I am a newcomer to American Roman Catholicism. I was born and raised in Ghana, within the vibrant fervor and “Africanized” enthusiasm of Ghanaian Roman Catholicism. Thus, upon my arrival at Columbia, I could have easily made the decision to isolate myself from the Catholic community on campus and attend Ghanaian mass with my family at my home church in the Bronx every Sunday. However, I became involved with the Catholic ministry on campus because I wanted to share a significant part of my life as a devout Catholic with other students who felt just as strongly about their faith as I did, and because I wanted to contribute to the religious life of other students who, unlike me, were separated from their home church and their families every Sunday. Needless to say, the American mass is now a concrete aspect of my experience and conscience as a Ghanaian living in the United States, and this is why I feel that, in light of the Pope’s current visit to the U.S., I can make observations and reflections as to what it means to be a young Catholic in America.

The Catholic Church in America is currently dealing with several difficult issues, such as the recent clerical sex abuse scandals. The description of a modernized American Catholic Church that is slowly defining its identity, its morals, and its values apart from the Catholic hierarchy in Rome is typically the general media portrayal of American Catholicism. A story that is rarely told, however, is that of American Catholic youth like me and my colleagues within the Columbia Catholic ministry, and the way that we view our Catholic identity and the church.

Like many other Catholics, I would say that my Catholic colleagues and I continually struggle with not only controversial issues like the clerical sex abuse scandals, but also with the general rift between what the general American society, our friends, and the media preach and teach, and what our religion also preaches and teaches about issues like homosexuality, abortion, and stem cell research. As a Columbia student, it has been hard for me personally to find that many of my friends, and the general Columbia campus, do not share my pro-life views on abortion or my belief that abstinence from sexual relations should be practiced before marriage. Having arrived at most of these convictions through my faith, I am aware that there are certainly other Catholic youth that differ from me on many of these issues. The point is that our faith stands in sharp contrast with the values and convictions of our American society, and that this can lead to a lot of confusion and struggle on the part of the young American Catholic on what to believe and accept as the truth.

Despite this contrast between our Catholic faith and our American culture, most young Catholics, like the general American Catholic populace, have come to reach a stable, common ground in our relationship with our Catholic faith and with our American identity. I can speak for myself and for my fellow colleagues involved in the Columbia Catholic ministry by saying that we do appreciate our Catholic faith and identity. We are passionate about living it out now that we are far away from our home churches and our families because it is the only religious faith we have ever known. Most of all, we appreciate the aid of the priests, nuns, and other church leaders who moderate our church services, guide us as spiritual counselors, and answer and address our questions and struggles in our faith.

On Saturday, April 19, 2008, more than 20,000 young Catholic teenagers, priests, and nuns, including about 75 people from the Columbia Catholic ministry, experienced the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of seeing Pope Benedict XVI at a youth rally at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. I firmly believe that the palpable enthusiasm and anticipation that filled the air as the moment for the Pope’s arrival approached, the enthusiastic cheers that greeted the Pope as he strolled over to the stage to deliver his greetings, and the absolute silence that dominated the air as the Pope delivered his written message to young American Catholics, revealed the truth about how about most young Catholics feel about their faith, its leaders, and their Catholic identity. We may not all harbor the same moral convictions and accept the Church’s teachings on issues such as abortion, homosexuality, male priests, attending mass every Sunday and other such issues, but we do respect and appreciate our Catholic identity. Pope Benedict XVI, in a very concrete way, represents our Catholic faith and identity, along with the priests, nuns, and other leaders of the Church, without whom American Catholicism would literally cease to exist in the way it does now.

As my life progresses, I know that I am definitely anxious about being a good American and a good Catholic, and I can speak for the rest of the members of the Columbia Catholic ministry that they also feel the same way. And perhaps it was this general sentiment of enthusiasm and pride that most young American Catholics harbor toward their faith that brought a lot of smiles to Pope Benedict’s face last Saturday afternoon.

The author is a Columbia College sophomore. She is a member of the Columbia Catholic Undergraduates.