Wild Card Round Two: Interview with my mom
- What made you deicide to become Catholic?
I felt like God was calling me to have a closer relationship with Him.
2. How did you get involved with the Catholic Church?
My high school friend,Rachel, invited me to youth group. As time went by, I Felt a closeness that I never felt in the Baptist Church.
3. What drew you to the Catholic Church?
I felt God’s presence in a way that I never had before. The rituals and history of the Church really appealed to me.
4. How is your faith as a Catholic different than your faith as a Protestant?
The main difference in the 2 Churches is the Eucharist. Catholics believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
5. Describe your faith growing up.
I always felt like I never fit in as a Baptist. My relationship with God was not where I wanted it to be.
6. When you met Dad, did it bother you he was not Catholic?
It bothered me terribly that Phil was not Catholic. However, I was so in love with him and did not want to do anything that may change our relationship. It was a huge mistake not to express my feelings to Phil.
7. When did Dad start going to church with you?
Phil started going to Church with me when you were a few months old.
8. Did you assume at some point dad would convert?
I always prayed that he would.
9. What do Pope Francis’ teachings of unity mean to you?
The Pope reminds me of how Christ calls us to be kind to everyone.
10. Do you think that this unity applies to all Christians or just Catholics?
This applies to all Christians.
11. How has passion driven you in your faith journey?
The Pope’s passion calls me to work harder to help those in most need of God’s mercy.
12. How much do you know about your own family history? Do you care to know more?
As far as I know, my family on both sides have always been Protestant. It would be interesting to know about their faith.
13. How do you think your family history is similar to or connects with the Sharpe’s?
My family has always instilled in me a strong sense of faith values.
14. How has my project personally affected/ influenced you?
Your project has inspired me to learn more about my family history and their faith.
During this project, I talked to my dad often since he was the one helping me gather all of my information. I would call my dad and my mom would pick up the phone and say, “I just want to hear your voice for one second before you talk to dad.” Yes, my dad’s side of the family is vital in the evolution of religion in my family, but my dad converted to Catholicism only after he had been married to my mom. In a sense, my mom is one of the main reasons my dad became Catholic and then stressed these beliefs and values in our family. I chose to interview my mom, so I could bring in her side into my story. My mom’s story is also very similar to my dad’s religious story. My mom, like my dad, was also raised Protestant. My mom decided to convert to Catholicism in high school, and I wanted to learn more about what drew her to the Catholic church, and why she converted. My dad was not Catholic when he met my mom, so I credit my mom to being the person who really inspired my dad to convert to Catholisism. I wanted to know if my dad not being Catholic at the time mattered to her.
This interview can also reaffirm the theme of unity in my project. It stresses yet again that even though my parents did not begin as Catholics, they still held similar values which were then just strengthened.
