Hello, world!

When starting a new blog, I always feel like I should say something...groundbreaking. This time, however, words are escaping me, so I'll keep it simple:

Welcome to Abide With Us, potentially the coolest Catholic blog on the web. ;) Well, that's my plan, in any case.

The majority of Americans are familiar with Catholicism in some way--there are nearly 68 million registered Catholics in the United States according to the National Council of Churches--but I've found that most are fuzzy on the details. In the past few years, I've heard a number of erroneous and misleading claims about the Church and our beliefs, both from other Christians and from those of different faiths. Sometimes, misinformation even comes from fellow Catholics.

As an amateur journalist, I find that disturbing, and so clearing up those errors is my first goal in creating this blog. It was said once that millions of people hate the Church, yet only hundreds understand her (I'll return with the actual quote later). I hope to be able to present the Catholic faith with honestly, fairness, and joy. If I'm lucky, someone out there will learn something. Any lessening of confusion or hostility toward the Church because of this blog will make the whole endeavor worth it.

Beyond that, I was absolutely floored when I moved up to Rowan a month ago to find a vibrant and faithful community of Catholics on campus. Considering only 25% of American Catholics go to Mass on a regular basis, and many of that percentage are older, this was certainly a surprise. I'm going to cover these college Catholics in detail over the next ten weeks, highlighting what they do, why they do it, and how it ties into the college experience.

We're not stereotypical, and we're not doing this because our parents force us. We're not what you likely expect, and I hope you'll be surprised (and impressed!) by what you see.

Of course, as a Catholic myself, I'll be coming along for the ride and occasionally writing about my personal experiences. Feel free to leave me a question, comment, or suggestion. I'll do my best to respond as quickly as I can. Thanks in advance for reading and sticking with me--I promise to make it worth your while.

Peace be with you!
Melissa