My Growing Up As A Catholic In Vietnam

On a cold winter, rainy night while driving from one duty station to the next was where my vehicle spun around, flipping, tossing and causing my life to unfold and facing a loss like no other. The turmoil of life hit me hard just from this single tragedy alone. My vehicle was totaled, I loss conscious and was rushed to the hospital. Never expected such an incident to occur so abruptly and rob me of all my self-worth. I’ve became someone, someone incapacitated, not able to function like I normally should.

At my parish school, I am surrounded by people that share the same faith as me and help me grow in my faith. A benefit found at my school is that I am allowed to pray whenever I want and I have group prayer before class to be with God and receive the right direction for the day. At my school we pray together before school, before each class, and at the end of the school day. I have a class each day just for learning about my Catholic faith. Therefore my Catholic school is important to me because in my religion class I can ask my teacher any question about my faith. We attend Mass at least once a month at my school, we pray the rosary in school once a month, and we go to reconciliation every other month. I can participate in leading Catholic events in my school such as the rosary, morning prayer, readings at Mass, and stations of the cross. My parish school teaches us to act in the manner of true Christians such as believing Jesus died for us to go to heaven, being active in my church, praying every day, receiving religious training, and treating my neighbor as myself. Learning at school to help others, we raise money for great causes by having out of uniform days if we bring a dollar. Our fundraising has gone to local shelters and to a family that lost their home to a fire. Out of uniform day reminds me that wearing uniforms at my school, we look nice and no one judges

A majority of my friends are Christians. We come from families that have been raised in church and portray the typical “American family”. As A&M Consolidated High School is a public school, there are various religions that are represented among students. This was made evident one day as our lunchroom discussion following World History class began a debate about whose religious beliefs were right. My first instinct was to lash out and begin justifying my Christian beliefs full force

In recent days I had the opportunity to go back to North Carolina for a few short days. There, with a heavy heart from a loss in the family, I had nothing else to look towards. I’ve always heard of individuals finding peace, faith, blessings, and love of Christ from attending church. I’ve never been a person who put their faith into a higher power. As I was growing up my parents never wanted to force me into any religion without me knowing everything about it and choosing which route to take on my own. As the years treaded on, I never bothered myself to learn about the many different religions and what each stands for. So I used this opportunity as mine to attend church for the very first time. I attended the Roman Catholic services held

Moving to the United states was a very hard transition for my family not only economically but also on our believes. It was hard to find a church where we felt comfortable and for a while we didn’t go to church at all. Moreover, after a few years we settled down and my mom had become very interested in Christianity. There was a beautiful Christian church with wonderful people where we used to go for a

One of the most positive things about being an American is the ability to interact in “the melting pot” of various cultures all around. While most of us obviously identify with our own specific culture, the variety within our society is extremely diverse, allowing intercultural communication and presents a learning experience for those who are able to communicate and with one another. When observing and interacting with cultures other than my own, I am able to identify some similarities, as well as the differences from their culture to mine. Throughout this semester we have learned so many things about different cultures and worldviews, I have begun to learn a lot more about myself and my personal religious views. I have never followed a religious practice on my own choice, but it is encouraging to see how it positively impacts others in my life.

The lessons I’ve received from transitioning through the church as a child, youth, and adult member have taught me a number of lessons; patience, reverence, and empathy are all traits I’ve strengthened, and they have undoubtably helped me through my high school career. Taught how to ask thoughtful questions, I’m unashamed of my curiosity. Our faith is not always one of direct answers— even our most devoted

Growing up as a Vietnamese boy in Tulsa, Oklahoma was difficult. Prior to moving from San Jose, California, my parents had recently divorced. My father wanted nothing to do with us, so my mother, sister, and I moved to Broken Arrow when I was six years old, where my mother had some friends she knew. Starting in the first grade, I had always had trouble fitting in at school. It’s a problem that has haunted me every day since I had moved. The other kids would always pick on me when I was in elementary school. They were often racist, and in a few occasions they were violent.

Another issue facing today’s Americans is the idea of “Christian privilege”. I do not deny that there are some privileges to being a Christian, but I also feel strongly about showing both sides of the proverbial coin. There are also notable “non-Christian privileges”. By non-Christian, I am encompassing Muslim, atheist, and most other religions, as this is my

Growing up, my life was somewhat sheltered compared to the lives of other people my age. I was raised by both my mom and dad in a Christian household, in which I was taught morals based upon our faith. As a result of this upbringing, my parents and I made the decision to enroll me in a private Christian school in sixth grade. In this setting I was protected from the influences of the outside world. All of the language, violence, and temptations were around me, which I began to recognize as I entered my freshman year of high school. Even the walls of the highly respected establishment could not keep the real world out.

Though Americans may go to places of worship, culture dictates that one’s faith should not claim to be true for everyone. Much as in the first century Roman world, American culture has made faith relative only to matters

My outstanding achievement may not be as extravagant as others but to me, my achievement has helped my community and I have created a stronger bond with the people around me. As of my senior year, I have been recognized for 9 years of dedicated volunteer work for St. Peter's Vietnamese Church. Starting in fourth grade when I began my journey, I never anticipated getting recognized. I just simply loved playing the piano and helping my community. My talent was recognized when the choir leader chose me to replace the senior pianist at my church. I had begun taking piano lessons at the age of 6 and I had reached my fourth year when I started to play for my church. To qualify, I had to be able to understand and read music well and be able to decently

Vietnam has several different religious affiliations but they are not as clear-cut as some might believe. Many people call themselves Buddhists inside of Vietnam. But due to a melting pot of cultures many of these Buddhists also practice Confucian, Taoist principles and believe in superstitions. Christianity and Catholicism also exist inside of Vietnam. For S.D she remained true to her heritage and continued her religion as a Catholic. She attends church at least two times a week, every Sunday and then again for Wednesday mass. One of the hardest parts about going to work was that she was required to work every other Sunday and was unable to attend mass. During this time she would also attend a weekly bible study during the week to make

Religion, whether we realize it or not, is a major element of American society (and also worldwide history). For many, religion is a significant part of their cultural identity. Religion plays a part in all levels of politics and is often an aspect of community events and organizations. Everyday, we all interact with people who have different religious backgrounds and personal beliefs. Children born into religious families are very connected with their religions from birth and this affects the way they will see the world for the rest of their lives. Even those who later explore other faiths or convert to other religious ideas will be affected in

After reading Wehner and Gerson again, as well as reviewing my initial reflection, I found my initial thoughts to still be in line with my current ones. Going to Chicago did a great deal for me this semester, especially because it opened my eyes to cultures, religions and beliefs that weren’t necessarily profound in Orange City. There were times that, as a Christian, I was very much in the minority, and therefore, how I acted was very much looked at. The norms and typical consensus that I would experience here was flipped on its head during some of my experiences in Chicago. While I didn’t have people who came up and blatantly told me my faith was wrong, or ridiculed me for it, I did have some, even some friends that I made, question my beliefs