General Discussion

I grew up with Sunday school, weekly Mass, religious retreats, pancake breakfasts - the usual Catholic rites of passage. My mother grew up with the nuns, which she absolutely hated. But she felt obligated to give us a religious upbringing. And it provided a convenient social outlet.

I stopped going to Mass in my twenties. Just didn’t believe in the teachings of the Church anymore - but I always loved the familiar rituals of Mass (the pageantry, the incense, the organ and the hymns,…) The final straw for me was the revelation of abuse by the priests and the resultant coverup. I was shocked and horrified and I knew that I could no longer be associated with the church in any way.