WOOLHAMPTON PARISH ********** TESTIMONIES OF THE NEWLY Confirmed 2015 *********** St Mary s St Bernadette s St Oswald s Copies are available on request to Fr Peter (pp@douaiabbey.org.uk), to the Parish Office (parish@douaiabbey.org.uk) or see Parish Website: www.douaiparish.org.uk 0
The parish rejoiced that our following young people were confirmed by Bishop Philip Egan in Portsmouth Cathedral on 17 May 2015. St Bernadette s Olivia Martha Buchanan Alannah Cecilia Burdess Margaux Frances Burdess Olivia Thea Nelson Natasha Ava Trott Zara Georgia Trott St Oswald s Victoria Isabella Ceato William Aidan Jones Rebecca Cecilia Jones Rachel Ava Lee-Mohan Ariel Elizabeth Ramchand Alex Patrick Ramchand St Mary s Jason Aloysius Brook Nathan Matthew Brook Katy Flora Emmerson Emma Elizabeth Haxton Georgia Louise Hayes Eleanor Elizabeth Hicks Evie Teresa Hicks Elizabeth Christina Romanski Joseph Raphael Romanski Hannah Francis Warren During the final stages of their six months preparation in March 2015 they gave the following testimonies on why they wanted to be confirmed and felt ready for it. The testimonies are in random order. 1
Why I want to be confirmed and why I think that this is the right time now. I have thought a lot about: " Why I want to be confirmed and Why I think that this is the right time now for me" I Know that I am one of the youngest in the group but I choose to go on this journey to help me deepen my faith and understanding of God. Up until now I didn't really have to think about my own faith as I regularly went to mass, helped serve and said my prayers when I remembered. Since I started going to Secondary school I have entered a world where everyone is questioning everything and in this non Christian school / environment I wanted to deepen my own faith in everyday life to help me on my journey to adulthood. I am now around so many who don't believe in God, in religious classes we are made question everything, I need strengthen my own faith to help me on this path. During the classes I have enjoyed looking at my own faith, being surrounded and supported by others who believe in God like I do. I feel that I am now ready and want to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit into my heart to help me have the courage, greater knowledge and understanding of God's love in everything I do. I have put much thought in to the question why I want to be confirmed and why I think now is the right time for it. I want to be confirmed because I personally believe that I have reached the time where I can say that I can make my own decisions about my faith and life and can accept the responsibility that comes with it. I think that I am now old enough and sensible enough to be able to take my faith in to my own hands and manage the decisions and responsibilities that come with it. I also want it so I can say I truly am a Christian as I have taken many steps in the right direction for it. I also believe that it is time to the lift the weight of my religion off my parents shoulders and take care of it my self. I have enjoyed my involvement with St Mary's, especially my First Holy Communion, and wish to continue learning and becoming Confirmed. I have not felt pressured in any way and also appreciate the relaxed approach shown to me, which has meant that I have not been forced to choose between my sporting commitments and St Mary's. Doing the confirmation course has taught me a lot of things about myself and God. It has taught me that God is there for me and always will be, even when I do 2
things I shouldn't. There was a lot of things that I didn't understand about God and the Catholic faith before the course, but now I truly understand the depth of belief and love that is in our Churches family and I now want to be fully part of it. I want to be able to fully join the Catholic Church by my own accord, no one else's. I want God to guide me through the rest of my life and beyond. It has taught me that everyone is welcome to join the Church and that God is there for everyone- for better and for worse. That even when you do something you regret God will always be there for you. It has also taught me a lot about myself and why I really want to do this course. I have learnt, for example that I want to help people when I am older, by either teaching less fortunate children about God or just helping them do well in life. In conclusion, I want to do my confirmation to be able to get closer to God and let him be the light to guide me through my life. The reason why I want to be confirmed is that I think that it is the right time to finally think about my religion and what it is to be a Roman Catholic. The Confirmation is the best thing that any teenager Christian would do to learn more about their church society. The course that I had attended and learned massively from really made me hopefully a successful and proud Christian of the future. It is also the time when I decide for myself what my future is, and not from my Mum and Dad that decide what my future is. Not them to decide but me to decide my own future. In addition, another reason why I have decided to do this confirmation thing is because I want to know what it is like to be confirmed and a teenager confirmed Christian in this modern day and age. Thank you for your time. I thought I would start explaining what I have learnt during the Confirmation classes. The videos of the young people talking about what they think were very helpful and it was good to see how other people pray, when they go to church and what type of things they say at confession. I thought that going in different groups each session was great because I could hear what other people think and make contributions of my own. I learnt what chrism was and all of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I also learnt a deeper meaning of what being a Catholic means. I now feel more connected to God. I have chosen my Confirmation name which is Teresa. I chose Teresa because I found her story interesting. My sponsor is Sally Brumby and I chose her because her and my mum are good friends and she goes to our parish. I want to do my Confirmation because I want to feel even closer to God and the Holy Spirit. 3
