Confirmation marks a unique moment in a person’s life when one is invited to grow in faith and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, embrace a new maturity where all that has gone before takes on richer and deeper meaning further forming one as a faithful disciple, grateful steward and active evangelist of the Risen Christ.

Sacrament of Confirmation

Confirmation in the faith

Confirmation celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit. In the Acts of the Apostles chapter 2, verses 1 to 13, we read of the Apostles receiving the Holy Spirit. They had been hiding after Jesus’ death, afraid and uncertain. The coming of the Holy Spirit with his gifts inspired them and enabled them to take the step of preaching the good news.

We are made members of God’s family at Baptism. At Confirmation, our Baptism is completed or “sealed” by the Holy Spirit and we are called to be Christian witnesses, just like the apostles. The whole of our Christian living and the life of the Church, too, are sustained by the same Spirit.

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Who Can Receive?

Any baptised Catholic wishing to advance on the path of developing their faith. For young people, this is usually part of the 5th/6th class primary school programme.

For adults who were not confirmed as children, it means taking part in the Rite of the Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.)

Sponsor

A sponsor stands behind the candidate for Confirmation at the Confirmation ceremony and places their hand on the shoulder of the candidate as a sign that they will support them in living out their baptismal promises. However, the role of the sponsor is not just for one day. The sponsor undertakes to assist the confirmed person in growing in the fullness of their faith and in their membership of the Catholic Church. A person qualifies as a sponsor by being a reasonably mature adult, who is at least 16 years old, and has already received the Sacraments of Initiation, (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) themselves. The Confirmation sponsor may be one of the people who was a sponsor at Baptism (subject to the notes here).

Choosing a sponsor

(Ref. Code of Canon Law 874) To be admitted to undertake the office of sponsor, a person must:

Be appointed by the candidate, or by the parents or whoever stands in their place, the person must be suitable for this role and have the intention of fulfilling it

Be not less than sixteen years of age, unless a different age has been stipulated by the diocesan Bishop, or unless the parish priest or the minister considers that there is a just reason for an exception to be made

Be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has received the blessed Eucharist, and who lives a life of faith which befits the role to be undertaken

Not be either the father or the mother of the candidate.

Name

The tradition of taking a new name at Confirmation emphasises the new identity of a Christian being called to witness to their faith. People are encouraged to take the name of a saint or a person from the Bible who inspires them in some way.

Oil

The oil used is called the Oil of Chrism. It is olive oil mixed with balsam that is blessed by the bishop and priests of the diocese in the Cathedral at the ‘Chrism Mass’ on Holy Thursday. The Sacrament is conferred with the anointing with this ‘Oil of Chrism’ on the forehead as the Bishop says, ‘Be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit’.

Jesus is the bread of life who nourishes usand gives us life

Jesus declared,“I amthe bread of life.Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believesin me will never be thirsty. John 6:35 ‘Communion’has many meanings. It is, first of all our communion with Jesus. But is also communion among ourselves. When the minister says,‘Body of Christ’, we are being told what it is we are receiving. But we are also being told what we are and what we are to become. We are the Body of Christ, joined to one another in him.

Donal Harrington-Exploring Eucharist

The Sacrament of Holy Communion is another step on our faith journey in which we commit to our friendship with Jesus and the faith community in which we grow as a Christian.

First Communion always takes place within the celebration of Eucharist, the gathering of the people of God. Holy Communion is a very personal experiencein which we grow in relationship with Jesus andthe wider community.

Holy Communion is a very personal experience in which we grow in relationship with Jesus and the wider community.

Our Christian Faith; is all about relationship with Jesus and with the wider community, growing together in love, forgiveness and new life.

A Prayer for An Engaged Couple

Thank you, Lord, for bringing us together

and for the gift of our love

which has already brought us so much joy.

Grant that we may always continue

to love each other

with reverence, patience and generosity.

In the hurried days of the final preparations,

grant us the calmness to reflect on the moment

when you will seal and sanctify our promises,

binding us together in your love forever.

In joy or sorrow, in richness or poverty,

in sickness and in health,

may our love grow all the days of our lives. Amen

To Support You Plan Your Wedding

Marriage

Congratulations!

Congratulations on your decision to get married. It’s one of the most important decisions of your whole life. Your desire to marry in Church is your invitation to Christ to be at the heart of your relationship.

The Christian community wishes you every blessing and happiness. You are welcome to have your marriage celebrated in St Colman’s (Conahy Church) or in Our Lady of Perpetual Succour (Jenkinstown Church)

We hope that this guide will be of assistance to you in your preparation for your wedding day. Although it may not cover all issues that can arise in some proposed marriages, it has been compiled as a general aid to help you prepare for your wedding in our parish.

Me a Priest?

