Written by Gemma Shaffer ’14, Biochemistry and Catholic Studies

Last year as a freshman, when I heard that the Catholic Studies department was going to put on a talent show, I thought to myself, “Eh, it will probably be a bunch of lame skits and stuff, but hey, it might be fun.”  Much to my surprise, that night I discovered that the students in the Catholic Studies department did indeed have talent, far more so than I think anyone expected.  This year when talent show time rolled around, I thought, “This will be good, but there’s no way it could top last year’s.”  Once again, I was wrong. 

My surprise was great when I saw one of the calmest and most pious men I know rap an Eminem song without missing a beat, dressed like a gangsta.  It was great when I heard the performance of Tom and Maxine, his contrabass clarinet, and when I got to sing along with them to such songs as “Don’t Stop Believing” and “Your Love is My Drug”.  It was great when I heard the RA of my floor rock the auditorium with “Rolling in the Deep”, whose amazing voice won herself first place for the night.  I was astonished not only by the fact that I saw so much talent, but by the fact that there was such a wide variety of talents. 

I would like to bring to the talent show anyone who would say that being Catholic causes people to shut themselves up and be boring people.  Not only was the talent show the opposite of boring, it was a beautiful example of how God has made every person so different, but He has at the same time called each one to the same thing: holiness.  It was not only a display of the awesome gifts we have, it was a witness to the fact that holiness does not strangle a person’s individuality, it perfects it and makes us even more unique.  I am so happy to be living with and learning with this funny, holy, and talented community.