Congratulations to our 2nd & 8th Graders

 

On Thursday, November 5, our 2nd graders celebrated First Reconciliation.  Celebrating a communal penance service, the children read well and were well prepared.  Many visiting priests who came to assist us with reconciliation said that they were impressed at how well the children were prepared.  They knew what to say, they knew their prayers, and even though they were a little nervous, but the priests found it delightful to celebrate the sacraments with them.  A big thanks to their teachers Ms. Megan Rabbit and Ms. Nina Warda for preparing our children so well.

Then on Saturday, November 7, our 8th graders received the Sacrament of Confirmation.  When asked by Bishop Justice when was it that they first received the Holy Spirit, a student correctly and quickly answered that it was in Baptism.  In this Sacrament, they receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.  When asked what oil would be used to anoint them with, another student confidently said that it was the Oil of Chrism.  Two things in particular stood out for the Bishop, who celebrates this Sacrament at different parishes.  The first 4 of the students sang and led the community in the Psalm response.  The second was when the students came up to be confirmed, in many parishes, the confirmation name is usually written on a name tag.  However, our students did not have a name tag, and they came up, spoke loudly and told the bishop confidently, their confirmation name. 

Once again, our children were well prepared, thanks to Mr. David Lopez, Ms. Renee McHugh, Ms. Mahgie Murphy and of course our principal, Ms. Carol Grewal.  The Bishop in his visit with the teens before mass told them, Confirmation is not graduation out of the Church, but it is entering and becoming an even more active member of the Church.  To their credit, these teens did not skip mass the following day after Confirmation.  They attended the teen mass, and many even stayed for the teen activity afterwards, which was to fix sandwiches for SVDP.  They fixed over 200 sandwiches.

Your prayers for our teens are working.  Please continue to pray for them and for the young people of our Church.

                                                                                                Gratefully,
                                                                                                Fr. Dan