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
Duggan, STD, Rev. Robert D. Confirmation Filled with the Holy Spirit, they proclaimed the Lord Jesus. Allen, Texas: ColorDynamics, 2006. 48-49. Print.
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.
After seeing though the eyes of my pastor I’ve come to realize the importance of faith and committing to one’s beliefs. Returning to church after two massive losses has helped my mother in many ways and it has also taught me as a young man how small things that I could do would turn to have a big impact on someone’s life the same way my pastor impacted my life and the life of my siblings.
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
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...
I was dragged to Catholic church every Sunday as a child. Despite the numerous temper-tantrums, I could not be more thankful for the efforts of my parents. After many Wednesday nights and a hefty amount of volunteer hours, I was confirmed in the Catholic Church. The
For the next couple of years afterward I lived in an apartment with my brother and dad. In sixth grade my dad met Donna. Donna has now been my stepmom for approximately five years. She is thankfully about 100 times better than my last stepmom. Back in 8th grade is where my second major event in my life occurred. My friend invited me to her church. I had never been an avid churchgoer, but I decided to give it a chance. At that point in my life I was going through a difficult time and decided maybe I could benefit from going to church. Now four years later I’m still attending the same church and am pondering the thought of pursuing a career as a youth pastor. Becoming a Christian was one of the biggest decisions I have made in my
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.
As my friend Jenni and I entered the hall of the big church, a feeling of apprehension overwhelmed us. Our feelings were soon comforted when we entered a sea of smiling faces and outstretched hands. A sense of belonging engulfed us. Ms. Shirley, an older colored woman was first to extend her arms. She did not know us from Adam, but it did not matter. She threw her arms around us. "You girls have the prettiest smiles", she declared. "I am so glad you came to be with us this morning." Words can not describe what the act of kindness did to our feelings of apprehension, and that was just the beginning.
During my reading of Meeting Jesus in the Sacraments, I reflected on my journey as a
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
Christians must come to understand that in order to serve God and His people well, we need to know and live better my Catholic Faith. We must study and read about the Church’s teachings and traditions to appreciate them better, but we must also allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our Christian lives. He will do it! God’s Spirit desires to form a close relationship with each and every one of us. Indeed, He is the Great Unknown Companion within us that we already received in our baptism to form us perfectly into God’s image and likeness. However, if in Baptism we receive the Spirit to bear Christ 's image, it 's equally true that in Confirmation we are sent by God in that same Spirit to bear true witness to Christ. With the Holy Spirit we are sent to share with others the wonders that God has done, and to share that God is alive and that God is love. Therefore, open your heart to the Holy Spirit’s presence and action in your life; always invite Him with desire, faith, and fervor to fill you completely; and pray to Him constantly for wisdom, strength, guidance, and courage. God will do it – yes, He will! God bless you
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.
The first sacrament is Baptism. The ordinary minister of Baptism is a Priest, Bishop or Pope (not Deacon). In special cases anybody can baptize as long as they follow the proper form of the church. (De Ferrari 63) A pertinent symbol of Baptism would be Holy Water, which symbolizes what a priest uses to baptize someone. (De Ferrari 65) Baptism is when somebody officially becomes a part of the Catholic Church. (De Ferrari 64) One reason it is important would be because Jesus said, “Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Spirit, he can’t enter the kingdom of God.” (New Revised Standard Edition, John 3:5) Another reason this is important is because it is the door of spiritual life. Also with it we are made members of Christ and His body, the Church. (De Ferrari 62)
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