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Growing up Catholic

It's not a secret.

The average reader will have concluded that most of the Catholic themed portions of the novel are influenced by the author's upbringing.

While Sera Fletcher was often excused from Sunday mass,  my siblings and I were obligated to attend church.  Some of my brothers were altar servers so they had no excuse. I have fuzzy memories of my First Communion and dropping my little white Bible into the Seguin River on the way home.

As we became teenagers, some of us played hooky, smoking cigarettes and killing time beside the railway tracks. Shame, shame!

Sera would spend her Sunday mornings with the Johnsons, the kind neighbours who encouraged her to read Bible stories from Baptist and Coptic sources. After church, the Fletcher family and close friends gathered for brunch at the Red Hare restaurant.

Those were good, wholesome times.

What memories do you have of growing up Catholic? Any anecdotes filled with wonder, mischief or the fear of punishment by fire and brimstone? Do submit a comment below.

If you have read the novel, please add your comments to those of the other readers. Thanks!

If you haven't read the novel yet, take a detour through Smashwords to download a sampling of the ebook format of The Year of the Rabbit.  If the notion grabs you, purchase a copy of the entire novel.  You get to set the price.  How do you like them apples?



Posted by Theresa Jamone at 4:37 PM Labels: author, catholic church, childhood, community, family, memories, reading


