Religion
In high school, I was a “bad Catholic.” I didn’t feel like a part of the faith, I was upset with some of the things going on within a few specific churches, and I felt detached from that community because of the actions of a minority of the members. With all of these reasons in mind, I refused to make my confirmation. When asked why I chose not to be confirmed, my answer was always “I cannot be part of a community that perpetuates hate.”
When I began my college search, though blatantly obvious, it didn’t initially occur to me that Saint Leo was a Catholic institution. I visited the school and noticed the classic tell-tails of Catholicism but was overcome with the sense of community and acceptance that I instantly felt here. It was strange and unsettling at the time to have such a low opinion of the faith as a whole and at the same time feel for the first time that I was part of a community that not only validated who I was, but at the same time had such a deep connection to God and Catholicism. After a while, I began making friends with people who for their entire life had been deeply spiritually committed to the Catholic community and started to realize that though an outspoken minority within the Catholic community paint a picture of the faith as one of exclusivists, the overwhelming majority follow the true meaning of the teachings of Christ.
A few of my general education requirements and honors classes examine the Catholic religion, and I’ve found over the course of the past few years that Catholics as a whole fundamentally believe in inclusion. Posted across campus are Saint Leo’s core Benedictine values. Each of them seem to be the foundation on which Catholicism was built, and filter out the conservatism and hatred that some sects of the religion confuse with the actual fundamental beliefs of the religion. I was very apprehensive at first to come to Saint Leo because it was a Catholic University. But I’ve come to realize that this community that I have become a part of is deeply dedicated to the fundamental values of Catholicism.
Even more importantly, I never felt like religion was being forced down my throat, rather I was invited (via the inclusive aura of the Saint Leo community) to a better way of life. Today I still would not consider myself a “religious” person. I don’t go to church every week, but I do consider myself a spiritual person. I know I’m different, but on campus I tend to forget that I am. There’s not a doubt in my mind that my experience outside of the classroom at Saint Leo has restored my faith in humanity, and the connections I’ve made with so many people from vastly different backgrounds than my own has proven to me that Catholicism is not about going to Church once a week and totally forgetting those teachings for the other 6 days. As Americans, and as Catholics we believe in inclusion. We believe in tolerance. We believe in compassion. I came here to earn a degree in Biology, but next year I’ll leave here with so much more than that.
