RJ 23

November 19, 2009 haleymull

Open topic: I would like to take this open topic opportunity to reflect somewhat on the work I have already done as well as lay out future plans for my research. I did my first interview with a non-Catholic on Tuesday, and some of the answers I heard were astounding to me. This person was a member of a Christian church, and but he stated that he really had respect for Catholics. He personally has never discriminated against Catholics, but he thinks people view Catholics as “drinkers.” He has heard people say they want to join the Catholic church so they can drink. This is far-fetched and I have never came upon this before, but nonetheless, I thought it was very interesting. This man is a very Christian person and values his faith. The next man I interviewed, a senior here, was also non-Catholic but he doesn’t go to church. He has an interesting background that contributes to the way his thinks. He is from LA, California, so he is very open and used to diversity. He went to a Catholic high school and when asked if he would ever consider becoming a Catholic, he said NO, it’s not for me, it’s too strict, there are too many guidelines. This is stereotypical of the religion. It is often said to be too strict. He loves his faith but likes not going to church and having NO rules imposed upon him. He is a free bird. He describes the Catholic faith as unpractical. He does agree with Catholics on some issues, including Confession. He said confession is a great, great thing. He paralleled confession with counseling. When you have problems, you go to a counselor to talk about them, get them off your chest, and feel better. When you have sins, you go to a priest and confess them, get them off your chest, and feel better. I thought that was an awesome parallel, although we as Catholics do not go to confession for counseling purposes, but that is definitely an added bonus. I interviewed the president of CSO as well. He has some interesting insights- he hasn’t been a victim of Catholic discrimination. I am finding out all sorts of things! He said yes, discrimination is out there, but none of it is serious, or at least none that he has encountered. He likes the small church atmosphere and welcoming environment. I could agree with him on this one, as the welcoming environment of St. Joe’s appears many times in my fieldnotes from masses and Bible studies. I found it weird that he hadn’t ran into any discrimination. While pondering this, I wondered if he hadn’t because most of the people he hangs out with the most or associates with are Catholics. He agreed that most all of his friends here in Commerce and back home are Catholic, and therefore, I can conclude that is a reason he hasn’t been exposed to discrimination due to his religion. Our Bible study on Wednesday took a different twist. Veronica was taking care of a sick child, so Dr. Joe ran it. He read one of his deaconate papers to us, almost like a story time. I enjoyed it and learned a lot, but it was more of a teacher-student setting than a friend-friend conversational setting like we are used to with Veronica. It was a nice change of pace though. Dr. Joe is a truly remarkable man. As for future plans, I am interviewing Father George today along with my last non-Catholic interviewee. That only leaves my one for interview, Dr. Joe, and I have an appointment on November 30 with him. It will be very interesting to get a few more perspectives and start to draw some conclusions. I am excited to see what the final project will look like. My portfolio is coming along wonderfully as well.

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