This weekend I had the honor of attending a young friends First Communion at the San Rafael Mission in Marin County. People do not generally think of me as Catholic for good reason. The character Sicily Marshall in Chasing Mercury reflects a bit of mine in an excerpt from Chasing Mercury, Chapter 15, Santa Monica Bay 1960-1962
"The next year, an unofficial poll of family and the Bunch determined that I should go to Catholic school. Separated from my cul-de-sac friends, I would miss Henry most. Catholic school was considered one of the few places a young Black girl might continue to develop excellent reading, writing, and maths skills. Knobby’s assignment was to mitigate any negative effects of the religious environment by selecting the right school. He chose St. Paul’s near Venice Beach. He thought embracing Catholicism would smooth my transition.
" A nun of the Mary Knoll order prepared me for my First Communion—the next step since I had already been baptized as an infant. We met on Wednesday evening while my mother was at UCLA. ‘Sister’ was ancient with diamond twinkle eyes. “Catechism makes sure you know the difference between right and wrong. Before you make your first confession, it is important to know what you might need to confess,” she said.
“I’m almost seven years old, I already know right from wrong,” I said.
“Good, then this won’t take long.”
“What does civil rights mean?” Sister asked.
“I know that one.” I explained all I had learned about voting rights and race, complete with the Brunch Bunch and family gesticulations and idioms.
“Excellent,” Sister said. Boosted by the election of a Catholic president two years before, Sister was way off the ecclesiastical books, interpreting the scriptures to suit herself. "