“You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.”

Growing up I always had faith however I never had a religion. Nearly three years ago I was introduced to Catholicism. I soon learned that both of my parents (who never pushed religion upon me) were raised Catholic as was my paternal grandmother. Since the beginning of my 20s I have been continuously learning about myself, developing my own understanding of life. At the ripe age of 24, I feel I have a solid understanding of myself, my religion and my core values.

On this trip to Paris, so far, I have been fortunate enough to visit THREE Catholic Churches – Notre Dame, La Sainte-Chapelle, and L’église de la Madeleine. At the Notre Dame Cathedral I had a breath-taking experience unlike any other in my life. I was saying a prayer for my family and catechist, and thanking the Lord for bringing me to this point in my life to provide me this opportunity when I felt a tingling sensation come over my body, this feeling was to surreal to attempt to explain in its entirety. I felt like I had an out of body experience as I wasn’t completely there physically.

Today we are headed to visit yet another Catholic Church, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis. This will be the fourth Catholic Church I have visited in a week. I know I have truly been blessed to be able to visit such a magnificent city devoted to the Catholic religion.

Lindsay Firn