Sacrament of Confirmation

On Saturday night we celebrated a joyous occasion when 16 of our wonderful young parishioners celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation. Our children have diligently been preparing for this Sacrament for several weeks both at home and at school.

The children were confirmed by Archbishop Christopher Prowse. Archbishop Christopher was very impressed by the children and the reverent way they participated in the Mass and carried out their roles. He congratulated the children and their families on their commitment to their Catholic faith. Archbishop Christopher gave everyone in the Church a special blessing asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten us all with his gifts and fruits.

During the Homily, the Archbishop spoke on three main points. Firstly, about the wonderful role model Saint Mary MacKillop and how her dedication and faith is an inspiration to us all. Archbishop Christopher pointed out to the children that Mary MacKillop was about their age when she began her work following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Secondly, he spoke about the soon to be canonised Saint Carlos Acutis. The Archbishop, told the story of how Carlos encouraged his family to come back to Mass and how he reached out to those who were less fortunate. Blessed Carlos Acutis shared what he had, to help people enjoy a better life. Carlos will be the Patron Saint of Technology, and we were reminded of how we really need a saint to help us with the mind field of modern media. Archbishop Christopher encouraged us to put away the technology and make family time, a time where we communicate with each other personally.

Thirdly, Archbishop Christopher spoke about the Abdallah family, who lost three of the children and a cousin in a horrific incident when they were run down and killed by an intoxicated driver. He spoke of their amazing gift of faith and how they demonstrated their faith by forgiving the driver and helping him with his rehabilitation.

We sincerely thank all those involved in preparing the children for Confirmation, Mrs Wilson, Mr Ferguson, Mrs Hughes and Miss Wilson. A very special thanks to Father Joe and Father Xavier for their guidance and support and to Archbishop Christopher for making this a memorable night, not only for the children but for all those present in the Church. The Holy Spirit was truly present on Saturday night in our Church.

Also, a huge thank you to our amazing Altar Servers Harry and Archie Peterson. These boys had to learn some new routines for the Archbishop, that required extra practice. We appreciate your dedication to your ministry.

Thank you to Mrs Denise Reardon for assisting with the music as always, and to Emma McDonnell for arranging the flowers on the altar. As you can see a Sacrament involves many people to make it a special occasion.

Congratulations to our Confirmation Candidates. May you always remember your Confirmation Day and may the Holy Spirit fill you with all his goodness.

Kate Howe

REC