Early in November, I participated in a debate with some friends on the topic of homeschooling and whether or not it is preferable as conventional schooling for children. Looking back, the result of this debate did not end up being important to me, but thinking about my own experience in school put me in a spirit of gratitude perfectly timed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
From pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, I attended St. Joseph Montessori School in Columbus, OH, a tiny school in which my eighth grade graduating class of 24 students was the largest to that point in the school’s history. In thinking about this debate, I found myself looking back to my fourth grade religion class and realizing how much of a turning point this class ended up becoming in my future.
Leading up to that year, I had been slowly but significantly falling away from the Catholic faith. My weekly, full family attendance of Sunday Mass of my pre-kindergarten and kindergarten years decreased to just my mother and I, and, by the year or two leading up to fourth grade, we had stopped attending Mass at all, with the exception of all-school Masses I attended disinterestedly only because I was required to attend.
Then, in one of the first weeks of my fourth grade religion class, my teacher Karla (yes, strangely, we did call our teachers by their first names at that school) made a presentation on the story of St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe. While learning about the miracles associated with St. Juan Diego’s tilma, by the grace of God I was convinced to return to the faith in a serious manner. I do not remember exactly why I was convinced, but it was certainly grace that got me there. In the coming months and years, I had returned to Mass and the sacraments, and, with me not being able to drive yet, my father returned as well.
In reflecting on this moment last month, I remembered just how much it ended up affecting my life trajectory. It certainly would have been much harder to find the faith during my time at a secular high school, and it would have been difficult to be convinced of the truth of the Church and to defend it in such an environment where practicing Catholics were nearly nonexistent. Without my return to the faith, I would not have even thought about applying to Boston College, as the reason I started exploring the idea was the fact that I wanted to go to a Catholic college. Of course, without Boston College, I do not find The Torch, the Sons of St. Patrick, or the St. Thomas More Society, where I have made the closest, most fruitful friendships of my life so far.
After the debate in early November, these thoughts hit me all at once. I knew at that point that Karla deserved to hear all of this, and I began to scour the Internet for any clues as to how to contact her. I eventually found her email, and come the night of Thanksgiving Day I sent a thank you email. She responded the next day, and, God willing, we can meet when I return home for winter break.
Thanksgiving break came at a time when I was battling emotional drain stemming from the looming end of the semester and other events in my personal life. But this opportunity to show my appreciation to Karla, and ultimately to God, for the gifts they have given me proved to be therapeutic. Now, I can truly understand the power gratitude has in creating joy and increasing love for God.
Adam is a senior from Columbus, Ohio. He previously served as Campus News and Culture Editor, and boasts the title of least cultured to ever serve as the latter. Holding a minor in Biology, he recently converted from STEM and now majors in Philosophy and Classical Studies. He currently leads Una Voce, the Latin Mass society at BC, and sings with the University Chorale of Boston College and the Chorale Chamber Singers. He enjoys Gregorian Chant, relearning the clarinet, and is an unabashed Ohio apologist.
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