Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to my blog, "The Call of a Modern Catholic." 

Me, Katrina Marie Avila

The names Katrina Marie Avila, I'm a 21-year-old Hispanic Catholic, born and raised from Miami, Florida. I go to school at The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington, D.C.; where I major in Politics and double minor in Theology and Religious Studies and in Latin American and Latino Studies. 

        
        One of the courses I had the pleasure of taking this semester was "TRS 355: Mission of the Contemporary Catholic." This course discussed how today's Catholics fulfill the mission of witnessing, evangelizing, and sanctifying the world as they practice the faith once delivered to the saints. One of the things touched upon in class was how part of the Catholic identity is the call to be a missionary to the world, both in word and service. The overarching theme of the course was how might the human life appear when it is lived entirely under the horizon of faith in God. Throughout the semester we consistently discussed "the call to holiness" and what it means and entails to be a layperson of the church. 

        Instead of a final exam we have been required to come up with a final project that illustrates what we have learned in the course. In response to Pope Benedict XVI's call for ministers in the church to use forms of social media to share the message of the Good News, I will be "Blogging for Jesus" as my final project. 

        This blog, will consist of various posts addressing the reality and the difficulties of being a layperson in the church. The posts will touch upon a range of issues, from service and agape, to Hispanic Catholics and Catholic education. These posts will be reflections on how I interpret the different themes and topics I have chosen to discuss. Throughout this blog I will also be spotlighting a few of my peers from CUA’s Class of 2012. These spotlights are Q&A’s that I conducted via email with friends that I consider to be role models. The interviews will help put into perspective the possibility that it is possible to live out “the call to holiness” even at the college age. 

        
        Hope you enjoy the reflections and spotlights!