FAITHhelps: learning companion to FAITH MagazineFAITHteen: monthly e-zine for teensFAITHe-talk: ask our experts a questionFAITHforums: join our discussion forumsFAITHlinks: great Web sites and resources


FAITHteen
FAITHteen: a monthly e-zine for teens

FAITHhelps
FAITHhelps: a learning companion to FAITH Magazine

Fr. Charles Irvin
Monday Morning Alka-Seltzer: Fr. Charlie's weekly pick-me-up


FAITH can help
your diocese
get the Word out with FAITH Publishing Service

 

January/February 2004
We have a limited number of back issues available in print. To request back issues, e-mail jjob@dioceseoflansing.org or call 517-342-2595. You will be charged the regular cover price of $2.50 per issue.
Cover Story
Growing up in Romania in the 1960s and 1970s under communist rule, life seemed hopeless for Daniel Dragan. So at age 19, he put an AK-47 automatic rifle to his heart so that his suicide attempt couldn't possibly fail. Now, he tells his story to FAITH.
Confessions of a Former Atheist
By Bob Horning

Feature
How did her family react when Elizabeth decided to become Catholic? Her parents are active Christians and are thankful that Elizabeth is exerting her growing independence in choosing God, even though it means a differrent way of worship.
Elizabeth's Own Path
By Cate Preston

Feature
Find out how two siblings became Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, based in rural Ann Arbor.
Sister Sisters
By Jan Rynearson

Culture
With a little planning, you can create a place for prayer inside (or outside) your home.
Prayer Nook
By Patricia Majher
Web Exclusive
FAITH's Alton Pelowski interviews the cast of The Lord of the Rings. They talk about good and evil, mercy and temptation.
FAITH Talks to the Cast
By Alton Pelowski

Confessions
of a former atheist
By Bob Horning | Photography by James Luning

Growing up in Romania in the 1960s and 1970s under communist rule, life seemed hopeless for Daniel Dragan. So at age 19, when he was in the army, he put an AK-47 automatic rifle to his heart so that his suicide attempt couldn’t possibly fail. Now, he tells his story to FAITH Magazine.

As a youth in my small village in the eastern part of the country near the Russian border, I was taught in school by communists. They told us that the Church just takes your mind, takes your money, and when you pray, there is nobody there. They made fun of Moses and Jesus, calling them fakes.

If you owned a Bible, you could go to jail. When I was a boy, I saw a bulldozer destroy a church. They even destroyed churches that were 500 years old. The government kept a few for Western eyes, to demonstrate that religion was permitted. Under President (Nicolae) Ceausescu, a generation of Romanians became atheists.

When I was 12, I started going to libraries in my town and those nearby, trying to figure out what to do with my life. I couldn’t find a single book about God. All the books told about communism, but I didn’t believe them because I had seen the lies in the lives of communists.

Later, God put a desire in my heart to become a sailor. I didn’t realize it was God at the time because I didn’t know Him. Nor did I know how that could come about, since normally you had to be a party member and had to be married in order to be a sailor. Having a family made it less likely that you would flee the country when you entered foreign ports.

I wanted to get out and see the world. At age 18, though, like all Romanians, I had to join the army. Within a year, I had given up hope of becoming a sailor. It seemed like my dreams were over.

For six months, Satan – looking back, I now know who it was – had been hypnotizing me, convincing me that there was no way out of my futility. The only escape was to kill myself. I believed his logic as if they were my own thoughts. As I was ready to pull the trigger, a voice spoke to me: “Why don’t you give yourself a chance? See what happens in the next few months.” Right away, the devil said, “No, you won’t have another chance.” Positive and negative voices were arguing in my mind.

Then, it was as if a veil came off. I suddenly realized that my suicidal thoughts were foolish. Out of my mouth came the words, six or seven times, “I want to live. I want to live.”

Things didn’t change right away, or in three months, but in a few years they did. Through my mother’s intervention with the officials in charge of hiring personnel for cargo ships, God worked a miracle and I became a sailor at age 22.

On my first trip, we went to seven countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. It opened my eyes to see that I had been living in prison. Soon God put another seed in my heart – to leave Romania. For two years, I wondered how and where.

Finally, the opportunity came in Greece. When we reached port, I said I was going to the beach, and even took a towel to fool everyone on the ship. Instead, I went to the town, then took a bus to Athens.

