My Mom and the Bishop who looks like Santa Claus

Both of my parents have recently retired and it has left them with a bit more time to do the things they always wanted to do. My dad who is fighting/healing from cancer enjoys playing online poker, fixing up the back area of their house, watching TV and movies and has recently started to write a really interesting sci-fi story! My mom spends time with her dogs, gardens, and this past year has taken an interest in going to church. Actually, I think she started thinking about going back to church around the time we first went to Puerto Rico and stayed with Awilda. I think she still has the Bible Awilda gave her.

My family has never been overtly religious, but I think like all people, we are seekers of some sort. My mom, having grown up in the Catholic church as a child has taken a while but has returned to her roots even if in a sort of non-traditional way. She attends a Liberal Catholic church. I did not know what that was until she invited me to attend. I am always up for attending religious events, at least once, if even only for the anthropologist in me.  Apparently, the Liberal Catholic church has nothing to do with the political liberal, as in liberal and conservatives, except in that the definition of “liberal” means:

a.  Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded

Liberal Catholism was separated from the Roman Catholic Church and has a wide range of views including reincarnation. It is somewhat similar to the Episcopal church in its reasoning for breaking from the larger church and in its allowances (like the fact that priests can marry). What is interesting is that they still retain a lot of the regalia of the old Catholic Church and use traditional  clothing, incense, candles and face the alter. Some of the hymns were from the 1800s! Not as old as the ones we sang at the synagogue, but old none-the-less.

Anyway, this is the church that my mom has been attending with my grandma and her neighbor Cletus, who she spends a lot of time with and so she decided to get confirmed. She invited Britton and me to come (along with my brother, his girlfriend and my dad). There was a lot of up and down sit, stand, kneeling, and of course the part that I find the strangest: communion. It is still hard for me to “swallow” (pun intended) the whole eating of a human God, but I know it is a meaningful part of many Christian religions.

It was a special day for her and so she wanted me to put a few pictures up on this blog.  It was fun hanging out with everyone, getting dressed up and taking pictures, wedding style.

The whole gang