Good question. We are a usually happy family of 5, and we cherish our Catholicism.

Mind you, we did not always feel that way. As children we went to Catholic school and everyone we knew was also Catholic. We certainly did not have challenges to our faith.

When we moved to the rural Intermountain West, all that changed. Catholics were a minority, just 10% of the population. Every missionary from every local church came knocking at our door. When we told these well-meaning evangelizers we were Catholic, they were thrilled. One young man actually admitted that they loved debating Catholics, because Catholics never knew anything about their faith.

That young man was right. Despite regular Mass attendance and many, many years at Catholic schools, we were ignorant. Now, what to do about it?

We started studying, talking to people who knew more than we knew, and observing people of faith who inspired us.

Now, we find we have people coming to us, asking basic questions about faith and how to live as Catholics. Here is the way we have tried to live our faith. Every day we learn new things and are inspired by many people; we try to use this knowledge to praise God, recognize and work on our shortcomings, and teach our children about the faith we cherish.