The word ‘vocation’ comes from the Latin word ‘vocare’ which means to call.  A ‘Vocation’ is a call by Christ to live your life in a particular way.  But practically what does this mean?  Well at some level it involves a felt attraction to the vision and message of Jesus, and a desire to use one’s energies for the kind of ministry that he was about.  And a hunch this offers both meaning and a real happiness, deep and lasting happiness.

To simply sum up:  If God has chosen you to be a priest, this is the first thing he will do:  He will make you think about it!  Even if you do not want to.  And these thoughts will not go away easily.

The call to vocation in the church is a call to use your gifts and talents and abilities to build up the Kingdom of God, depending upon his divine help and inspiration.  Vocation then is a generous and radical giving of oneself to the service of our brothers and sisters.  The call to priesthood is the call to give your life in making Christ’s presence real through the sacraments and especially through the Eucharist.

What is a Priest?

Every priest is called by God to a special intimacy with Christ whom he serves through the particular tasks entrusted to him.  Called to build up the community of faith, he draws people together in Christ enabling them to use their gifts in the service of one another.

A diocesan priest exercises his ministry at the service of the Bishop to whom he promises obedience and under whose direction he exercises his ministry. Ordinarily his life will be one of proclaiming God’s Word, celebrating the Sacraments, visiting the sick at home and in hospital, visiting schools, burying the dead, and serving the people of God, of which he himself is a member.

The life of a diocesan priest is challenging but ultimately very fulfilling and very rewarding.  For the diocesan priest, no two days are the same.  Yes, there are aspects of his day to day life that are similar e.g. celebration of the Eucharist, but each new day brings with it new experiences, new encounters with people but most importantly new encounters with God.  

The diocesan priest through his ministry witnesses to the presence of Christ in the world of everyday things. The diocesan priest is in essence the signpost to God.  His life is testimony to the presence of God who will not leave His flock unattended.

Priestly Ministry

The ‘Yes’ that a person makes to the call to Ministry is a ‘Yes’ to Christ.  In everything he does, the priest lives out his ‘Yes’ by responding to the opportunities and challenges he encounters every day.  The diocesan priest, living in the midst of the world, serves God’s people through the specific tasks entrusted to him which are to teach, to sanctify and to lead through service. The priest teaches by preaching the Word of God, by preparing people to receive the Sacraments, by explaining the faith in schools and elsewhere, by initiating parish study groups, and by finding new ways of making Christ known to the people with whom he has contact.  In his homilies, he seeks to apply the message of the Gospel to people’s daily lives.

Through the celebration of the Sacraments, he sanctifies the people entrusted to his care.  In Baptism, he brings new members into the family of God.  In the Sacrament of Penance, he reconciles men and women to God and the Church, bringing them the forgiving and healing love of Christ.

In the Sacrament of Matrimony, the priest witnesses the commitment of man and woman, sealing and strengthening their love in the love of Christ.  When health is impaired by sickness or old age, the priest administers the Anointing of the Sick, which may restore people to health but which certainly unites the sick with Christ, giving them peace and grace.

Above all, in the Holy Mass, the priest offers a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God, nourishing those gathered around the altar with the Bread of Life that they may go out and be witnesses to Christ in a world that needs Him so much.

From birth to the close of life, the priestly ministry is there to help the members of God’s family.  And all the while, in his own prayer and the recitation of the Prayer of the Church, the priest offers praise, thanksgiving and intercession in the name of the whole Church.  He deepens his bond with Christ, the High Priest and God our Father through the guidance of the Spirit.

The priest also lives a celibate life.  This is something that many today find hard to understand.  Priestly celibacy witnesses to the demands of God’s love in the world and also offers a unique kind of freedom that enables the priest to be completely at the service of God and his people.

The above seems like a lot.  And I suppose it is.  However, the candidate for priesthood is not expected to be prepared the first day he enters the seminary. Over the time he is in the seminary he receives the training and support he needs to grow and live out his priesthood in a healthy way.  Although spending a number of years in the seminary seems a lot, the seminarian is glad of the chance to grow and gain the experience he needs before ordination.  He is ordained on the last day in seminary, not the first so he has an opportunity to test his vocation and see over time whether or not priesthood is for him.

Follow Me

Sometimes the call may be experienced as a particular challenge from the Christian community: “So, what are you going to do?” or ‘you would make a good priest’, or may come to us at a specific moment perhaps at Mass, in a prayer group, during a pilgrimage, or in our time of silent prayer.  For many, the question itself, “is Christ calling me to follow him?” may be the first intimation that they are called to priesthood.

Ultimately who God calls to be His priest, why one person thinks about priesthood and another doesn’t is a mystery.  However, if a person does consider priesthood then that idea must have been planted in his heart and mind by God.  God is the one who calls.  Why he might call you is a mystery.  You may look around you and see people who seem more gifted, holier, more capable and wonder why has God not chosen them?  God chooses the weak and makes them strong.  If you are asking yourself the question: ‘Why me?’ try asking another question: ‘Why not me?’

