ENGLISH IS NOT THE ONLY LANGUAGE I AM FLUENT IN

BY ROECEL SANGRADOR, MATER DEI CLASS OF 2023

ENGLISH IS VIEWED AS a “universal language”, though I have come to learn that faith is truly our global way of communicating with one another. The Roman Catholic Church has an astonishing way of gathering individuals from different backgrounds to celebrate the gift of worshiping our Savior. No matter the language, we Catholics rejoice in God's glory with various, splendid hymns, psalms, and Gospel readings.

Prayer is an essential aspect in my life as it aligns me in a peaceful and calming manner to push all my worries aside as I open every show, match, meal, and day. I have always been one to live with a great deal of anxiety which persists to stick by me till this day. It has become my personal habit to be filled with pressure to do my absolute best prior to every performance. Negative self-annotations about my talent and worth takes over my thoughts and energy. Everyone I know is informed of my productions and assures me they will be watching. Breathing exercises, multiple read throughs of the script, pep talks from friends; nothing puts me at ease.

Our Mater Dei Director of Theatre, Mrs. Slay, invites the company to pray together to place us in the hands of God. For some reason, I am always instantly released from all my anxieties and perform exceptionally. The abundance of new challenges and cast roles were what pushed me to embark on my acting journey. As a result, I found my new love for shining on stage through improv, singing and acting. My passion for theatre directed me into becoming a leader to my peers, classmates and strangers. I took on the roles of Com-

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The Diocese of Orange, through OC Catholic newspaper, presents local, national and world news about the Catholic Church. Our intention is to give our readers access to a variety of perspectives in order to help them to process the information within the framework of our Catholic faith, but also to better understand the perspectives of those with opposing viewpoints. We hope that ultimately our readers will be better equipped to have constructive conversations that further the growth of the Catholic Church.

APRIL 30, 2023

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER