Blog Post #13 : 5/10/17

1. What were some new things that you learned about Pope Francis from the video clips?

One thing I learned about Pope Francis from the videos is that his biggest focuses as a Pope right now are roles of women in the church, homosexuality, and child sex abuse. This is important because the leader of Catholicism should be concentrating on making changes for the better of the church. Another thing I learned about Pope Francis is that he works with the poor and has changed the lives of many street kids by helping them find their faith and make friendship with people in the church. This impressed me because I didn't realize that he personally worked with people instead of just preaching. Taking actions is really important as a leader and I learned that Pope Francis really cares about each and every one of the followers of the church.

"Pope Francis." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 28 Apr. 2017. Web. 10 May 2017.

2. What did you notice about the topics that Pope Francis has written about so far? What do these say about him as a pope?

The topics Pope Francis has written about include "The Future You', "We All Need Each Other", "Solidarity, Creativity, and Courage", and "The Revolution of Tenderness". Each of these topics focus on the importance of our future generations to come and how we should together to accomplish things. He is a firm believer in that every individual is compassionate, and creative, and precious. This tells us that Pope Francis is looking at our future to do great things in the world and that he believes that we can do anything if we work together. It also tells us that Pope Francis is going to do everything in his power to raise awareness and give hope to young people and focus a lot on the importance in that.

3. What are different changes that Pope Francis is making to the way popes usually do things?

"Photo by Casheyesblond." Photobucket. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2017.

Popes in the past have all been compassionate and sincere but never to the extent of Pope Francis. Pope Francis is the best Pope we have had yet because of the extensive changes and insights he has provided for not only those apart of the Catholic Church, but the whole world. He cares about every person and their wellbeing, which is unlike any Pope previously. He makes his own rules and goes where he thinks will benefit others. He visited the United States and facetimed students at different locations to answer questions and share advice.

4.What hopes do you have for the present day Catholic Church?

Some hopes I have for the present day Catholic Church is that they become more forgiving and accepting of people. It should not be such a hardship to accept gay marriage and homosexuality. I hope that one day they can accept anyone of any gender, sexuality, and race to be just as much apart of the Church. Another hope I have is they focus more on the people of the church than the rules. I hope that they realize that those working and attending the church are real people. Even though the Bible might say one thing, there should be acceptions like abortions or gay marriage.

Blog Post #12 : 5/4/17

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

When learning about the Sisters of Notre Dame, I was amazed as to how many different school we have. I had no idea that we had schools in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Kenya. It is incredible to know that two women founded Notre Dame as well. One of the reasons I love the school is because of the women empowerment involved not only in the history, but the aroma and leadership now.

1. 

   "Flickriver: Photoset 'Nuns, Sisters, Brothers & Art' by PatricksMercy." Flickriver - A New Way to View Flickr Photos and More... N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2017.

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

From listening to the Alumnae Panel something that real stuck with me was to not sweat the small stuff. It came up during many of the questions involving what they would each change about their years in high school. This resonate well with me because I am constantly hung up on things I know will not matter in the future. Since high school is a short 4 years, I can't waste my time being bothered or stressed, but to spend it doing what I love with the people that I love.

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

Being a part of the Notre Dame Community is a strong bond and sense of unity with 450 girls. It is a sisterhood that is like no other that will be carried throughout our entire lives. It is a community of strong women leaders. The Notre Dame Community teaches us how important it is to take charge of our lives and to be prepared for anything in life. The bond of Notre Dame sisters lasts a lifetime and can rekindle at any point in time.

"About." Sisterhood Agenda. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2017.

1. When you leave Notre Dame High School, what do you think are some values that will stay with you?

Notre Dame High School preaches many important values that are important for our lives and our futures. Some values I will take in the most are about being a leader everywhere I go and never being afraid to voice my opinion. No matter the circumstance I will always stand up for what I believe and not let myself become a doormat. Since we are an all girls school it is easy for us to say what we feel and not try in our appearance. Another value I will take with me in my future is to be self sufficient. The only person I can really rely on is myself so I must learn to be independent.

Clark, Liat. "Study: Women Undervalue Themselves When Working with Men." WIRED UK. WIRED UK, 23 May 2016. Web. 04 May 2017.

Blog Post #11 : 4/6/17

1. The event I learned about from the presentations that I found the most interesting was the developments in Church History. I thought it was intriguing to learn about how the church has grown since it first came about. It is cool how far weddings have come in specific. Weddings didn't used to be held in churches at all. However, the church has developed significantly by many church weddings taking place and people asking the priest for a blessing. This is interesting to me because I like to learn about how certain things evolved and what from.

