Spirituality

Religion, faith, and spirituality are different. Religion is a set of beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's life by explaining the purpose and meaning of life. Faith is someone's individual belief in a religion's beliefs and practices. Spirituality can be an aspect of a religious experience but may also refer to one's individual belief (not necessarily affiliated with a religion). For me, religion and faith have played a major role in setting some of my values in life. I grew up in a Catholic family and we would always go to church together every Sunday. I've received baptism, first communion, reconciliation, and conformation in the Catholic church. These are the first four of the seven sacraments which are very important in Catholicism. My family also celebrates all of the Christian holidays. I personally, however, am not too spiritual. Over the past few years, I have been having opposing thoughts on some of the Catholic beliefs. Hoping to strengthen my faith, I continue to attend mass weekly at St. Thomas Moore here at USC. I also have joined the Newman Club, which is the Catholic student organization.