KATHLEEN ELLERTSON

Cameron Park, CA Director of Veteran Art Institute, 501(c)3

Who Knew What We Were Missing

I was born and raised a cradle Catholic by two Catholic parents. Our family was very
religious; we had two nuns and a priest in our family. I took it very seriously at first. My dad
taught catechism, we said the rosary at home, lots of praying and of course Mass every Sunday.
However, the teachings of the church didn’t seem to be practiced in our family or in society.
It seemed like once people left church it was done for the week. I begin doubting at 16 and really
thought about not going to church. When I moved out I didn’t attend church for a long time. I tried all
other non-Christian religions but nothing felt right or lasted more than 1-2 years… I was always seeking.

Eventually at college I went to the Newman Center because it was located on campus. I still
had a lot of Catholic guilt in those days. But I still wasn’t convinced that was what I wanted.

When I got married, I wanted the kids to have a good Christian base. Also, I missed our traditions missing
in the Protestant churches I had tried. So, I joined a new parish and then raised my two children
Catholic. . My husband didn’t care. They were baptized, made their 1st communion and were
confirmed. Today neither one of them go to any church.

Until the pandemic I still attended that same parish. But I was really beginning to think it was suspect. It
was more of a social thing than spiritual. The pandemic allowed me time to consider my spirituality. Now I have stopped attending that parish and now attend mass online with Catholic Church Reform. I
couldn’t be happier to see the Synod developing. Who knew what I was missing?