Religious Education
CONFIRMATION-A Begining, Not an End
On Tuesday evening, our Year 6 students, together with members of our parish community, gathered at St Patrick’s Church to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. It was a beautiful and significant evening in the faith journey of our young people, as they received the gifts and strength of the Holy Spirit in a special way.
During his very moving homily, Fr Andrzej Madry, Episcopal Vicar for the Southern Region of the Archdiocese of Melbourne, reminded our students that Confirmation is not the end of their Catholic faith journey, but rather a beginning. Through this sacrament, they are strengthened and empowered by the Holy Spirit to go out into the world and show, through the way they live, that they are followers of Jesus Christ.
Fr Andrzej challenged the students to put their faith into action through three important qualities: Integrity, Compassion and Witness.
Integrity
Integrity means being people of honesty and goodness, even when nobody is watching. It means making choices that reflect the teachings of Jesus and having the courage to stand up for what is right. For our young people, this might mean being truthful, including someone who is left out, resisting peer pressure, or choosing kindness when it would be easier to go along with the crowd. As followers of Christ, we are called to let our actions reflect what we believe.
Compassion
Compassion calls us to notice those around us and to respond with love and care. Jesus constantly reached out to those who were hurting, lonely, excluded or in need. Fr Andrzej reminded the students that being a Christian means looking beyond ourselves and asking, “Who needs my help? Who needs my kindness? Who might need me to simply be there for them?” Compassion is faith made visible through our care for others.
Witness
Witness means allowing our lives to speak about our faith. We do not need to preach or have all the answers. Instead, we can witness to Christ through the way we treat others, the choices we make, the way we forgive, serve, encourage and show kindness. Our young people are now called to be witnesses to their faith not only within the church, but in their families, friendships, classrooms, sporting teams and wider community.
Importantly, Fr Andrzej reminded the students that they do not have to do these things alone. The Holy Spirit is their strength and guide. Through Confirmation, they receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit to help them grow in courage, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, right judgement, reverence and awe before God. The Holy Spirit will continue to guide them as they face challenges, make decisions and seek to live as young people of faith.
The message of the evening was therefore a powerful one: Confirmation is not a finishing line. It is a new beginning. Our students are being sent forth to live their faith with integrity, to show compassion to others and to be courageous witnesses to the love of Christ.
As a school and parish community, we pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to guide and strengthen our newly Confirmed students, helping them to recognise that wherever they go and whatever they do, they have the opportunity to show others what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
We congratulate all of our Confirmation candidates and thank their families, sponsors, teachers, parishioners Fr Justin, Fr Joseph and Fr Andrzej for supporting them throughout this important stage of their faith journey. We also acknowledge and thank those Year 6 students who participated in our Confirmation preparation but did not receive the Sacrament of Confirmation on Tuesday evening. Whether they had already received the sacrament, are continuing to discern their own faith journey, or come from a different faith background, their participation, encouragement and support of their peers throughout the program has been greatly valued. We thank them for the important part they played in supporting their classmates and celebrating this significant occasion as a Year 6 community. We continue to pray that each of our students will grow in their understanding of faith, develop a deep respect for the beliefs of others, and recognise the many ways in which they can live out values of kindness, compassion, integrity and service in their daily lives.
Kathryn Ady
Religious Education Leader