As a child, I grew up in a religious Catholic environment, with my grandparents playing an active role in shaping my siblings and I’s religious views. From grade one to six, I attended catechism every Tuesday afternoon in order to complete my First Communion and Confirmation. In addition, my grandparents would teach me the common prayers such as the Our Father and the Hail Mary in English, French as well as Italian, the language I speak with them. They also taught me the fundamental pillars of the Catholic Church and we traveled to Italy a few summers ago together, where they showed my family and I the churches they would go to as well as the saints they venerated. Saints were important in my grandparents’ lives and I would get a phone call every time it was my “name day”, where Saint Sarah would be worshipped. As well, I learnt about the life and legacy of San Cataldo, as my grandmother said that when she was ill she prayed to him every single day, and …show more content…
The dome, in a way, reminded me of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, which I remember visiting when I was younger. I found the main difference between these two sites to be in the way visitors acted upon their visit. In Jerusalem, there was complete silence when outside the Islamic shrine, whereas there was more talking around the St Joseph’s oratory. When entering the main and large chapel of the basilica, we were advised not to take pictures. There was a concert happening that would last two hours, and there were judges at a table at the center of the chapel scoring the students in the orchestra. The interior of the basilica was simpler in style than churches I’ve previously visited, however shared similarities such as a large organ near the top of the altar, stained-glass windows, wooden pews as well as