When I asked for asylum in Athens, the officials said they would grant it if I told them military secrets. I refused – not only because I didn’t know any, but I wouldn’t have betrayed my people. I cared about my country even if I hated the communists. So they said I couldn’t stay. After living with gypsies for a while, a friend and I decided to stowaway on a ship. We sneaked on and went down to the cargo hold. There we stayed for three days. When we docked, we were discovered, handcuffed, and taken to the captain. Because he could get in trouble for transporting refugees, he told his officers to get rid of us – which meant we would probably be sent back to Romania by the police who checked everyone coming off the ship. However, God had a way of providing. Our clothes and body had become so dirty from being in the hold that the police thought we were workers and waved us through.

We were in Naples, Italy. Try as we might, we were unable to find work in Italy, so we headed for Switzerland. Surely, such a nice country would have some work for us.

Coming to a town on the border, we learned an amazing thing – half of the town was in Italy and the other half in Switzerland. We found a backyard where we could climb over the barbed wire fence at night and into Switzerland. We had no identification or passport to show. If they found out we were Romanians, we would have been returned to our country. But soon after jumping the fence we were caught by the police and sent back to Italy.

Each country that we were hoping to stay in and work in turned us away. From Italy, we went to France. There we lived at a homeless shelter for six months before the immigration service told us we had to leave. I appealed to be sent to the U.S., and somehow was accepted. That was the summer of 1989. I was sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, and one of the cities they arbitrarily send people to is Lansing.

It had been a long time and a long journey from Romania to the States. Once I arrived in Lansing, I worked for a year at different places like a car wash and a dairy, before being hired by a company that makes airplane parts. I still work there.

I had wanted to find out if God was real when I came to the U.S.
I only thought of Him as a legend before. I couldn’t find Him among my acquaintances, though. They just seemed to be interested in partying on weekends.

In fact, I got in trouble by following their advice. They told me that the best way to learn English was to have a close friend. That friend became pregnant, and I became the father of twin daughters, who are now 13 years old. They live with their mother, but I share the cost of raising them, see them every day, and teach them the Catholic faith. I am proud of the way they stand up for the Church among their peers.

In my search for God, I tried many churches – Baptist, Pentecostal, Spiritualist. I read a lot, and when I found some Catholic books at a second hand bookstore and began reading about apparitions that occurred at Fatima and Medjugorje, I realized that Mary had never left the Catholic Church.

Then I read that Catholics believe that the Eucharist is the real Body and Blood of Christ. I wanted that. Not long after, I went to confession. When the priest absolved me of my sins, I felt like I was ready to die. I had made peace with God.

Before meeting God, whenever good things would happen to me, I thought to myself what a lucky guy I was. But it wasn’t luck. It was God caring for me, even though I didn’t know it.
I attend Mass and the rosary group at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in East Lansing, and I go to the prayer group at Immaculate Heart of Mary in Lansing. Since becoming Catholic, I pray every day and read about the Church. I haven’t been to a bar in 13 years, since the girls were born. I used to lose my temper often, offend people and always complain. However, since the Lord has shown me His love and care, I try to love my neighbor as myself.

My life has changed greatly in the U.S., and I love this country. Four countries rejected me, but not America. Still, I haven’t forgotten Romania. My mother is there with my mentally handicapped sister. They get support from my sister’s Medicare, from relatives and from the money I send.

My father, who is a retired veterinarian, and divorced from my mother, became an Orthodox believer shortly after Ceausescu was executed on Christmas Day 1989. It made him understand that communism would not last forever. In fact, my whole extended family now attends the Orthodox Church – it is the only church in my village. I like to think it is the result of my letters and phone calls, telling them about how God has taken control of my life.

As for the future, I don’t make plans because I made plans in the past and they didn’t work. Nonetheless, one day, praying before the tabernacle, I told God that I didn’t want to make airplanes anymore. I said, “I am submitting an application to work full-time for you.”