I would like to be confirmed because I want to renew my faith in the Catholic Church and begin my life as an adult Catholic, by confirming my trust and faith in God. I know that I would like to become a disciple of Jesus Christ and make the commitment to live as a practising Christian for the rest of my life, by being a good, loving person and following in Jesus footsteps. I feel that being Confirmed would benefit me immensely because I would be making my own decision to be accepted into the Church, and not just having the decision made for me by my parents and family at my Christening, when I was too young to understand what it meant. I believe this is the right time for me to be confirmed because I feel mentally mature enough to accept the responsibility of abiding by God s rules, and I am definitely ready to commit myself to the Catholic way of life. I understand that this is a more significant milestone in my life than my Christening and Communion because I know that Confirmation is a voluntary reinforcement of my faith, and I am at the right age to do this. I am looking forward to the Confirmation ceremony, and hope that the Holy Spirit will guide me along the way of my final few steps towards it. It was you who originally suggested the idea for me to be confirmed. I then had a discussion with my parents and I thought about the reasons why I would want to be confirmed. One of these reasons is the fact that I was baptised when I was a baby and didn't have the choice to be a Christian but now that I am old enough to make my own decisions I want to reclaim my faith. I thought that these confirmation classes would help me to understand more about God and my religion and they did. I also hoped that these courses would strengthen my faith and connection to God. Overall, these classes helped me to question my beliefs and think more deeply about God. I think that this is the right time for me to be confirmed because I feel as though I am ready and old enough to make my own choices based on what I believe. By being confirmed it affirms my faith in the father, the son and the holy spirit. It also influences my choices and thoughts based on that faith. I feel as though I am ready to confirm my Catholic religion. It gives me hope and comfort at times when I really need it. Sometimes I feel a bit left out and upset and praying to God clears my mind and makes me feel better. Also recently there was a student from my school who passed away and I was really upset about it. I went to the funeral and I thought that she is now in a better place. I also think of my Grandfather,who was Muslim, and believe that he is now in heaven. My belief in God helps me when I think about all the bad things that are happening in the world and I ask God for guidance and understanding of these things. Furthermore, I ask God for the protection of my family and friends and feel as if he is listening to me. I feel as though I am asking God for a lot of things but I want to repay him by believing and loving in him and that's why I want to be confirmed. 4
The confirmation sessions have helped me to understand my religion a bit more; a better understanding of sacraments; different ways to pray; a better relation to the priest's words and the importance of humility. The main reason I decided to do this course was to feel closer to God. Sometimes I lose faith however this confirmation course makes me think: why did I lose faith in the first place? I feel that being closer to God makes me more safe, more secure in my way of life plus I am never alone. Furthermore when I lose that faith or think I have lost it, I am all alone and all that warmth has turned to cold, which is an experience I do no want to have again. This is the right time for me to do this confirmation course because I am old enough to write my own future plus I can decide who and what goes in the story of my life. God is one of those special few who has a spot in it. I strongly believe that my present actions affect my future. My commitment to God is an important part of my story which passes on through the generations; so that means God will always be with me through thick and thin and will never escape from my heart. This is why it is the right time for me to do this confirmation course. I will never be more ready to do my confirmation. I have chosen to follow in my confirmation because throughout the lessons we received I have learned and extended my understanding of the faith. I believe it is the right time for me to do this because I have all the information needed to understand completely what our religion beholds. Also, personally I love the idea of completely being a Catholic in the church. I would like to be confirmed because I think the catholic church, it's teachings and the community surrounding it can offer me stability in life and the chance to explore more who I am and to help me to become more charitable and understanding. The catholic church has shaped my life so far to help me to overcome hurdles in my life (and to help others overcome their hurdles) and I hope that by being confirmed this can continue into my adult life. As well as this, I think by being confirmed I will be able to understand the teachings in mass more and feel more of a duty to carry out the teachings. I previously mentioned the community of the church which is one of the things I think is most important about Catholicism. This is because it gives you a second family and allows everyone to have been through the same process therefore being able to relate to and understand each other. I also think for people who are unfortunate and have no family, the community can serve as companionship for them and allow the teachings of the bible to be shared. By being confirmed I hope that I can become more involved in this community and feel like it's closer to be heart. 5
