Cady Mansell was a fashionable little girl who was very excited to wear her white suit to her first communion. However, when the principal and priest of her school heard about little Cady’s plans, it was quickly put to a halt.
“Because it’s tradition”
Cady Mansell’s mother, Christina Cruz-Mansell shares “At First Communion practice, the priest asked my husband to leave the pews of the church and speak with him in his office. It was there the priest told my husband that we should know the dress code without having to be told: ‘because it’s tradition.”
Christina was shocked at the priest’s response since she shared that she had seen little girls before wearing pants to their first communion.
However, what the priest told her husband next made them extremely upset:
“The priest went on to say that we are raising our daughter wrong and that she doesn’t have the mental development or the maturity to choose what to wear to this kind of event. My husband disagreed strongly with that statement, and before he left the priest’s office, the priest said if we brought our daughter to First Communion in a suit, she would not receive communion and we would be asked to leave the church.”
Cady was disappointed to hear about what the priest had to say about her suit, and that her daughter felt conflicted about the situation, adding “She wanted to be with her friends and classmates, but she didn’t want to be in a dress.”
They wanted to feel welcome
Christina and her husband thought about what they’ve just experienced. They added that it was important for them to feel welcome in their own church and that their faith should matter more than any dress code. They finally decided that they would leave the institution, but it was a difficult decision for them.
“I was nervous to tell both my girls that we wanted to leave the institution because we were happy there for so long. All our friends and their friends are a part of St. John the Evangelist,” she shares.
She goes on, “When my husband and I spoke to the girls about finding a new church and school, they were almost excited at the thought of the change. They didn’t think they’d be welcomed any longer … Cady said, ‘I think maybe people will treat me different if we go back there.’ Her 8-year-old sister agreed and said, ‘They’ll probably all be talking about us.’ So in the end, it felt like the decision was already made for us, and we were all ready to move on.”
And in the end, their choice to look for a different church eventually worked out for the best. They’re all happy with their new church, and Cady has joined the school’s basketball team. Cady’s sister has also made new friends in their new church.
Christina also shares this lesson to her daughter:
“I hope she remembers to always stand up for what is right, double standards are not normal or acceptable. I hope she remembers what it feels like to be excluded and ostracized … while I fear of her spirit being crushed and her self-esteem being damaged, I hope she remembers a piece of these feelings so she never treats anyone the way that she has been treated, so she will stand with someone who feels alone, so she will speak up and be a voice for others.
I hope she remembers that it’s okay to be scared to stand up for yourself and for what is right, but that it’s important to push through the fear and speak out anyway. God gives you a voice to use it, do not stay silent. I hope she remembers it’s perfectly okay to be who you are…whether it’s in a suit or a tutu … and you don’t have to apologize for it. BUT mostly, I hope she always remembers how much her parents love her and that she isn’t alone in her battles.”
Source: babble.com
READ: Pope Francis encourages moms to ‘breastfeed without fear’ while inside the church