I think the Lord told me I would be going back to Romania from time to time, to work for the unification of the Catholic and Orthodox Church, and that He would provide the money.
I would like to translate religious books, which will be mostly Catholic, into Romanian, and open a store there selling books and videos. It could be hard in some ways to go back, but Christianity isn’t all happiness. We also need to sacrifice and share in Jesus’ sorrow and cross.

ministry focus

For more information on becoming Catholic contact a parish near you. To find parish information in the Diocese of Lansing, log onto www.DioceseofLansing.org


Elizabeth's own path
How her family reacted when she
decided to become a Catholic

By Cate Preston | Photography by Christine Jones


Parents often fear their teenage sons or daughters will turn away from their family and faith, pulled off course by secular distractions and temptations. Members of the Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church, Paul and Katherine Gottschalk find themselves stretched in an entirely different direction by their teenage daughter, Elizabeth. Enrolled in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) at St. Francis Parish, Ann Arbor, Elizabeth will be welcomed into the Catholic Church at the 2004 Easter Vigil Mass.

Elizabeth, the oldest of three children, is a sophomore at Pioneer High School. An enthusiast of The Lord of the Rings and Simon and Garfunkel, she loves to bake – especially anything involving a cake mix – and sews her own clothes, thinking the current clothing trends depressing in both color and in modesty.

Elizabeth finds herself growing closer to God in unexpected ways, such as during Mass, when the priest holds up the Eucharist. “It’s one thing to be told. It’s another to understand. A couple of times, when I heard the priest say, ‘This is Jesus,’ I could feel Him. It is like when you’re in a room with someone famous, someone you really like, and you have a feeling of awe – that you’re so lucky to be with that person. And that Person is here, and He is God. Since then, when I hear the words ‘Happy are those who are called to His supper,’ it makes me jealous. Not jealous, in that I don’t want others to have it, but in that I want it, too. But I can’t – yet,” she says, with anticipation.

Elizabeth eagerly builds prayer time into her life, while just a short time ago her parents used to have to twist her arm to pray. “I’ll say a decade of the rosary, say thank you, and confess anything I did wrong. I’ll ask for prayers for people I’ve promised to pray for. ... It’s comforting to talk to God.”

Though her family is very involved with their church, and Elizabeth has always considered herself to be a spiritual person, Elizabeth notes that she receives spiritual graces that extend beyond increased prayer. “Before, when I’d go on retreats, I’d be excited about going back and evangelizing. But a day or so later, life would be ‘back to normal.’ Now, it’s never ‘back to normal.’ The feeling of being filled with the Holy Spirit stays. I want to show everybody that I’m Christian. I’m always looking for opportunities to talk about my faith. It’s weird for me, because I’m not used to talking about my faith. But I want them to have what I have, because it makes me happy.”

As she gains knowledge about her faith, Elizabeth’s excitement heightens. “Before, I thought of myself as ‘Christian’ in general. I didn’t know what a Protestant was, until I was 12. Now I say I’m Catholic. I can’t think of myself as a Protestant anymore.”

Looking back to her first Mass in February 2003, Elizabeth remembers thoughts and actions that foreshadowed her decision to become Catholic.
“One weekend, my friends Kate and Kathleen were coming to visit. Kate said she could stay overnight only if she could go to Mass. Back then, I thought a church was a church. I was brought up to believe that as long as it was Christian, it didn’t matter what denomination you went to. And, if you missed a Sunday service once in a while, it wasn’t a big deal. But, I wanted Kate to spend the night, so I said OK. I was interested in going to a Catholic church, anyway, because we had a debate about it.”

Elizabeth recalls an intangible feeling of something more, something that wasn’t present in her Protestant church. “Afterward, when Kate asked, ‘So, what did you think?’ I said it was different, but it wouldn’t be hard for me to change (churches). And Kate said, ‘Well, it would be hard for me to change.’ I understand what she meant by that, now. I remember asking her, ‘Don’t you want me to be Catholic?’ I was letting my feelings out without realizing it.”

Compelled to find out more, but not sure what her next step should be, Elizabeth read books about Catholicism. Like monumental historical events, Elizabeth can remember the exact times and places in her spiritual journey when she made baby steps toward becoming Catholic. “I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to go too fast. I was in biology class when I decided to join RCIA. I was afraid to make the decision, but finally broke through it somehow. Since I decided to take that step, I haven’t had any doubts at all.”

When Elizabeth decided to join RCIA, she met with the adult group over the summer. Then, this fall, a teen group was formed. Pattie Scherer, director of the RCIA at St. Francis, raves about Elizabeth’s poise, maturity and spiritual demeanor. “She was with the adults this summer. They were so proud of her. She was right in there with them. It was a wide age range, from 14 to 70. They really connected. Elizabeth has the support of her family. That’s unusual. Even with the adults (in the RCIA program) it’s a sensitive issue. But her parents are behind her 100 percent.”

