Confirmation: A way for young people to embrace their faith

St. Christopher Parish confirmation students, left, Mary Ording, 17, a junior at Cathedral High School; Blake Elliott, 17, a junior at Zionsville High School; and Tyler Sexton, 17, a junior at Cathedral High School, discuss questions during a meeting. The topic for this meeting focused on issues of everyday life and its relation to the sacrament.

By Bryce Bennett

For Kristina Carson, Mary Ording, Allyson Malad and hundreds of other young people in the archdiocese, ­confirmation is an opportunity to make their Catholic faith their own.

“Through confirmation, I am hoping to deepen my understanding of the religion,” said Mary Ording, 17, a junior at Cathedral High School and a member of St. Christopher Parish, both in Indianapolis.

Many young people in the archdiocese have recently begun confirmation meetings at their parishes. It is often a misunderstood sacrament and one that can reveal itself to its candidates in numerous ways.

“Confirmation is about receiving the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit,” explained Father Eric Augenstein, administrator of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in New Albany. “The sacrament should not be considered a rite of passage into adulthood.”

“They [young people] are the future of the Church,” explained Jennifer Wesolowski, confirmation coordinator at St. Lawrence Parish in Indianapolis. “I pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are made present within them.”

Maria Solis, 19, experienced those gifts during her confirmation at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in New Albany.

“Confirmation is not a label, it is a way of life,” said Maria, now a freshman at Marian College in Indianapolis. “It is a decision of saying ‘this is my faith from now on.’ ”

Allyson Malad, 17, looks forward to taking the gifts of confirmation into her everyday life.

“I see confirmation as an opportunity to learn more about my faith, take what I have learned and apply it outside of school,” explained Allyson, a junior at Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School and a member of St. Christopher Parish, both in Indianapolis.

Many parishes in the archdiocese use confirmation preparation as a unique opportunity to talk honestly about life as a teenager.

“Some of our classes focus on personal spiritual growth,” said Marlene Stammerman, confirmation coordinator at St. Jude Parish in Indianapolis. “Things like prayer classes, chastity programs and an overall holistic approach to life.”

“We touch upon these [teenage life] elements and try to focus on elements that relate to the universal Church,” Wesolowski explained.

For this year’s confirmation meetings, St. Christopher Parish has a focus on the Beatitudes.

“Every meeting has a theme of a certain Beatitude,” said Tom Steiner, confirmation coordinator at St. Christopher Parish. “We try to include an interactive activity in each meeting so the candidates can see their faith in action.”

The prospect of meeting new people excites Kristina Carson.

“I am excited about strengthening my faith by interacting and meeting new people,” said Kristina, 17, a junior at Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School and member of St. Christopher Parish.

The faith in action element is something that is also very important to confirmation coordinators. Nearly every parish tries to include at least one service activity and a retreat in its confirmation program.

“[The] retreat is really important because it gives a religious experience a young person maybe has never had before,” Steiner explained.

“St. Lawrence holds two retreats,” Weslowski explained. “The first is a day retreat and the second is an overnight retreat that focuses on maturing in faith. There are games, question-and-answer sessions and a celebration of ­reconciliation.”

For Kasey Hall, 17, preparing for confirmation was a particularly memorable time.

“At [our] confirmation retreat, I found myself able to express myself openly. It was a very emotional experience,” said Kasey, a senior at Cardinal Ritter Jr./Sr. High School and member of St. Thomas More Parish in Mooresville. “Our youth minister, Marianne Hawkins, put a lot of time into getting letters and pictures from people close to us. Overall, I felt comfortable in my own skin.”

Stammerman gets just as excited talking about the service opportunities that come with the sacrament.

“St. Jude has a Justice and Service Team that plans and coordinates different service projects. Some different projects we have done include trips to the Rosegate Nursing Home to visit with the people, and to do some landscaping,” Stammerman said. “Additionally, we ask them to do service opportunities in their families and through their school.”

The candidates are reminded by the coordinators that the sacrament does not end the day they are anointed. They are reminded that these gifts and these faith experiences need to continue to fully celebrate the sacrament.

“I hope that the candidates can come away with the knowledge to keep God a part of big life decisions,” Maria Solis said.

“Faith is a lifelong process,” Steiner said. “It is a continual process of growing. If I am able to get this through to the candidates, then I know I have done my job and they will be successful in whatever they choose to do.” †