Pastor's Note

INSPIRATION FROM CONFIRMANDS
February 25th, 2007

The last two weeks I have been interviewing the thirty-three young men and women who will be confirmed next Saturday. Most of them are seventh and eighth graders.
You will be happy to know that their ideals are intact and their enthusiasm about their faith is real. Here are a few points of what I heard.
 They enjoyed coming to the Confirmation classes especially for two reasons: their sponsors were with them, and the way the sessions were run allowed them to really grasp the significance of Confirmation. Many commented about the creative way that Marla led the group each week.
 They like going to church, especially when they can be involved. They know they are at an in-between age (too old for the Children’s Liturgy of the Word and too young for some other ministries), but they want to make the church experience their own.
 They appreciate Blessed John Parish in trying to include kids as much as possible.
 They found their service experience to be good and are very willing to do more.
 They are finding, in their own words, ways to describe the Holy Spirit. With each day, their sense of God in their lives is growing. Many said how they are doing more personal prayer.
 Their participation in Generations of Faith provides them with a strong witness that growth in faith takes a life-time.
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What I observed is how they are blossoming with the active support of their parents who take them to church and are willing to talk about faith matters at home.
All in all, we can be very proud of our confirmands. They know this sacrament is not an end to their faith growth, but a door opening to new life-long learning.