundays Oprah would dress up in her best clothes and go to the Buffalo United Methodist Church, with her grandmother. The church was a very important part of her life, as she grew up. It was at this church that Oprah first spoke in public. Her first performance was at Easter time when she was three. From that day on, she was always the first child to be asked to recite.

In the beginning of my junior year of high school, one of my close friends told me she was getting confirmed at church next Sunday, completely clueless I only nodded in agreement and said that was great! When we arrived home I asked my mom what confirmation was, and she explained to me that it was the next step, or Sacrament, in a Catholic’s life where you confirm the relationship you have and want with God. In the Catholic religion, you are baptized at a young age, most of the time, before you can walk. Later, you enroll and attend Sunday school for a certain period of time to prepare for what is called your First Communion, which is the third of seven sacraments received. When a person receives their first communion they are most of the

This Is Who I Am Having a strong foundation is something that has been passed down from our ancestors post slavery, which was used to help my family form their ethnic identity as African Americans. Ethnicity refers to a social group’s distinct sense of belongingness as a result of common culture and descent (Organista, Marin, & Chun, 2010). This influenced my family to raise me with awareness of family structure, old fashion southern culture, and valuable beliefs that molded me into the woman that I am today. Along with my family’s ethnic identity, I also have my own self -identity, which is my identity as a mother and a student. However, my family’s ethnic identity along with my own self-identity was not always seen as socially excepted or

Which brings me to Fowler’s Theory of Faith Development, specifically Individual-Reflective Faith which occurs in early adulthood. Growing up as a family we went to church every Sunday and sometimes even twice a week, everyone in my family was a catholic and that was expected for all of us, no questions asked. I even got baptized as a baby and did my first communion when I was about nine years old. I did not mind the expectation from my family when I was little because I loved church, especially the singing. Then came a time where both of my parents started to work on Sundays, so did my sister, and so my brother and I helped out at my parents restaurant.