Well, actually I don’t, but that’s not the point. I mean – it’s fine, and it’s good, but my fundamental lack of ability to engage with some of the discussions we have here is that, as an only child raised in a mixed-religion household in which parish membership/involvement/attachment was so unimportant as to be totally unimportant, and as a lifelong non-joiner, I just can’t relate to some of the needs expressed in comments here.

But I know a lot of you, among the thousands who visit here every day, are a part of great parishes and that Catholic life on the ground in this country isn’t a complete desert. So tell us about it. If you want to name it, great, but that’s not required. Tell us why you love (or even just like!) your parish and how being connected to that parish nourishes your faith and life. This isn’t a discussion thread, please – just a "share your story" (bleh!) thread. I want to hear, and I think others do, too.

(And I want to make something else clear – no apologies necessary if your parish *isn’t* what you might think some commentors would see as ideal. Yes, some commentors like a traditionalist St. Agnes/ St. John Cantius kind of place, but that’s their ideal, not everyone’s – and certainly not mine. So don’t apologize if the parish that strengthens your faith and in which you serve doesn’t seem to meet the High Church requirement of some here.)