Parish School of Religion

Briana went to her very first PSR (Parish School of Religion) class on Wednesday afternoon. As a kid, I always called it CCD  (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) class. If you have been reading my blog long enough, you probably know that I come from a mixed religious background (my dad is Jewish and my mom is Catholic). My sister and I were raised Catholic, though we grew up knowing and respecting the Jewish faith. Doug was raised a Catholic as well. 

In the Catholic faith, baptism usually occurs in infancy. Briana did not come into out lives until she was one year old, so we waited until she was with us for a little while before we had her baptized in the Catholic church. Now that she is five, it is time for her to start attending Catholic classes in order for her to prepare for her sacraments - Holy Communion and First Penance (which happens when she is around age 7) and then Confirmation (which happens around age 15 [tenth grade]). Once she receives all of these sacraments, she can marry in the Catholic church.

I don't talk about religion much on this blog, but this is a big step for Briana, and I want to document it here. For me, religion is a very personal thing. I am a person that prefers to quietly keep my religious beliefs to myself and I don't try to push my way of thinking on anyone else. I deeply respect other peoples' beliefs. As long as a religion doesn't promote hate or cause harm to anyone, then I will respect what you believe (or not believe for that matter), even if  I don't necessarily agree with it. I think growing up in a household that embraced two (quite different) religions taught me to be open-minded. I admit that I don't attend church services every single Sunday (though I will attend more now that Bri is taking classes), but I still find myself to be a religious and spiritual person. I am a Catholic and that is my faith. It is a significant and special part of who I am. And now it will be a significant and special part of who Briana is as well. She has quite an amazing journey in front of her.

(Quickly on a different note, Miss B wore a long sleeve shirt to class that day. It has been a bit chilly this week. Feels like fall is almost here. I am so excited! I'm so ready for leaf changing, pumpkin carving and hay riding!)