Parish Youth Receive the Sacrament of Confirmation: Sealed With the Gift of the Holy Spirit

“Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” — these are the words the celebrant says at Confirmation while signing the confirmand’s head with chrism, an oil also used at Baptism. This is one of three Sacraments of Initiation — as the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist “lay the foundations of every Christian life” (1212).

This year, 19 of our parish’s 11th-graders received the Sacrament of Confirmation on April 26. Without a doubt, this is always a very special Mass here at St. Francis Xavier.

The newly confirmed spent this past school year in Sunday classroom sessions preparing for the sacrament. They each chose a sponsor who is a role model of the Catholic faith.

“They all chose someone that will walk with them on this journey and throughout their lives,” says Ashleigh Martin, who has served as Director of Youth Ministry for six years.

Ashleigh enjoyed opening the teen’s eyes to the richness of the Catholic faith. The teens were challenged to grow in their faith through all the classes. They spent a lot of time learning about the Holy Spirit and the gifts He gives to each of us.

“This is an important topic for them and leads them to use the gifts to go out into the world and evangelize,” Ashleigh says.

The teens also explored Scripture, proof of God’s existence, and the sacraments.

The hope is, of course, that these youth will go forward and evangelize. We pray that they will be examples in the faith for all those around them. We also pray that they recognize their unique gifts and use them at whichever parish their faith journey takes them to.

“At Confirmation, they were given the tools to help them deepen their faith, making them excited to share it with others,” Ashleigh says.

While Ashleigh is sad that the weekly meetings are now over, she is excited for each teen as they embark on their lifelong faith journey.

“I am so proud of these teens, and I grow to truly love each and every one of them,” Ashleigh says. “I love spending Sunday mornings in class with them growing in faith together.”

Please join us in congratulating our 11thgraders who received this beautiful sacrament last month!