Celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation: Students Sealed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

It's something of an understatement to simply say that the Sacrament of Confirmation is an important step in our walk of faith. The final among the three Sacraments of Initiation, Confirmation seals us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, providing the opportunity to make personal, our own Catholic faith.

On May 10 of this year, Jacqueline Cottle and Dominick Maggio, among many other peers, received the Sacrament of Confirmation. The group had gathered regularly over the course of a year for learning and meeting together in order to prepare for reception of the sacrament. This included meeting during Life Teen nights, as well as retreats, and completing at least 10 hours of community service, and a written reflection on the experience.

“This past year, participating in Life Teen events and other activities related to my Confirmation preparation helped me to strengthen and renew my relationship with Jesus,” Jacqueline says.

Leaving behind the familiarity of her school, church and friends, Jacqueline and her family moved here in 2018. The move caused her to drift away from her relationship with Jesus and the Church for a period of time. But the preparation time she spent devoted to her Confirmation helped her to come back into her faith.

“My life as a Catholic has been a lifelong process,” she says.

Jacqueline chose St. Joan of Arc as her patron saint for her Confirmation. She felt this was an appropriate choice, given her aspirations of fighting for her country. While Joan of Arc did it by going to war with the English during Medieval times, Jacqueline desires to pursue a career in catching dangerous criminals here in the United States.

Receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation was a significant moment for Jacqueline’s faith journey.

“Confirmation means that I can move forward in myown faith, independently, and not just follow the faith of my parents," she says. "The highlight of my Confirmation Day was the formal blessing given to me by Fr. Blum during the Mass.”

Dominick similarly recognizes the significance of the sacrament he received in May.

“The Confirmation itself, a lot of people view it as another sacrament,” he says. “But I feel like it’s kind of that confirmation of your faith that, 'This is what I believe, what I want to believe in, this is the path I want to take in my life.' You can’t do much without God. People think you can, but I don’t think that you can. I feel like no matter where you end up going, it’ll help you either way.”

The process of preparing for his Confirmation brought Dominick into a deeper prayer life, as he read his Bible and solidified his faith in God.

“It's easier now to pray than it was a couple of years ago, before I started preparing for Confirmation," he says. "I don’t find myself doubting as much anymore.”

Dominick chose St. Andrew as his patron saint because they both share a love for fishing. Now that he has been confirmed in the faith, Dominick looks forward to joining as a mentor in the youth group, sharing about his faith and speaking to others.

We congratulate all those who received the Sacrament of Confirmation this spring!

The process of preparing for his Confirmation brought Dominick Maggio into a deeper prayer life.

Jacqueline Cottle was one of the Confirmation candidates from this past Easter. The highlight of the day was when Fr. Blum gave her the formal blessing.

Jacqueline Cottle