In the beginning of my junior year of high school, one of my close friends told me she was getting confirmed at church next Sunday, completely clueless I only nodded in agreement and said that was great! When we arrived home I asked my mom what confirmation was, and she explained to me that it was the next step, or Sacrament, in a Catholic’s life where you confirm the relationship you have and want with God. In the Catholic religion, you are baptized at a young age, most of the time, before you can walk. Later, you enroll and attend Sunday school for a certain period of time to prepare for what is called your First Communion, which is the third of seven sacraments received. When a person receives their first communion they are most of the …show more content…
The following Sunday after mass at my church in Wynne, we spoke with Father Sammy, our priest, to inform him on my plans, so he could make arrangements so I could start my classes soon. Within a week I met Louise Hess, who is the coordinator for the religious classes at St.Peter’s Catholic Church. I purchased the required book and my teacher was our deacon, Deacon Carlos. In Wynne and surrounding areas the Hispanic community is smaller in comparison to Jonesboro and its surrounding areas; therefore, my church community was smaller, and my class for confirmation was only me and Aimme. My journey of getting closer to God and receiving the Holy Spirit had …show more content…
Louis Hess organized a Retreat Day, which was a day to worship and have fun doing so, hosted at the Parish Hall. I went and met the American confirmation candidates, we spent the day doing religious activities, read letter, wrote a letter to Bishop Anthony Taylor, and attended a mass directed towards us teenagers. At Retreat Day Mrs. Louise reminded us to find a sponsor to accompany us on Confirmation Day, but to remember it had to be an adult who would always help us and not let us forget our Catholic ways; however, by this time I had already been asked by Francisca, a close family friend, to be her goddaughter, so I was set. To wrap our day up, Sister Josephina surprised us with a large envelope, for each of us, with letters from our loved ones, which we were not expecting. We spread out around the Parish Hall, it was nice outside so I sat at a nearby picnic table. The first letter I read was from my mom, it stated that she was very proud of the young Catholic daughter I was becoming, and that hopefully I stay with my innocent, pure, and kind heart and mind. As I felt the light and warm breeze go through my hair I literally felt the love written by my parents, sisters, godmother, godfather, boyfriend, priest, and Louise, my heart was filled with warmth and joy. My eyes flooded with tears and the barrier holding them back broke. I was so emotional, because it had hit me right then that when I would
Attending a non-denominational church we start out with worship and being free to sing and dance and let our spirits take over. This may come out as someone running around the pews, or on their knees, but while in the Catholic Church the environment was much different. It was a lot more structured and formal in a sense than that of the non-denominational church where I practice my faith. Another difference was the offering, or as the Catholic Church calls it, the Gift. I am use to this concept, but rather than taking Gifts at the beginning of the service they take it at the end; then came communion. This is where you take part in eating the bread and drinking the wine in symbolism of Jesus’ body and blood. This I was also familiar with, but was informed by the couple that I went with that they partake in com...
My preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation has been incredible. There were times when it seemed that I had better things to do instead of going to the Youth Ministry. But after going, I never regretted it. Every time I was there, I felt at home. The thing that was in my mind most of the time was just how mortal human beings are. It was a wonderful feeling to know God loved me and that He’d allowed me to be there yet another time. I’ve learned to appreciate everything God gives us. Someti...
Raised by an agnostic father and a Catholic mother, I played religious tug-of-war. During my eight years of Catholic PSR study, I moved through the motions, much like a puppeteer commanding his rag figures on a string. I listened to hypocritical “teachers”, commanding me to cut ties with my Muslim friends for fear that they are most likely terrorists and to look down to gay members of our own community. Well aware of these prejudice intolerances, I said nothing, but I did I go home and continue my practices of Catholicism. Following the sacrament of confirmation, I broke away from the church and reverted to atheism - never could I support a cause that preaches intolerance and disgust towards another human being. I did not carry this ideology: I lugged it, I tugged it, I hauled it. I desired a relationship with the Lord, but I was infuriated with the way I was taught to connect with Him. After four interminable years of refusing to listen to the Lord’s calling, I took a leap of faith that I never envisioned possible - I visited a non-denominational Christian church with the man I love the most. Dressed in my Sunday-best on a Wednesday, I walked up four stairs in my tall wedges, heart pounding and stomach turning. My inner voice scolded me and said, “You turned your back on the Lord for four years, he will condemn you upon entering a holy place”. I opened my eyes and what I saw took me by surprise - men wore athletic shorts
Overall I didn’t really have the great of an experience and that was the reason why I went back to my family’s house, and was able to continue my education at a Christian school; such as Azusa pacific University which I love. I love the fact that I am also learning more about God, and having a wonderful people that are getting to know more about God as well. My overall experience made me more grateful to be where I am today and to be able to focus more on my life being around my family.
Duggan, STD, Rev. Robert D. Confirmation Filled with the Holy Spirit, they proclaimed the Lord Jesus. Allen, Texas: ColorDynamics, 2006. 48-49. Print.
