Translating a World on the Edge

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In the interviews I’ve been privileged to have, I’m often asked about my Faith Journey. Each of us has one. As we travel through life our faith either increases, or doesn’t increase. Or maybe it’s like a stone wall, just sitting there, never budging because we don’t think about it.

We ought to think about it though. At one time or another, our closets need straightening, lists of “things-to-do” need to be made, and certain people in our lives need specific attention. We sometimes forget that we need attention, too.

After we’ve gone on vacation, we usually assess the trip that we took. Assessing our Faith Journey is similar. We need to look back to see where we’ve been. We need to look at ourselves—really look—to see where we are, and then forward to see where we’re going.

My faith journey began in my family, in Dothan, Alabama where I was born, and where there were few Catholics, so we stood out. Specifically, it began with my mother and grandmother. They were the Catholics in my family to start with. My father and grandfather were Protestants who later converted to Catholicism. In fact, I was confirmed the same time as my grandfather. He was 62 and I was 9.

For the first five years of my life, we lived with my grandparents. My mother was just out of her teens when I was born, and my father had returned from WWII, so my grandmother was definitely in charge, and she was a woman of great faith. She was from Macon, Georgia and in her family were many vocations. Her sister was a Mercy nun and five of her nieces and nephews were priests and nuns — three Jesuit priests, two Sisters of Mercy and two Dominican sisters. One of those Jesuits, Fr. Anthony Benedetto, taught me at Spring Hill when I was there. In fact, he literally wrote the book for one of my required Theology courses—“Fundamentals in the Philosophy of God.”

But in Dothan, Catholics were often thought of as strange, even non-Christian. So we had to stand up for our faith, which meant we had to know it. So my faith journey began there, in having to defend my faith. When you have to defend something, you grow to love it even more.

When I entered Spring Hill College at 17, I was really amazed that everyone around me was Catholic. It was such a welcomed change. So my faith journey continued at Spring Hill, inspired by the many Jesuits I encountered and by some faith-filled students. I also met my husband there. We’ve been married for 52 years, have five children and will soon have twelve grandchildren. And that itself is a journey of faith!

The struggles I went through in my particular life were/are part of the journey. I learned from them. I understood that God was with me throughout them. He didn’t take my struggles away, still He was/is there.

God sends particular people to us on our Faith Journey. Oddly enough, years ago, I learned how to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ through a Protestant, a beautiful girl who happened to be Jackson County Alabama’s Maid of Cotton. I was in charge of religion classes for the teens at St. Jude in Scottsboro, and often brought in speakers from other faiths. She came when I asked. Of course, the boys were impressed with her looks, but inside she was just as lovely. She talked about her own relationship with Jesus as if he was her best friend.

So I would say, look for the landmarks in your own faith journey and strengthen them. No matter how trivial they may at first seem, those milestones are there; and God-sent just for you.

He is your God.

He is my God.

And He loves us enough to have sacrificed His son for each of us.