 |
June 14, 2007 |
 |
Confirmation: Releasing God’s spirit anew
|
|
|
Bishop Richard J. Sklba |
|
 |
Bishop Richard J. Sklba |
|
Herald
of Hope is a weekly column started by
former Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland
in the Catholic Herald and written by
the bishops of the Milwaukee Archdiocese. |
|
This year Trinity Sunday was celebrated on June 3, unofficially marking the end of the annual confirmation season in the archdiocese. There was a time when that same feast primarily signaled the end of the Easter Season, namely the period during which every adult was required to receive the Eucharist according to the canon which stipulated annual Communion (can 920). The fundamental obligation remains, but fortunately the regular practice of Catholics active in their parish communities has made frequent reception of Communion a reality.
The feast, therefore, offers me the opportunity to reflect on this season’s confirmation celebrations. I was privileged to preside over 35 celebrations thus far this year, with approximately 2,163 individual candidates welcomed into a new level of spiritual maturity in their faith (not even counting those confirmed by Archbishop Dolan). That translates into a very large number of personal letters from candidates to read and study this year. After 28 years of participating in this privileged ministry, I can offer a few comments on this year’s experience.
First of all, I cannot overstress the importance of providing and even insisting on the weekend retreat as a requirement within a parish confirmation program. Candidate after candidate admitted going to that experience with sheer dread, fearing a terrible time of dreary prayer and lectures ... only to discover an experience which changed his or her entire attitude to the sacrament, the Catholic faith and parish community!
Researchers often report that the so called “millennial Catholics,” namely those born after 1979 (the year I was ordained a bishop, by the way), are high on believing, but not so concerned about belonging (regular attendance at Mass or active parish affiliation).
A positive retreat experience, with the opportunity for candid small group conversation which never demeans or humiliates the seeker, changes everything, especially if the celebration of reconciliation and Eucharist are integral parts to the event. Skillful small group leaders at the parish level prior to the retreat set the right background.
I like to note in speaking with individual newly confirmed that such an experience is precisely what a parish should provide for those who come prepared to be confronted and nourished by Christ, the Word of God and the Bread of Life. A good retreat is an encounter with the institutional church at its best! The letters tell me that again and again! It stimulates the “belonging” part of the deal!
These young people are busy, and their junior year is an intense time for college testing and the challenges of making good choices regarding driving, dating and so many other aspects of their young adult life. This is a time when good peer example, rather than negative peer pressure is an enormous blessing! A good retreat helps discover the large number of young people who share their own values.
At times there are candid comments in the letters about disagreement with some of the teachings or practices of the church, often the current “hot button” issues of the day, but as one young fellow said, he really “wanted to belong to a community willing to live with the big questions of our world!” The opportunity to unpack those questions and to explain the currents of thought which have been refined over the centuries and thus brought to contemporary discussion is also a blessing provided by a good retreat.
So many of our parishes are to be praised for their commitment to provide the resources needed for that type of quality retreat. This is a very worthy investment and deserves a place in the annual budget. Thanks to youth ministers and to parish councils for making sure that it happens each year.
Parents are correct, at least in my judgment, when they insist on their son or daughter’s participation in the full confirmation program, and then step back to give full and respected freedom to the individual regarding the choice of actually receiving the sacrament!
The second element is the importance of service as a solid component in any successful program. While every sacrament is God’s action, and service is never to be considered the work which “earns” a sacrament, the opportunity for outreach is a key, especially for the age normally targeted for confirmation in our part of the world, namely 16 or a junior in high school. (That by the way was the age preferred by the then Cardinal Ratzinger when he was Archbishop of Cologne in Germany.)
Many service programs will understandably include parish or neighborhood events such as fish fries or community projects, and this is a good thing, especially if it brings new persons into the ambit of an adolescent’s circle. The most effective experiences, however, are always those which take young people out of their normal comfort zone and place them among people of faith who also serve at meal programs or homeless shelters. Participation in the Cathedral Center’s ministries, for example, or in mission work camps elsewhere in the country often offers life changing experiences.
Researchers like Fr. Andrew Greeley have repeatedly noted that the opportunity for solid and enjoyable faith experiences for middle to late adolescents remains one of the best predictors of life-long church participation.
Coming to the end of another confirmation season leaves me a bit breathless, but never bored. These are wonderful young people, and this sacrament is a great grace for all of us. I salute the parents, catechists, small group leaders and program directors who invest so much faith and time into providing the experience each year. Parish finance committees should be congratulated for seeing the wisdom of such an investment!
|
|
|