Paul, a computer programmer, explains that he and his wife, Katherine, Assistant Dean for Financial Aid at the University of Michigan, think that one of the unique aspects to their family is their openness. “There’s a lot of love in our family. We aren’t afraid to talk about stereotypical issues like drugs, sex, religion. It’s one of the strengths of our family. The Lord has a lot to do with that.”

Even so, Elizabeth was hesitant to approach her parents with her decision to become Catholic. “It’s always been hard for me to talk about my faith. I’ve never been able to pray in front of people. It’s too personal. It’s the same talking about my becoming Catholic with them – too personal,” she explains.

Paul is thankful that Elizabeth is exerting her growing independence in choosing God, even though it means a different way of worship.
“She’s old enough to make this decision, and we support that,” says Paul. “The fact that she is doing this shows she takes her faith seriously. She has genuine faith. Otherwise, why would she be motivated to do this? If she wasn’t motivated by the Holy Spirit, she’d be spending her time doing worldly things. I feel comfortable about her pursuing this.”

Although her parents offer their support, Elizabeth says they are not thrilled about her decision. She describes her new faith as both a source of division and of unity for her family. “My dad is going to let me, but if it were his choice, I think he’d prefer I didn’t. People say you get a lot of your beliefs from your parents – politics, religion. But that’s when you’re young. Now I say, ‘This is what I believe.’ Sometimes, it’s awkward. It’s got to be hard for parents to see their kids choose a different way.”

Paul explains that he understands his daughter’s hesitancy. “Some things you instinctively don’t want to tell your parents. It’s embarrassing, and you don’t want to be judged.”

More than anything, Paul says he is curious why Elizabeth is choosing to become Catholic. “I wonder what is it that attracts her to the Catholic worship style, and what is it about our church that doesn’t. I must say, she hasn’t answered that yet. She says I don’t understand. But I have time on my side, and I’m willing to wait. She may not even have it all worked out yet. We’ve had more deep spiritual discussions, which is a good thing, regardless of what spawns it. I talked with her about how it is important to be willing to accept truth, wherever it comes from. Truth comes from more than one place, whether it’s from the Protestant or Catholic faith. My opinion is that we’re all a part of the same universal Church. ... What’s important is that she’s in a place where she worships the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.”

Elizabeth continues to attend the Ann Arbor Christian Reformed Church with her family, as Paul and Katherine are determined that the family will continue to worship together. Elizabeth spends much of her Sundays at church, going first to Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, and then joining her parents and siblings Ian and Arianna for service and youth group.

By exercising her free will, Elizabeth is taking her spiritual journey to the next level. “Before, I would try to do the right thing. Now, I’m more aware of what I should be doing compared to what I am doing. I don’t want to disappoint God.”

She goes on to explain the foundation of her faith in the Catholic Church, saying, “I have questions, like why are there so many denominations? Why aren’t they all one? If it really doesn’t matter, why is there more than one? It’s not about hymns or music or a matter of personal taste. It’s about doctrine.”

ministry focus
Becoming Catholic: The RCIA


The RCIA is a process in Catholic parishes for welcoming inquiring people into the Catholic tradition of the Christian way of life. The basic steps to becoming Catholic are:

1 Inquirer: period of getting to know the Catholic community
2 Catechumen or Candidate: period of learning about the faith
3 Elect: the bishop chooses each person to be a part of the
Church and then one enters a period of prayer and reflection
4 Neophyte: period after initiation (baptism, confirmation)
where the person deepens their faith

To find out more: contact your parish or talk to a priest.


Sister Sisters
How two siblings became nuns
By Jan Rynearson | Photography by Christine Jones

Two young siblings are members of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, based in rural Ann Arbor. Sister Mary Joseph, 24, and her sister Sister Mary Jacinta, 20, are both members of the religious community.

Born and raised in Ann Arbor, they are the daughters of Joseph and Helen Campbell. They have eight siblings. Two older brothers are married. The family attends Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor.

Rachel (Sr. Mary Joseph) was the third child in the family and Elena (now Sr. Mary Jacinta) ranks number five. They say their mother was involved in homeschooling long before it became popular, and she continues to homeschool their younger siblings.

