I went to Church
Religion has never been at the forefront of my life, but when my host family invited me to their daughter’s Catholic confirmation, I jumped at the chance. Excited to get the full experience, I did not realize that the ceremony would last two full hours and that I would be the only one who did not stand up to take communion (aside from one small child).
Nevertheless, the church was phenomenally beautiful; a visiting Archbishop was presiding and I’m pretty sure he blessed a potato chip during the Eucharist (I noticed that everyone else got the standard wafer cracker); and as the children filed down the aisle to be confirmed, hundreds of rose petals drifted down from a hole in the ceiling.
It is unlikely that I will convert to Catholicism anytime soon, but I can understand the appeal of ceremony, faith and community that comes with religion. My church shall remain the tall trees of my grandmother’s woods, but I will never pass over an opportunity to step into a world other than my own.