Supporting Our Youth Through Pivotal Moments in Their Faith Formation

Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation and Quinceañera — each of these events marks an important moment in a child’s spiritual journey.

“Each one draw us back to Jesus, making a greater commitment to Him,” says Fr. Paul Key. “They also involve specific promises by the individual, as well as the parents, godparents, and the surrounding community. These are specific promises to God, involving an affirmation of the faith which also includes a renunciation of the world and the devil.”

Traditionally, these sacraments and celebrations are spread out from a child’s infancy to teenage years, strengthening them as they travel from spiritual childhood, adolescence and, finally, adulthood. Doing this effectively, however, requires more than the day of the event itself. Children need their parents and godparents to walk the journey with them on a daily basis, helping them grow in faith as promised during the child’s Baptism.

Fr. Paul says that’s why they remain pivotal moments not only for the child, but also for us as a Church. They serve as a kind of call to action for us to each do our part to “train the youth in the way they should go” (Proverbs 22:6). Not only does this mean showing up at key moments in our children’s lives, but it also means taking time to form ourselves so that we can truly walk the walk.

“You can’t provide any sort of real modeling unless you’ve learned first what you need to be,” Fr. Paul says. “That’s why I think adults need to have some sort of ongoing faith formation.”

There are many ways for parents and godparents to do that here at St. Boniface. First and foremost, they must attend Sunday Mass and pay attention to the homilies. Families are also encouraged to take Fr. Paul’s homily notes home, using them as a springboard for further discussion. Secondly, be involved in your children’s religious education classes. Ask them questions about what they are learning, help them apply it to their daily lives, and volunteer whenever possible. Finally, take advantage of the periodic faith formation opportunities in English and Spanish.

“It’s just critical to our time that kids have parental leadership in the home, and adult leadership in the Church and community,” Fr. Paul says. “I think if we can really focus on these key moments, together we can really provide a lot of support to the kids.”