Sr. Mary Joseph attended St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School, after which she was homeschooled for several years before attending St. Michael Academy. She graduated from Father Gabriel Richard High School in 1997. In August of that year, she entered the order. “I took the name of Sr. Mary Joseph from my father and also because of my devotion to St. Joseph,” she says.

Upon entering the order, Sr. Mary Joseph attended Eastern Michigan University, and after graduation, she became a second grade teacher.

Sr. Mary Jacinta was homeschooled throughout her youth, with the exception of third and fourth grades, when she attended St. Michael Academy. She is currently attending Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor full-time and will finish her elementary art teaching degree
at EMU.

“While I was a postulant, I was in Fatima and became fond of the name Jacinta,” says Sr. Mary Jacinta, explaining how she selected her name.

Is it unusual for siblings to enter a religious community? Sr. Mary Joseph says, “We have three sets: Two sisters, who are in their early 20s, are from Denver, Colo. Two others in their 50s are originally from the Dominican order in Nashville, Tenn.”

The community of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist is only six years old. In 1997, four members of the Nashville Dominicans were invited by Cardinal John O’Connor to begin a new foundation in the Archdiocese of New York. Benefactors from Michigan including Tom Monaghan, Domino’s Pizza founder, invited them to Ann Arbor, sanctioned by Bishop Carl F. Mengeling. The order became canonical (approved by the Church) later that year. The sisters are teachers, emphasizing education. Currently, there are 45 members of the community.

The order operates four schools, called Spiritus Sanctus Academies, in the Ann Arbor area. They are located at the Via Sacra, Joy Road, Golfside and Plymouth campuses. More than 500 children, K-8, attend. Spiritus Sanctus is the Latin term for Holy Spirit and is used in keeping with the belief that the Holy Spirit guides all evangelical endeavors of the Catholic Church. “We hope to have more than 20 sisters teaching within three years,” explains Sr. Mary Joseph.

Music is Sr. Mary Joseph’s forté. She is adept at piano, organ and guitar. “I teach the students and the sisters. I also prepare the children’s choir for school liturgies,” she says.

“When I was in the seventh grade I was taught by the Benedictines. I loved them and wanted to be with them and like them,” recalls Sr. Mary Joseph. “When I was in high school, I kept praying while keeping myself open. But I had a really deep desire to become a nun. I can’t describe it. I just knew the feeling.”

After she met Mother Assumpta, the superior of the order, and saw the community of sisters, she became very interested.

“I didn’t tell anyone except my parents about wanting to enter the convent until about two weeks before I entered. Then, I told everyone,” she shares.

Sr. Mary Jacinta shares her own decision to enter religious life.
“I always got along with my sister and admired and looked up to her. She was a role model. After she entered the order, I came often to visit and observed how happy she was. I saw by example. I had no intention of becoming a nun. I was planning on having kids and writing and illustrating children’s stories.”

Over time, she began to desire to enter religious life. “Gradually, when I came to visit, I found I was more excited to see all the sisters than I was to see my own sister,” Sr. Mary Jacinta explains.

“During that year, the whole time, I knew I was supposed to be here,” she remembers.
“The word postulant means ‘one who asks.’ I felt strongly I was making the right decision.”

Since entering the convent, Sr. Mary Jacinta has found that her talent and desire to write children’s stories will be useful. She has already illustrated a book of short sayings for a friend and expects to spend more time illustrating and writing, so as to benefit her teaching of children.

Those entering the order have to be between the ages of 17 and 35 and have a high school diploma. When a woman enters, she is a postulant for a year, during which time she makes a commitment prior to taking her first religious profession. After she becomes a nun, home visits are allowed by the order.

Sr. Mary Joseph shares, “One great thing that I love about being a nun is that I have to give everything specifically for Jesus. There’s a lot of community life. We pray, work and eat together.”

Sr. Mary Jacinta made her first profession in August 2003, together with the other 11 young women who became postulants during the jubilee year 2000. “Many people today are afraid to make a commitment,” she says. “I just made my vows on Aug. 6, and it is completely, absolutely the most wonderful thing I ever did.”

By freely giving their whole lives to God, the sisters have been given a freedom that the world cannot give.
“We follow the First Commandment with our vow of poverty – that God is our only possession,” says Sr. Mary Jacinta. “We abandon everything so we can be completely God’s and He can be our only possession.”

