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	Leaving Catholicism in the Name of Parenthood By Julie Kuenneke The Patch August 10, 2011 http://chesterfield.patch.com/articles/leaving-catholicism-in-the-name-of-parenthood For months, I've been following one of my favorite authors, Anne Rice, via social media sites. What intrigues me so much about Rice is that she, like most writers, says the things that most people fear to say. And she says them loudly and without regret. When Rice proclaimed that she left Christianity in the name of Christ, many people balked. Even more judged. Everyone had an interpretation about her proclamation. For me, her announcement had much more meaning than words could convey, because Anne Rice wasn't just publicly leaving organized religion, she was renouncing her lifelong association with Catholicism. Like Rice, I was raised a strict Catholic. My parents ensured that I went through every applicable sacrament: Baptism, Penance, Communion, Confirmation. Eventually, I added Holy Matrimony to the list. When my children were born, I had them baptized in the Church. For me, it just felt like the only way. Catholicism was comforting to me. The rituals of the Church were comforting. The Mass, which I had memorized at a young age, was familiar and all I had ever known. I stayed, because the Church was my home. However, time changes many things. And as the controversies surrounding the Catholic Church grew, so did my doubts. I discovered that two priests from my childhood were accused of crimes against children. One of those priests baptized me, the other married me and my husband. I still sometimes think of those allegations when I look down at my wedding band. I left the Church when my two boys became old enough to enter Sunday school. I left, because my boys put their faith in me to keep them safe.   As allegation after allegation came forward about childhood sexual abuse within the Church—each one seemingly more horrific than the one before—I knew that the Church's walls were not my home anymore. Those walls certainly couldn't be trusted to protect my children. I had no faith left in the Catholic Church. Leaving behind the stained-glass comfort of my childhood was one of the hardest decisions I've ever made. I still pray Catholic prayers. I still say prayers to the Saints. And, in my new life as a Protestant, I still, when receiving communion, have the urge to make the Sign of the Cross. I am angry with the Catholic Church. I'm angry that secrets were kept and that priests were shuffled to other parishes to prey upon more children. I'm angry that these abuse cases were known throughout the Church's hierarchy and that these high-powered men allowed the abuses to be covered up. Most importantly, I'm angry that God's children were the last priority and that Canon Law took precedent over criminal law. But unlike Rice, I haven't completely given up on organized religion. Raising my children with religion is important to me. After many careful searches, my children have a church home where I feel we can provide a safe and nurturing religious environment. I am determined for my children to have a childhood rooted in faith—but just not the Catholic faith. For me, the only faith that matters is a strong faith in God.
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