The Sacrament of Confirmation Entering into God’s Special Plan for you Holy Redeemer Boys and Girls Sunday 17th April 2016, 11:30am

Opening Prayer God our Father, you knew us before we were born. You called us at Baptism to be witnesses of your love for us in Christ. Prepare our hearts and minds this evening to welcome the gifts of your Holy Spirit, that we may become everything you desire us to be as your sons and daughters in Christ. We make this prayer to you in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

Why The Sacraments? God is with us in the sacraments. The sacraments mark times in our lives that are especially important or significant for us in our lives – times when we are happy; times when we are sad; times when we make important decisions. In the sacraments, the Risen Jesus shows us the same love, care and forgiveness of God, as Jesus showed to those who lived with him on Earth. The sacraments give us the opportunity to come together and remember that we are Church, we are the Body of Christ and it is we who make Christ present in our world today.

Sacraments contd. God is present in a special way when we receive a sacrament. Each sacrament helps us to celebrate and remember God’s love for us. Sacraments require us to have faith in which we have to respond to the invitation given to each of us by Jesus. When we come to celebrate any of the seven sacraments we are creating holy and grace-filled moments, times of healing, reconciliation, nourishment and belonging. They are natural moments in tune with the Rhythm of our lives. In our sacramental moments we are graced by God and challenged to become more like God in our words and actions.

Initiation is... Baptism Confirmation Eucharist Washing Anointing Nourishment

Requirements for Reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation Be prepared to profess the faith. Be in the state of grace. Intend to receive the sacrament. Be prepared to witness to Jesus Christ.

Sacrament of Confirmation Is one of the 7 sacraments and completes our journey of initiation/Confirms our baptism Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation Confirmation is not: a ‘rite of passage’ confirming ‘my own faith’ Although this can be a ‘by-product’ a crash course in Catholicism getting the kids ‘done’ before we lose them about having lots of numbers attend The Holy Spirit is poured out onto the baptised candidate “be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” The holy spirit draws the candidate closer to Christ & strengthens the person to live as a witness of Christ

How is Confirmation Celebrated The sacrament is celebrated through the anointing with Chrism on the forehead And the laying on of hands And the Words: Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit

Confirmation Ritual You Stand or Kneel before the Bishop Your sponsor lays one hand on your shoulder and speaks your confirmation name The bishop anoints you by using oil of Chrism (a consecrated oil) to make the Sign of the Cross on your forehead while saying your confirmation name and “ Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” The presence of the bishop at confirmation reminds us that we are part of something much bigger than our own parish. We are members of a huge family, the body of christ. The bishop is the ordinary minister of confirmation. In places where the bishop does not celebrate Confirmation he has the power to delegate this responsibility to other priests.

Confirmation Ritual Contd. You Respond, “ Amen” The bishop then says “Peace be with you.” You respond, “And with your spirit”

Confirmation In Confirmation we say “yes” to the call of God to work with other people to build a better world for all. The community assures us of the help of the Holy Spirit in the work that we are about to do. “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”.

Confirmation Being confirmed in the Catholic Church means accepting responsibility for your faith and destiny. Adulthood, even young adulthood, means that you must do what’s right on your own, not for the recognition or reward but merely because it’s the right thing to do.

Why Confirmation? Importance of the Sacrament of Confirmation Faith Parent’s responsibility Link to baptism & Eucharist Regular practice Adulthood – ‘we grow up’ Confirmation of our baptism. You gave them the gift of faith, which you promised to nourish and encourage as they grew older. Now they are old enough to say ‘yes’ to that gift for themselves and this is what they do at Confirmation. Like all sacraments we must choose to celebrate it and it is important to be sure that you and your child are ready to take this final step on the journey to become a full member of the Church. Support of parents very important. Confirmation is an opportunity to publicly stand up and declare that we believe in the holy Spirit the same spirit that was gifted to us in baptism, the same spirit whose gifts will help us to be people of spirit, people who want to live as Jesus asks us to.

Confirmation Each person wishing to be confirmed comes forward with his or her sponsor, who usually is one of the godparents chosen for baptism. The original minister for confirmation is the bishop In the Eastern Churches priest can confirm infants after baptism Like baptism Confirmation can only be received once

Sponsors The role of the sponsor is to help the one being confirmed remain firm and strong in the faith Sponsors are role models of faith, their task is to give support and inspiration to those living in the Christian faith

Name Encourage Children to choose a saints name A new name is often chosen when someone decides a new way of life e.g. Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson? Peter Gene Bayot Hernandez? Jorge Mario Bergoglio? The website www.actapublications.com/names & www.Catholic.org is helpful in finding saint’s names

Effects A – Courage – Mental Strength B – Hope – A Positive outlook in life C – Strength – Power to conquer temptation D – Purpose – Direction and meaning in life E – Peace – The strength to overcome anxiety and Fear F – Grace – The power to do God’s Will G – Truth – The power to do and follow what is right and true

The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit These Gifts are supernatural graces given to the soul. The origin of these gifts is found in Isaiah 11:1-3 where the qualities of the Messiah are foretold. 7 Gifts Wisdom – importance of others &the importance of keeping God centre in our lives Understanding: discover the meaning of our faith and to live according to its teaching. Helps us to know more clearly the mysteries of the faith Knowledge: ability to think about and explore God’s revelation. Learning the things we must do in order to do God’s will Right judgement: to see the best way to follow God’s plan when we have choices on how to live our faith Courage: overcome obstacles to loving God and Others, especially when it is difficult Piety: help us to pray to God in true and loyal devotion Reverence: the feeling of amazement before God, who is ever-present and whose friendship we do not want to lose

Fruits of the Holy Spirit Human qualities that can be activated by the Holy Spirit

The preparation Education in School Putting faith into practice Service of light (Saturday 27th February) Promises by confirmation candidates Promises by parents Personal works of charity

Afterwards Regular attendance Participation in the parish life/life of the Church Pentecost Sunday Mass 11:30am

Confirmation Day 17th April 11:30am

Questions? Sponsors Names Clothing Robes and Sash Cameras Money

Closing Prayer God has created me to do him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission – I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for nothing. I shall do good. I shall do his work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place while not intending it – if I do but keep his Commandments. Therefore I will trust him. Whatever, wherever, I am I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what he is about. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me – still he knows what he is about. Cardinal Neman

Pope Saint John Paul II “Trust Christ; listen attentively to his teachings, fix your eyes on his face, persevere in listening to his Word. Allow him to focus your search and your aspirations, all your ideas and desires of your heart”.