This semester, I did something fun but honestly a little scary. I had to go to an event of a different religion or culture for my Media Writing and Storytelling class. I have been raised and I identify as a non-denominational Protestant Christian so to go to a church of a different religion was scary. I have seen different religions practiced in different countries and I have met many people of different religions but I had never actually been to a religious service that was not of my religion. I ended up choosing to go to a Catholic Mass. Honestly, I chose Catholic Mass because of how similar the beliefs are. Both my religion and that of the Catholic Mass are based on the same core principles and teachings, but I was shocked how different the service was. The Catholic Church puts an emphasis on tradition that is not present in the non-denominational church. For example, throughout the service there are many different prayers and songs led by the leaders of the church and recited back by the members of the church. I found it interesting and impressive that the members of the church seemed to innately know what to do. Everyone at Mass seemed to know intuitively how to follow all of the traditions and when to respond to the priest or say certain prayers. The members also seemed to know when to sit, stand or kneel. This shows just how strong tradition and loyalty is in the Catholic Church. Many members present looked as though they had been going their whole life. It was impressive and encouraging to see such a united community. This experience showed me just how different two denominations can be. It taught me to never assume that I know something that I don’t. This experience showed me the importance of showing up, participating and getting out of your comfort zone to experience something new. Even though this was not an OU sanctioned event, I believe that it was a good cultural experience that opened my eyes to a religion that was different from my own.