Gale Anderson

Gale Anderson

I was baptized a Catholic, I was raised a Catholic, my father converted to Catholicism, I married a Catholic in a Catholic church, I raised my children to be Catholic, my wife and I were active members in a Catholic church, and my wife had a Catholic funeral over 20 years ago.

Why would I not be a Catholic?

There were challenges to being and remaining a Catholic. Challenges came early in my life, starting out in the Catholic school that I attended until the seventh grade, after which I didn’t return for the eighth grade, opting to go to the public school.

Catholics in the public school were allowed to have one-hour religion classes with the Catholic school. I attended the class but when standing and raising my hand to answer a question, the priest saw who I was and said, “Oh, it’s you, sit down.” I didn’t let his non-Christian attitude deter me from continuing my Catholic instruction.

The early, strict demands of the Catholic Church — such as not eating meat on Fridays, fasting before Communion and Lenten sacrifices — didn’t deter me from being a Catholic. The time I spent being active in my parish as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion and working on the capital fund drive and bazaar didn’t deter me from volunteering with my wife beside me. We didn’t think it was a waste of time; we were practicing being Catholics.

My faith was kept alive by the example of my grandfather, Adolph Parent, who had four children with his first wife, who later died. He remarried and had six children (one of whom died young), with his second wife. Together, they raised these kids during the Depression and World War I. His four sons all served and came home safely. They survived by keeping their faith during difficult times. His being united in a family bond sealed by a strong faith was ample proof for me to continue being an active, practicing Catholic.

I once wore a small silver cross on my lapel in church and a co-worker saw it and asked, “Are you a born again Catholic?” I replied, “No, I’ve always been a Catholic.”

The current COVID-19 pandemic keeping me away from attending Mass in person due to health issues hasn’t deterred me from observing Mass online and contributing monthly to my parish.

The hardest challenge I face today is the ongoing public disclosure of the sexual misconduct of priests, bishops, cardinals and the cover-up by many in the hierarchy in the Catholic Church. The Church is getting better on handling this issue, giving me hope and faith.

Hope and faith are my reasons for “Why I am a Catholic.”

Anderson, 81, is a member of St. Richard in Richfield. He and his late wife, Carol, were married 33 years before she died of colon cancer in 2000. They raised three children and have five grandchildren. Now retired, Anderson enjoys reading, writing and making cribbage boards.

“Why I am Catholic” is a new ongoing series in The Catholic Spirit. Want to share why you are Catholic? Submit your story in 300-500 words to [email protected] with “Why I am Catholic” in the subject line.