gollysmolly

Okay… I’m bored of the usual blogging style, and I’m pretty sure you are too =P

CONFIRMATION  &  PARTY

Holy?
‘Twas not.
‘Twas not holy.
I did not feel holy.

‘Twas not lacking but
I had anticipated more,
‘Twasn’t what I expected,
‘Twas in fact quite a bore.

‘Twas magic that came later,
but the Oil and Flesh came first,
‘Twas choir music that was great,
‘Twas my concentration at its worst.

‘Twas the Holy Spirit in my friends,
‘Twas in their hugs, in their smiles,
I felt it course through like energy,
‘Twas love’s energy all the while.

‘Twas the Holy Spirit I say,
‘Twas Him through them,
‘Twas nothing but love,
Love from my friends.

‘Twas too ordinary,
‘Twas not magical,
Sparks didn’t fly,
‘Twasn’t radical.

‘Twas love,
I felt it,
Love.

Oh yay, my first poem! Lolz, I need a life…
But seriously, that is true… However, this report on my confirmation for the Church newsletter, isn’t that true, though it is quite informative (or at least more so than the poem…)

Our spiritual journey through Confirmation
climaxed on the 9^th of September, when we were confirmed and fully
initiated into the Catholic Church, after years of Catechism and preparation
for full initiation, having already received the holy sacraments of Baptism and
Communion.

The different Rites signified the end of
each Period, in a way that we would never forget. The Period of Invitation, in which we learnt about
the journey we were going to embark on, ended with the Rite of Welcome, where
we were recognized as candidates for Confirmation, willing to undertake and
carry out this journey of faith with Christ. The Period of Formation, in which we grew in our faith as candidates for
Confirmation in the Holy Spirit, ended with the Rite of Calling, where we were
called to be fully initiated Catholics in the Church, and continue our journey
of Confirmation. The Period of Reflection,
in which we reflected on what we had learnt over the past few years of
Catechism in preparation for Confirmation, ended with the Holy Sacrament of
Confirmation, where all 63 of us were anointed with the Holy Chrism, and our
initiation was sealed in the Holy Spirit, as well as through partaking in the
Body of Christ, marking our full membership in the Holy Catholic Church.

Throughout our journey, we participated in
retreats, such as the annual Confirmation camps for secondary 2 and 3
candidates, enabling us to grow in faith, as well as to get to know our friends
around us better. We forged friendships
while forming a relationship with the Holy Spirit, who would come down on us
during Confirmation, as he did upon the apostles during Pentecost. The camps enabled us to grow spiritually, through
the sessions and the activities planned for us, while making friends with those
around us and basking in the fellowship for the three days we are
together. I’m sure many will remember
Confirmation camp as being a fun time where everyone can get to know one
another, regardless of which catechism class one is in (Saturday or
Sunday). The facilitators guided us
through the camp, as the catechists could not have done it on their own, and
they really helped to bring the mood of the camp to a higher level, as well as
ensure the smooth and efficient running of the camp. They were so good, that most of them were
snatched up as sponsors not long after! The camp as a whole was a truly enriching experience for us as
candidates for confirmation, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

In our last year of preparation for
Confirmation, our catechism classes were mainly focussed on what we were
professing as our faith, and explaining what it meant to be a Roman Catholic. The Nicene Creed was ‘dissected’, and we went
through its meaning, line by line. We
learnt a lot about what our faith really was just by thoroughly studying that
short passage which we all are guilty of reciting mechanically every week at
mass. Other than that, weekly catechism
for us was really a reflection on how much we actually knew about our faith,
and how much we have learnt over the past few years of our lives of catechism.

On the day of our Confirmation mass, we were
dressed in white, to signify our purity in the Holy Spirit, and our cleansing
in the renewal of baptismal vows. With
the support of our family and friends, we processed into the church before
Archbishop Nicholas Chia who celebrated at this special mass. It was an uplifting experience to be in front
of the Archbishop, with his blessings upon you, as you are sealed in the Spirit
by the Holy Chrism put on your forehead. Everyone watches as you are confirmed into the Catholic Church, and you
know they are supporting you fully, and welcoming you as a member of the
Church. All 67 confirmants went through
the Confirmation process smoothly, with their sponsor by their side, showing
his or her support for the newly confirmed. Indeed, it was a high mass, which no confirmant would ever forget. After the mass, we received our Confirmation
certificates and took pictures with His Grace, the Archbishop, and then we were
free to meet up with our family and friends, who congratulated us with hugs and
gifts alike. That was the time in which
I really felt the Holy Spirit, through the love and support that my family and
friends had for me, though I take it for granted every day. To me, that truly was the Holy Spirit; the
love those around me have for me, though I don’t realize it.

The Confirmation party at Paul Lee’s house
was extremely fun, and that was probably the last time we would get together as
a full class (both Saturday and Sunday) of confirmants; after that, it was
post-Confirmation class, and the focus would shift to the new batch of
candidates for Confirmation. Thus, the
party was another experience in the Confirmation journey to remember, as we
gathered for fellowship to cherish the friendships that we have forged over the
past two years, along the path to Confirmation that brought us together. It was a nice conclusion to the climax of
Confirmation, and we were officially ‘graduated’ to post-confirmation class.

The journey of preparation for Confirmation
has ended, but our journey as Catholics has just begun. We are now moving into a Period of Mission,
where we are called to lead holy Christian lives, to be witnesses to the
Catholic faith in everything that we do. Our Confirmation was a milestone in our journey, and it is guaranteed a
place in our hearts and memories forever.

Yes, its long and boring, and that’s why I summarised it in the poem… But here’s where the real stuff begins:

Like I said, the mass was pretty boring, nothing much to talk about… But after the mass, when all my friends came to congratulate and hug me, it was like… Whoah =P

Here’s a pic of me sharing the love all round =)

                                        And here’s a pic of me hugging Julian…

Like I said, there were hugs all round, so it was really nice lor, with all my friends!
And then after that, I took more pics with my camera at the reception, but I haven’t uploaded them yet… That was fun, cuz I was packed in the hall, with all my peeps =)

Then came the party, with all the church ppl gathered together, and that was pretty fun too, went around taking pics like mad… TRIGGER HAPPY =) lolz…  The climax was when they started dunking ppl in the rather small pool, cuz almost everyone got dunked, but a few didn’t (and I was among the few)… Then got so much drama lah, Chris Teo gave his shirt to Germaine to towel off, but she used it and threw it back at him… Lolz (that was before he got dunked btw) and a lot of other ppl also got dunked, including Kathleen (screaming her head off), Ryan (who managed to escape till the very last), Kevin (though I don’t recall him getting dunked), Bryan (he practially could walk home and change), etc.

So it was fun, and I managed to take pics with SOME ppl, though I wish I had taken more… And that pretty much sums up the climax of Catehcism: CONFIRMATION =)

Anyway, this is prob the last blog post for awhile, since I need to settle down for revision… So goodbye, my darling blog, until we meet again =)

lotsa <3.
<GABZ>

PS  There were girls in white shirts =P
PSS   Have I talked about PSF Retreat yet?

This entry was posted on Saturday, September 16th, 2006 at 7:11 am and is filed under my life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.