I no longer think of baptism this way, mostly because I refuse to accept the notion of a God who would damn babies to hell (or purgatory) because they never had the chance for an old man to sprinkle water over their head. Consequently I did not plan at first to even bother with baptizing my daughter.
On June fourth this past summer I embarked on a, life-changing journey; Kairos. In Greek, the word Kairos means “appointed time”, but on this retreat it is specified as “a time for God.” Kairos is a four day long retreat that is offered to high school and college students, and as a member of a private Catholic school, I was given the option to attend this retreat during my senior year of high school. I was anxious about attending because the majority of the retreat was kept secret from any student that had not gone, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The retreat consisted of talks from the student and adult leaders, activities as a large group, sessions in our designated small groups, and individual time for reflection. Throughout the entire retreat we were encouraged
Sunday started an entirely new experience. We decided to attend the international service at Notre Dame Cathedral. Although pretty much all of it was in French and about two minutes of actual English, it was still a really cool experience and one that I knew was priceless. I think that growing up Catholic has given me a lot of respect for the buildings and the intentions of their architects. Sitting in Notre Dame really not understanding anything the priest was saying gave me the opportunity to sit and really admire my surroundings. After the mass ended, we all sat together for a quick lunch. A quick lunch here being anything less than three hours, mind you. Then, Olivia and I broke off from the group and we decided to go walk along the Champ-Elysees
People believe growth is important to life and Catholics believe that the soul must also grow to stay healthy. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is “sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ.” With this Catholics believe that the sacrament of confirmation is a supernatural version of natural growth. ("What Is Confirmation in the Catholic Church?") When receiving the Holy Spirit Catholics are preparing and confirming themselves and their souls to be missionaries of Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ becomes our meal where we gather to learn about Jesus and to learn of His sacrifice. Act of God and man together is represented every time we celebrate the Eucharist. It is a wonderful thanksgiving. Celebrating the Eucharist also confirms our community relationships. We share our belonging to Jesus during First communion. ”It is important that every child be prepared well for their first communion and that every child receive it, because it is the first step of this intense belonging to Jesus Christ, after baptism and confirmation.” (Francis,
Becoming a Christian is considered by many to be the greatest thing that one can do in life. Praying, worshipping God, and studying His word are all valuable parts to a walk in faith. Yet, some tend to forget an important action that should take place to attest a stand for Christianity. Baptism is an act of confirming that one is a Christian while symbolizing the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Through the teachings of the Bible and Jesus, it is apparent that the Southern Baptist view of baptism is the most accurate to the symbolization of Christ’s perfect resurrection and declares the public statement to necessary to affirm the relationship with Jesus. While baptism is not necessary for salvation, but does assert the example that Christ portrayed.
I called Cornelia the following day and she asked me out on a date – it was to attend a prayer group that following Friday. It was then when I encountered and started to get involved with a Church ministry named “La Nueva Alianza” (“New Covenant”). I was encouraged to allow the Holy Spirit to be more active in my life. Because of God 's merciful Spirit, I proceeded to develop—through prayer, Scripture reading, and the Sacraments—a closer relationship with the Lord and a stronger appreciation and adherence to the teachings of the Church. Since then, I have had a passionate desire that God’s people come to know Him and love Him more fully. This desire is not only what has driven me to serve His people, but what made me receptive to becoming Director of La Nueva Alianza Ministry
Growing up, I was raised in a southern Baptist church setting. Every Sunday you were required to attend church which included going to Sunday school, first service, and second service. You were also required to be active in the church whether it be ushering or singing in the choir. For my foreign experience of worship I decided to attend a Catholic church. At first I was a bit skeptical about stepping outside of my background history of worship because I thought that attending a Catholic church may change some of my beliefs or practices. I will admit before my attendance to this Catholic Church I had negative thoughts and was determined that my paper would be only about negative experience that I had. Once I entered the church all of my negative thoughts were out of my mind. Prior to researching background information I really didn’t think that Catholics and Baptist had a lot in common, besides their belief in the faith of Jesus Christ. In my essay about my Catholic Church experience I will describe the physical setting of the church, tell you about the church service, and lastly tell
As grew older and more observant in the church, I realized that there was hierarchy and many of the times, it seemed as if it were tainted. I quickly grasped the concept that if you were connected to the “right” group of people, you would be given special treatment. It reminded me of the typical American high school cliques. For instance, there was always a group of people that were more known than others; they were liked by almost everyone, they were given special treatment, and put on a pedestal. When I finally decided to leave that type of environment, I recognized that it was a toxic atmosphere, especially if one didn’t agree with the majority or put the few on a pedestal. This season of my life helped me realize that I didn’t need to be validated by others. I actually preferred that I wasn’t alike and chose the rebellious, non-confirmative route instead. It was freeing and I’m grateful that I never looked
Born into a practicing Catholic family, I’ve acquired six traditional sacraments of the Catholic Religion. In Catholic teaching, sacraments are gifts of Christ, performed through the office of the Church, (www.spaceandmotion.com/religion.personal communication, August, 2007). For the duration of elementary through high school, I attended Catholic School. At the age of eighteen, I came to the conclusion; the catholic religion was not for me. I find Catholicism highly contradictive.