Holy Family Parish

In about seven weeks, the 8th graders of our parish will receive the Sacrament on Confirmation.  This will complete their initiation into the Church and will begin a lifetime of developing a deeper understanding of our faith coupled with active involvement in the Church.  As part of the preparation process, each candidate writes a Letter of Intent explaining why they want to receive Confirmation.  These letters reveal much about the character of this class: they want to be more involved in the parish, they want to grow in their faith, they want to help others.  Below are several anonymous quotations from their Letters of Intent.  I hope that you will find these to be as inspiring as I do, and I hope we all will work together to affirm these young people in their desires and find roles for them in this parish.

“After Confirmation, it is important to me that I continue to be active in the Church.”

“I attend Mass, and I would like to become more involved in the Mass.” 

“I hope that I can become a leader in the Church as I get older.”

“I have committed myself to helping at the food pantry […] I want to continue to find ways to help others, to get others to understand that no matter how bad this get, Jesus is right there with you.”

“It is very important to me to receive my Confirmation because I feel like it is my turn to stand up and say I want to be Catholic.”

“There have been times that I’ve made the wrong decision, and there have even been times that I’ve questioned my faith.  I hope that being confirmed and becoming a full-fledged member of the Church will bring me closer to God and that He will lend me the strength to be the best person that I can be.” 

“[Confirmation] is more personal to me too because it is my choice.” 

“[T]his means CCD will be over so I will have to work harder to keep that relationship [with God] strong, because after this year here I have found that not only going will help your relationship, but also talking to him, not only in your time of need, but just to speak with him frequently about life.” 

“As a full member of our Church, I promise to do my best to make our world a better place.” 

“I am very proud to be Catholic […] I am never embarrassed to tell others about my faith, I am proud of it […] I plan to become a serious and devoted adult of the Catholic Church after receiving Confirmation.”

“In the world today, it is especially important to listen to the Holy Spirit, to stand up for what we know is right and to try to stop what we know is wrong.”

“I want to be known as trustworthy when it comes to needing help at our parish.”

“I also want to be confirmed because I want to take my religious life into my own hands and build upon it by myself.” 

“Another reason why I want to be confirmed is that I feel like it is time for me to become a bigger part of the Church.”

“When I become confirmed then it is my turn to help others just like the people at the parish have helped me with my faith.”

“I also feel that it is my duty to be confirming my faith one step more and do what I can to fulfill God’s plan for me.”

“I want to use the gift of giving and teaching to help others around me too.  I hope I can use the gift of leadership to do the right thing when I am with my friends and guide them as well.”

“I want to be confirmed because I like being a member of the Catholic Church.”

“I also want to be confirmed so I may continue to receive the Holy Spirit and follow the path the Lord chose for me.”