Confirmation

Thursday night, I spent the evening at St. Sebastian’s Church, where my oldest grandson, Matthew, was being confirmed, along with 86 other 7^th graders. I felt honored that my grandson had asked me to be his sponsor on this special evening.

The ceremony was beautiful. Bishop David Zubik, Bishop of the Pittsburgh Diocese, confirmed the students. He started out with a religion lesson about the sacrament of Confirmation and the Holy Spirit. This small lesson brought back memories to me when I taught Confirmation at my parish CCD classes. I loved the fact that I remembered all the answers to the Bishop’s questions. For a while, I felt like my faith, which had been in a dormant stage, came alive tonight. Maybe that was a gift to me by the Holy Spirit.

Despite the ceremony being long, it ran smoothly. The music was beautiful and upbeat, thanks to the five women who sang and the four men who played the instruments. I actually participated in the singing.

I felt something special was happening in the church that night. Maybe it was because I was a Confirmation sponsor, or maybe I actually felt the presence of God in the packed church, on a special night, sitting beside my grandson.