5/10/17 Blog post #13

• What were some new things that you learned about Pope Francis from the video clips?
• From the video clips, I learned that Pope Francis joined the priesthood because a girl would not go out with him. Francis gave the girl a choice, either she goes out with him or he joins the priesthood. If she had agreed to go out with him, he would never have become pope. Pope Francis is also the first pope to take the name of Francis. The name fits him well because both Pope Francis and Saint Francis of Assisi were very well liked.

• What did you notice about the topics that Pope Francis has written about so far? What do these say about him as a pope?
• Pope Francis has written about love, joy, the environment, and women. He wants people to know about these issues and hopes to get more help for the issues. He doesn't care what people think about him writing about women or the environment. Pope Francis wants us to be concerned with the environment because if something bad happens to it, then something bad will happen to humans.

• What are different changes that Pope Francis is making to the way popes usually do things?
• Pope Francis is a selfless man. He has washed and kissed the poor's feet and has gone to jail to wash inmates feet. Unlike other popes, he goes people who he think need forgiveness or healing and washes their feet, instead of doing it in a mass where they would wash people who are Catholic. He lives a humble life. He wears simple clothes and has in the past invited poor to eat with him. Pope Francis is also very popular and has had triple the amount of people at masses in Vatican Square than other popes have had.

• What hopes do you have for the present day Catholic Church?
• I hope that the Catholic Church can become a stronger community of people. I hope that it continues to support and be open to others. I hope that they make decisions that will benefit all of its people. The Catholic Church needs to continue to support and encourage people, no matter where they come from or what actions they have made in the past.

Pope Francis Image. Digital image. Huffington Post. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2017. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/pope-francis/>.

5/4/17 Blog post #12

• What did you find interesting about the history of the Sisters of Notre Dame?

• I thought that the fact that two women started the Sister of Notre Dame and created schools for girls was interesting. They felt called to do those things. Their actions have impacted many lives and will continue to impact girls lives as long as their schools are around. St. Julie and Sister Franciose changed history for young women and their education.

• What is something that you heard from the Alumnae Panel that stuck with you and why?

• During the Alumnae panel, I remember one of the alumna saying that you can't let the little things stress you out. Sometimes I stress out over not finishing or understanding one little piece of homework. I try to let it not get the best of me and calm down. I don't need to be putting unnecessary stress on myself.

• What does it mean to you to be a part of the Notre Dame Community?

• Being part of the Notre Dame community means always having a sister and having a life long bond with your sisters. It means being their for your sisters. It also means that you can be yourself and strive to be the best self you can. Being at NDB, you can learn to be successful and be prepared for life.

• When you leave Notre Dame High School, what do you think are some values that will stay with you?
• When you leave the NDB community, you are confident in your work and in yourself. You are accepting of others and their ideas. You have lifelong friends and sister. You are ready for the world and will succeed.

Holding Hands Image. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2017. <http://blog.phiredup.com/?p=3499>.

4/6/17 Blog Post #11

• Which event that you learned about from the Church History textbook presentations did you find most interesting and why?

• I found that the Crusades were a very interesting event that occurred. I found it interesting that there were 4 different Crusades and 2 unofficial Crusades. One of the unofficial Crusades was called the Children's Crusades. Christians were so desperate to recapture Jerusalem that they used children to try and recapture it.

• Which person whom you learned about from the Church History textbook presentations did you find most interesting and why?
• I found Saint Kateri to be the most interesting person who I learned about. She chose her path in life instead of doing what her tribe wanted. She trusted in God and believed that he would help her throughout her life. Kateri didn't let her hardships get in her way.

• If you end up being known as an influential figure in history, what do you want to be remembered for?
• If I become an influential figure, I want to be remembered for the actions I did and the way I treated people. I don't want to be remembered as a bad person or someone who didn't care about others. I would want people to remember me as a kind person who was always willing to help. I would hope that I inspired other people to act like me.

• How have you personally experienced growth (either mentally, emotionally or spiritually) after your own challenges in life?
• After challenges in my life, I have been able to grow emotionally and mentally. I have learned to deal with hardships and not get so worked up about non important things. I have become a stronger person because of my challenges. My challenges have made me the person I am today.