2. The person I learned about in the presentations I found was the most interesting was St. Kateri Tekakwitha. Her story about her disease was very inspiring. She had smallpox, causing her to be partially blind and have face disfigurement. She was a Native American Christian and later asked a Catholic priest if she could convert and be baptized. Once she converted, her blemishes were completely cleared right before she died. She later became the first Native American saint, which is very impressive.

3. If I were to end up being known as an influential figure in history I would want to be remembered for all the good I do in the world. I would want to be remembered for how kind and helpful I was to everyone and someone who volunteered a lot to places that help people that are less fortunate. Being remembered for making a difference in how people treat each other would be really awesome.

4. I have mentally and emotionally grown very significantly this school year. I have been through many challenges through sports, friends, and school. I learned how to handle my work and get enough sleep at the same time. I have become much more self aware in my actions and feelings as well as how I treat others. I have grown into a much stronger person than I used to be, emotionally, through knowing who my real friends are and what is really important in my life.

"Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and More!" DK Find Out! N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Apr. 2017.

Blog Post #10 : 3/10/17

1. I could see myself posting similar things to my letter on my social media accounts. I would post inspirational quotes on Twitter or as my Instagram caption. Although, I would not use the exact words from the Letters or from the Bible particularly I would post similar ideas as quotes.
2. I learned a lot from the Marian Apparitions project. One thing I learned was that Mary appeared as a ghost like vision, then later confirmed to the participants that it was indeed Mary. Another thing I learned is that up to thousands of people witnessed one of Mary's apparitions.
3. I saw resilience through the Mary Apparitions project because Mary's appearance were not supported by everyone. She showed that she was resilient because many people did not believe in the apparition or in the teachings of the church. She had to stay strong through the negativity she received and the disbelief.
4. I am not as resilient as Mary portrayed herself to be in the apparitions. I try my best to be as strong and hard headed as Mary everyday. Although I am very stubborn and determined, and I am proud of that, yet I would never be able to be trying to convince people to believe in something that they never will for so long. This unit of resilience has really opened my eyes to keep my strength through tough times.

Works Cited

Kauffman, Timothy F. Out of His Mouth. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.

Sanidopoulos, John. "The Troubling Aspects of Catholic Marian Apparitions." The Troubling Aspects of Catholic Marian Apparitions. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.

Blog Post #9 : 2/13/17

1. Each of the Apostles went through tremendous amounts of suffering. When they were each trying to teach the word of the Lord, they were hated, unaccepted, attacked, captured, and rejected. I was surprised that they were each so disliked when all they were trying to do is preach. I thought that at least some of their followers would stand up for them and save them when they suffered.
2. My favorite Act of the Apostles was the story about the Storm. I thought it was really inspiring because it reminded me to never give up faith in something and that it all turns out in the end. In the story, the Apostles were on a boat in the storm and thought they wouldn't survive so they anchored their boat and prepared to give up. They then were spoke to by Jesus who told them not to give up and that they will make it.
3. I have experienced many challenges from school, friends, family, and volleyball. School is always challenging but I have gotten pretty good at managing it. I balance my time and finish everything I can in class so that I don't have so much homework. Friends and family always bring me challenges as well. I handle these by always staying grounded and being nice to everyone even when they aren't necessarily nice to me. Volleyball is also challenging, not only physically but emotionally as well. I deal with those challenges by not letting anyone get to my head and just playing my game.
4. The people I turn to in times of need are my closest friends, and family. The person I turn to most often is my best friend. She always makes things better and has great advice. My parents are sometimes good to talk to also because they are full of wisdom and experience. My older sister is also someone I turn to because she has gone through the same challenges as me and can help get me through them as well.

Blog Post #8 : 1/30/17

1. I learned a lot about each of the disciples. I learned that most of the disciples were fishermen or farmers and that is where they were called by Jesus. A lot of the disciples were also said to be related to Jesus, mostly brothers of him. The majority of the disciples were also martyred or crucified, having a violent death, except for John who died a peaceful death of old age. A lot of the disciples are buried in Basilicas.
2. I found John the most interesting out of all the disciples. It is really interesting to me that he was the only one who died a peaceful death. It intrigues me to know more about why he was the only one and what he did to not be killed. He was said to be a cousin of Jesus and a fisherman. While he was fishing, Jesus called him to be a disciple.
3. 
   Based on the information I have learned from the disciple projects, people who follow Christ are all very passionate and loyal about their faith and religion. They love to learn about the teachings of Jesus, enough to teach others about them all over the world. They are each strong leaders as well as stubborn. The disciples use these characteristics to stand up for what they believe in.
4. One characteristic that I resemble with the disciples is my stubbornness. I am extremely stubborn and always stick to what I believe in. It takes a lot for me to change my mind about something. The disciples also had this trait because they must always stay strong with their beliefs because of all the nonbelievers that will fight against their teachings.