By Katy Bellamy

About a year ago at the age of 15, Mason Reilly was sitting in his church confirmation class feeling indifferent towards the class as a whole. Little did he know, this first class would expose him to the sophistication of Roman Catholicism and leave a lasting impact on him for the rest of his life.

Reilly, a sophomore at Mount Vernon High School, takes great pride in his religion and strives to learn and teach about it as much as possible. Born a Roman Catholic, Mason first started truly learning about what it meant to be a Catholic through confirmation class at his church. Mason attends the Immaculate Conception church in Cedar Rapids every Sunday with his family members. He loves spending his Sunday mornings in the church with his father, Kevin, and his older brother, Morgan (‘16). “When I go to church, I see many young people, which is great because they are the future of the church,” said Reilly.

Roman Catholicism is the first Christian denomination in the world that was established by Jesus Christ. Reilly’s favorite belief about Catholicism would have to be the belief that Jesus Christ left the church for humanity. It is believed that to be Catholic, a person has to go to confession and receive communion each once a year, along with believing in the varying dogmas. However, these criteria to be a proper Catholic, are the bare minimum in Reilly’s eyes. The acknowledged criteria lack the fact that a parent’s duty is to turn their children into good Catholics. While many do, just as many do not fulfill this duty, according to Reilly.

Prior to his entrance into confirmation class, Reilly was on his way to disbelief. Simply going to church every Sunday was not engaging him enough and he found himself losing focus and not understanding why he was there. According to Reilly, many people who attend church, “are more or less lukewarm or do not do what they are told to do inside the church. People do things that the church would not approve of and the church does not always teach what needs to be taught.” Catechesis is the action of teaching people about the faith. “These programs tend to be devoid of actual content at times,” said Reilly, who did not recognize the issue until some time later. Confirmation class, specifically his teacher Michael, opened his eyes and allowed him to become more interested in what it means to be a Roman Catholic.

Reilly’s confirmation class taught the absolute basics. “Confirmation class actually teaches you something. I struggled to learn anything from church before confirmation class.”

Aside from confirmation class, Reilly was involved in a biblical study group last year with adults and other students around his age at his church. During this study group, Reilly studied the seven covenants. Unlike a church service, a confirmation class or a biblical study group is discussion based, which allows questions to be asked. Reilly mentioned truly enjoying this time spent with the 40 or so people in his group.

Reilly does not associate with many people at Mount Vernon High School, but knows fellow students who are Catholic and is always willing to share his insight regarding Roman Catholicism with those who are interested in listening.

Religion has impacted Reilly’s life for the better. He now finds himself reading more about church history and making better choices for himself and the people around him. Reilly’s favorite book of the Bible is the Prophet of Malachi, while his favorite preaching is done by Jesus in John Chapter 6. Reilly appreciates the story because of its unique relativity to the Last Supper. Throughout life, Reilly plans to talk to people and continue to learn. “There are still many things to learn,” said Reilly.