There's Something About Catholicism #1

My early childhood and primary education.

I am the youngest of six to a Catholic Primary School teacher and motor-mechanic husband. We attended mass on a regular weekly basis, and attended one of the two Catholic primary schools just around the corner from our house.

There was one of two churches we would attend, the most regular one being Sacred Heart because of its size it could seat more people, but from time to time mum and dad would favour the tradition of St. Augustine's Church held at a different time on a Sunday.

My Confirmation/Communion day.
With Fr. Joe Taylor and my sister, Catherine.
November 1995.

I received the Sacrament of Penance in 1994, and the following year the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Eucharist, combined in the one ceremony which was a big occasion, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and of course, Godparents, all coming up mostly from Melbourne, for the occasion.

As a child, I never really questioned God, faith, religion or any of that. I do remember when I first found out that not everyone believed in God, which threw me off and amazed me all at the same time. I guess, as a child, naturally one has child-like faith, thus they believe in God because He just is!!!

When learning about different things when preparing for different Sacraments of The Church, I was always fascinated, eager to learn, and I used to love visiting the Catholic Book Shop in Albury. I was also an altar boy for a few years, along with my sister who is two-years older, and enjoyed that, though I was never a "leader" as such but a follower.

By the end of my primary school years, things started to change a little as I started to form my own identity, and I hated going to mass, the only bonus to it was that we usually had McDonald's for breakfast afterwards. However, I'd made up my mind, that like my brothers and sisters before me, by the time I started high school, I too would make the decision not to go with mum and dad to mass each Sunday.