Sometimes, to prove how authentically Catholic my family is, I’ll mention my aunt who is a nun and my uncle who is a priest (they’re brother and sister.) My earliest memory of my aunt Marian, a Sister of St. Joseph, was when I was five years old and asked my mother if Marian could come over to play after a holiday reunion. My mom was happy to comply, but she did pull me aside before Marian came home with us, instructing me that I was not to say anything around Marian about how I thought going to church was boring. I was not to say anything negative about church or religion at all.
I remember playing card games with Marian that night, carefully watching every word that slipped out of my mouth to ensure it was controversy-free.
