Finding your ground

Florence Tsang, 58, goes to St. Francis Xavier Chapel in Little Tokyo. Born and raised Catholic, Tsang says faith has always played an essential role in her life.

She has gone to many different Catholic churches, and even a Buddhist Temple (her husband is Buddhist), but she found her home at St. Francis Xavier’s.

”I love the welcoming environment,” Tsang said. “It gives off what the faith is all about.”

Tsang attended Catholic school when she was younger. Although she said some of the nuns would make fun of her and her sister, she knew they did not fully embody the Catholic faith.

Tsang said the thing she loves most about being Catholic is how she knows there is more than just human life on Earth.

”I love Catholicism because it makes you feel grounded,” Tsang said. “You know that God is always behind you, and it gives you the confidence and inner strength you need to carry on living life on Earth.”

Without religion, the churchgoer said her life would be worlds different.

”To me, religion means the strength that you get from it to keep you on the right track of life,” Tsang said.

”It makes you feel that God is always by you to keep you strong in your heart and mind.

Tsang said she is most proud to have taught the Catholic traditions to her daughter, who has since raised her own daughters to be Catholic.

Freedom of nonreligion

Faris Soudani spent his childhood going to masses and hearing Bible verses.

But the 22-year-old said he realized early on in life that spirituality doesn’t always go hand in hand with religion.

“To me, spirituality is your connection to the world,” Soudani said.

”That means there are no labels, there are no names, there are no symbols. At its simplest form, it is the connection to the world and what it means to you and your place in it.”

Soudani, who spends most of his days meditating on his thoughts or hiking to escape from the world for a brief moment, believes everyone experiences some form of spirituality, whether it is learned from a religious figure or self taught.

To me, spirituality is a very personal topic. it is not something that your mom can tell you what the significance of it is for you.”

“I don’t think it’s something a pastor, a pope, a sheikh or a rabbi could tell you or to decide for you. It’s a very personal thing. It’s something only you know that is your special connection to your god, the universe, your goddess. It’s personally your own thing.

While some people may believe spirituality is something one thinks, Soudani believes otherwise.

”Spirituality isn’t something you think. It’s something you feel. It’s not superficial. On a core level, it’s very much who you are and your place in the world.”

At the end of the day, Soudani said he believes spirituality exists on at least a small level inside every one of us.

Seeds for change

Melvin Wong attends Union Church of Los Angeles.

He loves getting involved with his church and is even close friends with most people at the church (his nephew is the head pastor).

But Wong says it is time for the church to start giving back in more ways than one.

“I think it is more important that the church gets involved in the community because the community is not getting involved in the church.”

One way Wong believes the church can help the community is by promoting healthy habits, such as organic living and eating what grows out of one’s own garden.

Wong put his theory into practice by creating a community garden outside of Union Church of Los Angeles.

”Spirituality comes in many different forms,” Wong said.

”It could start with health or the inner person. Usually, spirituality starts with a problem. You can either fall away from it or grow closer to it.

Wong hopes his garden will draw more people into his Christian faith by showing the community that is present at his church.

He said another reason for his service is to motivate the elderly to participate in self-progressive activities.

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Wong hopes when he is older to be as strong in his faith as he is now, since he said it has played such a crucial role in his life.

Found in transit

Rev. William Briones was raised Catholic.

He recalls attending mass with his family and practicing the rituals every week.

But when his high school girlfriend asked if he wanted to go to temple with her, he would slowly begin to realize he wanted to transition to Buddhism.

”I wouldn’t say I ‘converted’,” Briones said. “I like the word ‘transitioning’ better.”

No matter how you put it, Briones slowly left behind the traditions of Catholicism to practice Buddhism until he one day became a reverend of the faith.

But Briones said life took away from him before it gave to him.

”I had a good job and made good money,” Briones ponders. “I had a good life, but it was materialistic. It was superficial.”

The reverend said he had to reevaluate his situation to realize what really made him happy, and part of that was working toward a goal.

”I liked the idea of living to try to reach enlightenment,” Briones said.

”Part of the faith explains that you cannot take the selfish things out of your life. You have to live with them knowing that they are there, but being strong enough to live righteously around them.”