Religious Education

Just as our bodies and minds grow, our soul also needs to grow in the life of grace. The sacrament of confirmation builds on the sacraments of baptism, penance, and eucharist, completing the process of initiation into the Catholic community. Confirmation, a sacrament of initiation, establishes young adults as full-fledged members of the faith. This sacrament is called confirmation because the faith given in baptism is now confirmed and made strong. During our baptism, our parents and godparents made promises to renounce Satan and believe in God and the Church on our behalf. At confirmation, we renew those same promises, this time speaking for ourselves. 

On Tuesday and Wednesday evening, St Louis’ Church was filled to the brim with a “Spirit filled community,” joining our Year 6 students to celebrate their reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation. We were privileged to have Bishop Tony Ireland, Father Andrew and Father Hoang, resplendent in their red vestments symbolizing the red tongues of fire seen hovering over the heads of the apostles at Pentecost, presiding over the liturgy.

During confirmation, the focus is on the Holy Spirit, who confirmed the apostles on Pentecost and gave them the courage to practice their faith. That same Holy Spirit confirms during the sacrament of confirmation and gives us the same gifts.

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel (right judgement), fortitude (courage), knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord ( Wonder and Awe). 

Bishop Tony captivated the congregation with his relevant and engaging homilies, likening the Holy Spirit to: 

1. The Divine WiFi- you can’t see it, you can’t hear it, you can’t smell it or feel it, but you know it's there and you can become extremely frustrated if it’s not! It helps us communicate and can assist us in so many aspects of our lives. The gifts are the “Apps of life.” We need to “tap the app” in order to have access to the abundance of gifts given to us. If you don't 'Tap' you wont access the content!

2. Peanut Butter, Vegemite, Jam and Nutella- to be enjoyed, all these condiments need to be SPREAD! They are of no value if we keep them untouched in a jar, locked away in a cupboard.

 They need to be opened and spread for all to enjoy.

3.Bunnings- the main purpose of Bunnings is three-fold:

a) To plant and grow

b) To fix and mend

c)To make and build

The gifts of the spirit need to be planted in our hearts so that we can grow in the love of God, the love of self  and the love of our neighbour. We are asked to mend relationships and repair the hurt we may have caused. And finally with the gift of the spirit as our helper and guide, we can build the city of God by bringing peace. love and joy to our world.

With these analogies, Father Tony was able to deepen our understanding of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the importance for us to use these gifts and fruits in order to lead a life modelled on Jesus Christ. What good is a gift if it is never opened? 

The fruits of the Holy Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control are human qualities that can be activated by the Holy Spirit. By activating these gifts we can spread the Good News to those we meet. 

Being confirmed in the Church means accepting responsibility for your faith and destiny.  Our Year 6 students, having now entered young adulthood, can choose to do what’s right on their own, not for the recognition or reward but merely because it’s the right thing to do. 

May the gifts of the Holy Spirit strengthen all of our young adults, to make good choices, continue on their faith journey knowing that they will always have the love of God, and be ambassadors of our Catholic faith.

Congratulations to all our Year 6 Candidates and thank you to all the students at St Louis' who contributed to the spectacular displays in the church. As you can see, they all did an incredible job!

Are you or a friend interested in becoming a Catholic? 

Have you ever thought about doing the sacraments and expanding your faith? What about joining with your children as they go through the sacramental program at school? The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) begins with a 'come and see' information night on Thursday 11th August at 7:30pm at St. Louis’ Aspendale (37 Dolphin street). RCIA is for: Adults who are not baptised; Adults baptised in another Christian Church or faith; non-practising Catholics wishing to renew their faith. Phone the Parish office for more information on 9580-7981. “Come and see”