Being confirmed can also allow you to become closer to God and the teachings I have learnt through this confirmation process have definitely allowed me to feel closer to God and more understanding which I hope will continue if I am confirmed. There is also an aspect about my family which makes me want to be confirmed. Since I was baptised my family had a duty to help me to become part of the Christian faith because I was too young to make my own decisions, however, not that I am old enough to understand the church and the world better, I feel like it's time to become my own self in the catholic church rather than still under the duty of my parents. As well as this, I think it's the right time to be confirmed for me because at the moment many changes are happening in my life where I'm starting new schools and becoming more independent. Therefore I think it's the perfect time to start a new era with Catholicism and to become more dedicated to my religion and community so I can end the year as a very different person with different priorities. My sponsor is my Godfather, who has already had such a big impact on my catholic life that is seems fitting for this to continue. My chosen name is 'Thea'. I chose Saint Thea because of her passion towards her religion which I hope I can adopt in my life. She believed so strongly in her faith that she was martyred in 308AD for sharing the holy scriptures. As well as this, she had an incredibly strong bond (or often referred to as 'sisterly bond' with saint Valentina) so much so that they were martyred together and as saints are rarely spoken about without referring to the other. I love how this represents her loyalty and love for others which I also hope to replicate. I am choosing to be confirmed as when I was a baby, my Mum and Dad had me baptised into God's family but as I was too young it wasn't my decision. So now I want to renew the vows which I made when I was younger as I am older now and I understand what it is about now. The reason I am writing to you is because I want to explain why I want to do my confirmation and why I think it's the right time. My parents let me know that it was happening and that there would be a class that I could attend. They said that if I went to the classes I could make the decision at the end. I thought there was no harm in going along to learn some things an meet new people. It was only during the classes that I really wanted to make my confirmation. Learning more about the faith really changed my view on faith and how I look at mass. It's helped to shape my beliefs and made me realise what I need to do in order to stay loyal to God! The reason I want to do it now is because I'm old enough to except the responsibility and not regret it when I'm older! But young enough to want to know more about the faith and the Catholic Church. 6
I want to be confirmed because I feel that confirmation is important for me to continue with my faith. I like knowing that God is there whenever I need Him and believe in all that the Catholic Church believes and teaches and would like to be involved in it when possible. I think that being confirmed will help me understand more about my faith and I would like to receive the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit. I believe that receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit will help me become a better person and who I aspire to be. I think that it is the right time for me to be confirmed because I feel as if I am mature enough to make my own decisions, such as what I want to do with my faith. I feel that doing confirmation earlier on in my life means I have more time to apply what I have learnt and help me in the future with how I should live. The confirmation classes I have attended have made the learning enjoyable and it is nice to have met lots of new people there who share the same beliefs as me. They were also very suitable for all ages and were very interesting and the catechists made sure everyone felt involved. I wish to receive the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit through confirmation on May 17 2015. I feel personally that I want to do this and take on the responsibility of confirmation because I feel without God leading me my life would be incomplete. If I was a sail boat being tossed by the wind and the sea, God would be the lighthouse on the rocks, guiding me. Through our sessions I feel that I have especially connected to God, through prayer. After our retreat, I felt closer to the Holy Spirit and now I read the Bible every evening. For my Confirmation, I have chosen the name, Frances. Last summer I visited Assisi with my family. We went to Mass at the Basilica. I visited his tomb and prayed there, his story touched me truly. I found a message in his story, and it was: That if you give up everything for God he will look after you, body and soul. I feel now that my faith in God has increased and that I am closer to Him through the Holy Spirit. Every day I am In awe of His creation and I look deeper into the meanings of the psalms and stories of the New Testament. I hope you will support my decision to receive Confirmation, so that I may continue on my journey towards God. I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. No branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.' (John 15, 1-5) I feel that it is important to have my confirmation, so that I may remain in the vine of the Lord. If God prunes my vine I may be ever fruitful. 7
