There's Something About Catholicism #8

Soul Searching

Part Three

Knowing there was an obvious loss of liturgy and religious artwork/iconography, I didn't last too long on my quest to find God outside of the Catholic Church. I would spend many days in Albury and thus became familiar with St. Patrick's Church, slowly starting to meet different people of different ages, finding out about the many different groups they have, not to mention the young adults group.

St. Patrick's Church, Albury.
One of my favourite and closest churches.
2007.

By the year 2008, the youth coordinator for the Diocese of Wagga Wagga was a girl who was one-year above me at CCW. I had hoped to attend World Youth Day that year, however I didn't have the funds so it didn't look likely, looking less likely when I had to move out of the caravan park I was staying in at the time and lived on the streets before going back to mum and dad's temporarily.

I met a few new people at the Wodonga parish and before long, I was set for a place going to Sydney for the week of World Youth Day with St. Patrick's Parish in Albury. It was paid for with funds left over from the Canberra Archdiocese WYD Fund, one of the ladies I met in Wodonga got me through as her daughter lives in the Canberra Archdiocese.

Middle of the year, 2008, I found myself along with some other half-a-million young Catholic's painting Sydney with the Holy Spirit and truly was an experience. Just the experience I needed I guess as I had a huge sense of belonging, met many other young people and basically stood my place in the ground saying, "I'm Catholic and not ashamed to admit it!"

After that, I would still search in different churches, but all of the Catholic Church, none of the other denominations. I came to the conclusion that I agreed with more of Catholic doctrine than I rejected. Things such as the Catholic thoughts on the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Saints of The Church, The Bible - many different aspects.

With issues where some may find I would be deeply troubled over, such as gay issues with marriage and sex, I simply acknowledge the Churches official teachings and positions, while I respect their right to their interpretation, I would prefer to believe that God loves more than He hates, love will overcome all in the end. Why not leave the Catholic Church over the issue in favour for a more accepting one? Simply put, the reason is because all denominations have faults, some more serious than others, because they are human invention.

Yes, Jesus Christ established the Church on earth with St. Peter, the Pope being the successor to St. Peter meaning the Catholic Church is His Church. However, because all men are just that, men and not God, they can err and if there have been schisms and splits in the Church, it is a fragmented Christian community overall. No one denomination has it 100% correct and probably ever will, as will any human, until the glorious return of Jesus Christ.

The wheels of the Church turn slowly, but they surely turn. With hope I look to the future and believe that in my lifetime, us LGBT people will be fully accepted and have our place within the church - marriage and all.