December 21, 2012

Readers share their favorite Christmas memories

The gift of the Catholic faith on Christmas Eve is priceless

By Carole Weaver McGrotty (Special to The Criterion)

I was 15 the summer that I enrolled in a Knights of Columbus correspondence course based on The Baltimore Catechism, the “bible” for Catholic instruction in pre-Vatican II days.

On Christmas Eve that year, I attended Mass for the first time.

Dressed in its Christmas finery, St. Andrew Church in Richmond was breathtaking.

In awe of the beautiful church, I was even more impressed by the silence.

The parishioners genuflected, immediately knelt to pray then sat quietly. There was no socializing inside the church, quite unlike anything that I had experienced in other Christian churches.

Later, I learned that this hushed reverence is a sign of respect for the consecrated Eucharist present in the tabernacle in Catholic churches as well as consideration for the people who are praying in the pews.

Even though I understood little of the Latin Mass, I found the sacredness palpable.

During the Mass, I knew without a doubt that the Catholic Church was where I belonged.

I began instructions at St. Andrew Parish in January, and was baptized in the Catholic faith while I was still in high school.

My first midnight Mass has always been one of my most cherished Christmas memories because I received the gift of faith that night—a gift that has influenced the rest of my life.
 

(Carole Weaver McGrotty is a member of Mary, Queen of Peace Parish in Danville.) †

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