The Crusades Image. Digital image. Strange Notions. N.p., n.d. Web. Apr. 2017. <http://strangenotions.com/the-crusdades-urban-legends-and-truth/>. 

St. Kateri Image. Digital image. Catholic Online. N.p., n.d. Web. Apr. 2017. <http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=154>.

3/10/17 Blog post #10

• Could you ever see yourself sharing similar messages that your Letter Writer did on your own social media accounts? Why or why not? What would you say?
• I would not see myself posting similar messages that St. Paul shared. I think that unless I decided to use the Saint Paul Instagram account again, I would not post about his message. I prefer to just post pictures that I take and like to my social media. My social media account is for my personal use and since I don't feel passionately about Saint Paul's writings, I will not be posting about him.

• What were some new things that you learned from the Marian Apparition projects (be specific)?
• I learned that there are some appearances that are very believable but not approved by Rome, like Our Lady of Knock. I also learned that the Our Lady of Akita appearance was through a statue, unlike any of the others we learned about. Our Lady of Akita was the only marian apparition that involved a weeping statue. All of the other appearances that involved Mary crying were considered fake.
• How did you see resilience at work within the Marian apparition that you researched?
• After Mary appeared to her through a statue, Sister Agnes changed and trusted in God more. Around the time that Mary appeared to her, Agnes had 2 scratches on her hand that bleed and did not heal for a whole month. The statue also had the scratches. Agnes was able to see God's love for her and trusted in God more than she had before.
• Do you see yourself as being resilient? Why or why not?
• I do see myself being resilient. A life changing situation would effect me very much and cause me to learn from the experience. There may be some situations that I never get over or have a very hard time moving on from. I think that me being resilient would be very circumstantial.

(Image: http://www.salvemariaregina.info/Images/OLGrace.jpg)

2/13/17 Blog post #9

• In what ways did the people you learned about during this unit suffer? What was their reaction to their suffering?
• The apostles suffered because of people doubting them and didn't believe their teachings. They all preached the word of God, even if the people they were preaching to didn't believe in God. They did not let these hardships get in the way of their beliefs. They always kept their faith in God, no matter what.
• Which story from the Acts of the Apostles did you find most inspiring and why?
• I think that the story about the people on a boat who should have listened to Paul because their was storm was the most inspiring. Even though Paul told them not to, they still went sailing anyways. Just when they were about to give up, Paul encouraged them to keep going. Paul didn't care that they ignored his commands at first and still helped them later in the story.
• How have you experienced challenges in your own life and how have you dealt with them?
• I have experienced challenges in my life. I have over come them with support from my family and friends. My challenges have helped me grow as a person. The challenges that I have faced have shaped who I am.
• Who are people that you can turn to in times of need and why?
• I can turn to my friends, my parents, my cousins, and sometimes my brother. I trust them and they all care for me and my future. They support me and encourage me to be the best person I can be. They give me advice on how to handle hard situations.

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."

(Isaiah 40:29)

1/30/17 Blog post #8

• What did you learn about the original disciples from the group projects?
• I learned that most of them did not know Jesus very well before they became a disciple. Most of them were not very wealthy and had average jobs. Most of them were martyred.

• Which disciple did you find most interesting and why?

• I found Thomas to be the most interesting. He is believed to sometimes be Jesus' twin. He is also known as "Doubting Thomas" because he doubted Jesus and his resurrection. When Jesus appeared to the disciples in a locked room, Thomas was not present, so he didn't believe that it actually happened.

• Based on what you learned, what are the characteristics of people who follow Christ?
• People who follow Christ can be anyone. Most of the disciples were not very wealthy and had normal jobs. Someone who follows Christ must always believe in him, even when he seems to not be there.

• Do you feel that you display any of these characteristics? Why or why not?
• I think that I do display some of the characteristics that the disciples had. I am Catholic and believe in Jesus. I would not say that I am a devoted Catholic, but I do practice Catholicism. I am also a kind an humble person.

(image: http://www.antiochian.org/sites/default/files/images/st_thomas_apostle.jpg)