The McDonalds, my father’s family, is from a town near Wexford, Ireland. They were deeply rooted in Catholicism even before they came to America. By the time they came to America religion became an identifier for them. The family was very proud of their faith, and they felt it gave them a sense of belonging. Church was a daily event fo

In general, traditional religious practices became more lenient and were open to insightful interpretations. Less influence was being placed on the formalities of the old Church. The Church became aware that outward appearance did not affect whether or not you could love God. My grandmother, Mary, remembered that as the rules of the Church became more relaxed, so did the behavior of kids. Parents became less strict, but religion was still something that was enforced.

Although the McDonald family grew up with the traditional values of the church, they were pleased with the changes made to the mass and the overall attitude of the church. They were now able to receive a better awareness of God and faith. My grandmother recounted that she was able to, “get to know God on a spiritual level.” She also could have her own personal relationship with God and relate personal experiences with her faith with the help of the priest’s homily that was now geared toward modern problems. The change in the attitude of the priest influenced her faith more than anything else. There was less preaching about eternal damnation and the evils of the world around them. It was now focused on what faith is and how you can be a “good” Catholic in the modern world. Generally, the message of Jesus was held in a more promising light and, was more interesting and relatable for the people. The changes of Vatican II helped strengthen the family’s faith.

erved to increase my family’s convictions.

In recent experiences my immediate family has been going through many changes. We have been slowly moving away from older traditions as our family has become more concentrated. At times, me and the younger members of my family completely lose sight of our faith, but our parents always bring us back. The faith may not be as apparent as it was thirty years ago, but it still exists in our love towards each other, and faith in God.

The entire community was coming up with mixed feelings about the change. Many o

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