Dear Girls,

Disclaimer: I normally try to keep my politics out of my blog, but I feel very passionately about this one and felt the need to put it on paper. Please know that I in no way expect everyone to agree with me, nor do I want you to. I just want my girls to know how I felt. Feel free to skip this post and move onto the next.


Dear Lily and Addison,

Sunday, Addison, Daddy and I are having you baptized. (Lily, you were baptized when you were a baby, too.) For the first time in my life as your parent, I'm afraid I might be making a mistake. Here is why...

I read an article today telling me that Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron (a head of the Catholic Church in Detroit) says that those church members who disagree with the church and support same-sex marriage should not take Communion. He even went so far as to say that people with those beliefs should be refused communion. For many years, I have had many beliefs that are not supported by the Catholic Church, but have thought that it was okay for us to agree to disagree. A lot of other Americans feel the same way. I read that over half of American Catholics believe in same-sex marriage, but are still Catholic. Today, however, I think it has gone too far. The Archbishop is making it very clear that it is not okay to disagree with the church and in my opinion, he is trying to bully people into believing what he believes.

Babies, I don't care if you're Catholic or not. What I do care about is that I might be sending you the wrong message. Let me tell you why. I believe that what God wants most for us is to love each other. I believe he wants us to try very hard to be nice to one another and not judge other people. This is what I want most for you, as well. When you see someone different from you, I don't want you to think of how you can exclude them, I want you to seek to understand them. You don't have to agree with them, but I do want you to try your hardest to love them anyways.

When I read this article, my heart hurt. It hurt bad for those that will have to decide today whether being Catholic is important enough to them to abandon their beliefs. Whether they're willing to love people that are different than them a little less because the church told them so. When I read this, I immediately knew that saying "I'm Catholic" is not worth it to me. I don't want to send you the message that compromising your beliefs because someone bullies you to do so should be worth it to you.

Addison, if I decide to baptize you on Sunday, it will be because I want you to get to experience what your sister got to experience. It will be because I want you to know that you were welcomed into a spiritual life of love by those that care for you most, not because I have any need for you to follow some doctrine that an old grumpy man said you should follow. It will be because I want you to have godparents, special ones that Daddy and I chose, to guide you in both your everyday life and your spiritual life, that will love you no matter what you decide to believe.

Most of all, I want you both to know that whether or not you chose a Catholic family, you will always have many wonderful families in your life that will guide you and help you along the way. You will have your Mommy and Daddy. You will have your extended family. You will have all of the friends that we are lucky enough to consider family. And Babies, I want you to chose love. No matter what religion you decide in your life, I always want you to remember to love others and to know that we love you.

Love Forever and Always,
Your Momma