Sr. Mary Joseph says, “We give Him the gift of ourselves from all that the world holds dear, such as money and power, and we have complete spiritual freedom.”

ministry focus
National Vocation Awareness Week
Jan. 11-16, 2004


The culmination of the Christmas season is celebrated with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. By celebrating this annual feast, the Church is renewed and strengthened by God’s blessing. National Vocation Awareness Week begins with this feast.

How do I embrace my life as a vocation, as a call to someone greater than myself?
Resources emphasized during this special week are aimed at answering this question.

National Vocation Awareness Week provides an opportunity to deepen our baptismal commitment through reflection and action.

We are invited to reflect on the mission of Jesus as our own vocation, to ponder what it means to be God’s beloved and to know that God’s favor rests on us.

For more contact the Diocese of Lansing: Vocation Services Office: (517) 342-2506 Seminarian Office: (517) 342-2507


sacred space
With a little planning, you can create
a place for prayer inside (or outside) your home.
By Patricia Majher | Photography by Philip Shippert


Ever watch those home improvement shows on TV – the ones where a team of professionals takes a spare room and turns it into a home office or a mini movie theater?

If you have some extra space in your home, here’s another, more spiritual way to make use of it. Convert it into a prayer nook, a space where you can talk with God without being disturbed or distracted by the outside world.

Big nook
or small nook?


Don’t have a whole room you can devote to this purpose? Don’t worry. A prayer nook doesn’t have to be in a big space. But it should be a dedicated space – one with no other function than to bring you closer to the Creator.

If you’re living in tight quarters, consider these possibilities: a walk-in closet (or half of one), an under-the-staircase space or a recessed area formed by a dormer. Basements and attics may also yield some unused areas.

Prayer nooks can be developed outside the house, too – in a glassed-in porch, for example, or a garden shed. Anywhere you can claim a little privacy for yourself will work.

Fitting furniture

After you’ve selected the space you’re going to convert, the next step is to furnish and decorate it appropriately. A chair and/or kneeler are essential to establishing a meditative mood. Handy with woodworking tools? You can find plans and kits for kneelers (or purchase assembled pieces) at www.rosaryshop.com.

Another essential item for your nook is a small table or bookshelf to hold a Bible, Butler’s “Lives of the Saints,” or other inspirational writings. A table can serve as a place on which statues and sacred art are displayed and lit by candles.

You might also consider draping the table with fabric in the color that reflects the liturgical season. During the seasons of ordinary time, the recommended color is green. For Lent and Advent, it’s violet. For the Paschal Triduum, Easter and Christmas, it’s white or gold. And red is used to mark feast days and holy days.

Sights, smells, and sounds

If you choose to create a prayer nook, be proud of it. On the wall outside, affix a holy water font. And, inside, display a simple cross or crucifix to inform anyone who passes by or enters that this is special space given over to God.

Your can also engage your sense of smell in a prayer nook.
To create the proper mood, burn incense or pick fragrant flowers and arrange them in a bouquet. Remember how you used to pick May flowers to honor Mary? Here’s an opportunity to revive that tradition.

Sacred music also has a place here. A small cassette or CD player is all you need to immerse yourself in an atmosphere of peace and piety. Musical selections might include evocative instrumentals, choral music or even the works of your favorite Christian performers.

For one, for all


A nook is a place where you can isolate yourself in quiet contemplation. But, you don’t have to shut your friends and family out of it. If the space is big enough, use it as a gathering place to recite the rosary, to pray for special intentions or to celebrate the holidays and holy days of the Church together.

Welcome any and all who are interested into this sacred space you have created. And have your parish priest bless it, for good measure.

Why is it important to have
a special place to pray?

In his book “Prayer: The Great Conversation,” author Peter Kreeft notes that the Church has solved half of the problem of where we should pray “by setting aside special places for public worship every Sunday. But we have to invent our own private churches, too, for private prayer.” Otherwise, he cautions, “‘Praying anywhere’ can easily become ‘praying nowhere,’ just as ‘praying anytime’ can easily become ‘praying at no time.’” Kreeft also has some advice about when you should pray. “Any time will do, but it should be a definite, regular time – the same time each day. For many people, the only two times like that are late at night or early in the morning.” And he advocates trying both. “Even if you pray early in the morning, you should take at least a few minutes at night, too – to review the day and thank God for all of it and commit it to his hands.”

 

How great an influence did your religious beliefs play in your voting decision?

   
a lot
some
very little
not at all
   
Current results