I wish to make my confirmation and I feel that I am ready to become an adult member of the church. Over the past few months, the Catechism lessons have really helped me to understand the moral responsibilities that we have as Catholics. It has changed my viewpoint as I go through my daily life and how I act. I have also gained more confidence to be open about my religion and I have explained to my friends what being a Catholic means. By explaining to them, I have explained to myself what being a Catholic means to me. I am also more aware of the presence that God has in my life, I think that it is important for me to my Confirmation at this point because of this. I feel that I am spiritually ready and prepared to accept the Holy Spirit into my heart, and I believe that with the Holy Spirit I will be able to continue experiencing the positive effects that God has on my day to day life. I have also noticed, as I reflected on my decision, that I understand many more of God's messages than before. In particular, I find that when I am at Mass I understand and take courage from God's words through the Bible, and the teachings of you, as a priest. Where before I would have heard a story, I now understand the messages underneath. Finally I feel that I am ready to make my Confirmation at this point because I have become more aware of myself and also of others as I am beginning to understand the underlying messages in the Bible and also the t4eachingts of the Church. Through Confirmation, I wish to receive the Sacraments of the Holy Spirit to help me continue in my life, learning from God, acting in the best possible way and gaining support from my faith. I am doing my confirmation to grow closer to God. I understand this is one of the seven sacraments which shows my commitment to God. I love my Catholic Christian faith which has given me so many wonderful blessings. This is my one true faith. I want to be confirmed to show my faithfulness and love in God of my own accord. Which is, after all what it's all about. But I feel that I have always just obeyed my mum by coming to Church, like a little child. I feel I have not truly through about God, his teachings or what he means to me personally. I used to come to church do what I did, then go home and not think anything of it. Then I became a grumpy teenager, who never wanted to go, much preferred bed. Then I'm not sure what happened, but from then to now I have changed. I now think about what God means to me, I think about the actions we make in Church, then I think of my actions we make in Church, then I think of my actions out of Church and God's love in all my life. I like to explore God's love, which the confirmation sessions have really helped me to do. I don't know what happened but I now want to go to Church every Sunday. I get disappointed when we can't make it, and I pray. With no instruction I pray, I ask God for guidance, I have become aware of my faith and am fully dedicated by my own accord. And that is why I want to make my confirmation, so I can show 8
to everyone particularly myself, that to be a Christian is my choice. Although my mum and granny have helped me discover Christianity, to continue my dedication of my accord. I think now is a great time to make confirmation, because I am still in awe of the new faith I have found and I have all the support I need, I think it will help me to move on in discovering more of my God. I would like to be confirmed because I know I would like to be a Catholic because I feel like being a Catholic is a good path to follow for moral guidance, so I thought it would be better to do it sooner than later so I can receive the benefits of being a Catholic, e.g. receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Another benefit I look forward to is having a closer relationship with the Saint I have chosen my confirmation saint because I have read into him and find him very interesting. I would also like to understand God and Jesus better because I did not feel like they were listening to me before and I wasn't feeling their presence. However, after the courses we have recently done I have realised that there is a lot more to believing in God and Jesus than just praying for certain things and then getting disappointed when they didn't. I still do need to learn to appreciate the things God and Jesus have done/do for me, like spotting them in my everyday life because at the moment I do not think I am hearing or noticing their ways in answering my prayers. However, after being confirmed I will feel like I am learning new stuff because I would be an official Catholic. However, I do feel like this is the right time to be confirmed because I am coming to a point in my life when I do need advice, guidance and strength from God and being confirmed would make me have a better understanding of the Catholic religion so I can have the experience to help me through tough decisions and parts of my life and more recent, the stressful times of my exams. Also, on a side note, sometimes I have thought about if being a Catholic is hard because you have to follow quite a lot of rules and even though I haven't committed any serious sins, I still get worried about Hell and whether it is easy to mess up and end up in Hell. Also, I think of the huge amount of people praying to God and wonder why He would listen to me and why He doesn't respond to my prayers. I do believe in God but I need to learn to understand Him and to listen to Him so my faith doesn't fade. Finally, I would like to thank everyone involved in the confirmation sessions for making them so enjoyable and helping everyone fit in to make new friends. I would like to be confirmed because it is the next step towards God. It is important to me that I take all the steps in the Roman Catholic path. God is the creator of our earth, the world we live in and I want to learn how to thank Him properly for that. Also I want to participate in the Church. I feel that getting confirmed will strengthen me, so that I can stand up for and defend God. 9