Do You Feel Called?

Precisely because Christ’s call isn’t experienced as a voice, we should always act on the intimations we receive.  First of all, we should talk to a priest.

Don’t be put off!  You could talk to a priest in your parish or, if you prefer, to one of the priests appointed by the Archbishop to advise and help you discern your vocation.  This is important because not all priests have the same vocation.

Some live-in community as a member of a Religious Order, bound by the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience.  Others spend their lives working overseas as members of missionary congregations.

A diocesan priest lives his priesthood through serving the needs of the local Church as a co-worker with his Bishop, committing himself to the service of the Church through his service to the diocese.

For a diocesan priest his community is his parish.  Whatever parish he is asked to minister to becomes his home, his family, his brothers and sisters.  The diocesan priest is welcomed into the family of the parish.  He is at one with them.

For more information and to learn more about Diocesan Priesthood and how to discover the path God is inviting you to follow in your life contact: Fr Kieran O’ Shea (Vocations Director) on 086 827 2828 or vocations@ossory.ie

What Is ‘The Sacrament of Reconciliation’?

The Sacrament of Penance is also known as the ‘Sacrament of Reconciliation’ or traditionally called ‘Confession’. It is the rite by which sins are confessed and forgiven. Sin is failure to recognise and love God in the way we think or act. Sin is also not just a failure to love God directly but also a failure to love one another. This is referred to as “the community sense of sin”.

Absolution

In this sacrament people are forgiven their sins by the words and actions of the priest. We call this ‘Absolution’. The priest represents God and the community who is affected by sin and the priest minister’s forgiveness on behalf of God and the community.

Forms of Celebration

The sacrament can be celebrated in a one-to-one encounter with a priest: this is known as ‘individual confession’. Many parishes also organise ‘Penitential Services’ at special times; e.g. Advent, Lent and Parish Missions. In this form of celebration, which is communal, people prepare as a community and many priests hear the confessions individually and people receive absolution individually.

Penance

Reconcilliation

Penance is a sign of sorrow and a commitment to try to make amends. It is also a sign of our sincerity to change our lives. This is what is meant by conversion. When the Sacrament is a communal celebration, the penance is said as a community, once all have had the opportunity to confess. When celebrated in the traditional one-to-one form, a penance is given, and the person takes on that penance privately.

Reflection on the Sacrament of God’s Unconditional Love

Reconcilliation

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a great preparation for reconciliation it gives us a wonderful insight to, the Father.

The parable begins with a young man, the younger of two sons, who asks his father to give him his share of the estate. The implication is the son could not wait for his father's death for his inheritance, he wanted it immediately. The father agrees and divides his estate between both sons.

Upon receiving his portion of the inheritance, the younger son travels to a distant country and wastes all his money in extravagant living. Immediately thereafter, a famine strikes the land; he becomes desperately poor and is forced to take work as a swineherd. (This, too, would have been abhorrent to Jesus' Jewish audience, who considered swine unclean animals.) When he reaches the point of envying the food of the pigs he is watching, he finally comes to his senses:

But when he came to himself, he said, "How many hired servants of my fathers have bread enough to spare, and I'm dying with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants.'" He arose and came to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran towards him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. (Luke 15:17–20)

This implies the father was hopefully watching for the son's return.

The son does not even have time to finish his rehearsed speech, since the father calls for his servants to dress him in a fine robe, a ring, and sandals, and slaughter the "fattened calf" for a celebratory meal.

The older son, who was at work in the fields, hears the sound of celebration, and is told about the return of his younger brother. He is not impressed and becomes angry. He also has a speech for his father:

But he answered his father, "Behold, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, but you never gave me a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this, your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him." Luke 15:29–30, World English Bible

The parable concludes with the father explaining that because the younger son had returned, in a sense, from the dead, celebration was necessary:

"But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this, your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost and is found." — Luke 15:32,

Daniel O’Leary in his book ‘An Astonishing Secret’, quotes Richard Rohr, Richard ‘Insists, ‘that God never changes his mind about us. He is simply always in love with us. What God does again and again is to change our mind about him. We are not forgiven because we confess our sins; we confess our sins because we are already forgiven.

Rohr does not take sin lightly; but for him God’s love is always at the heart of our weakness, our powerlessness, our constant vulnerability. And the Sacrament of Reconciliation enables us to forever remember that the irresistible divine love that transforms our hearts must always lead to our generous forgiveness of everyone in our own lives.

Fr. Eamonn visits the sick and the housebound of Conahy parish, in their homes every month. Ministers of the Eucharist are also available to distribute Holy Communion to the sick on Sundays or in time of need.

Many sick people also like to receive the Sacrament of the Sick and are strengthened and affirmed.

If you would like to receive the Sacrament of the Sick, this can be arranged by contacting the Fr. Eamonn O’Gorman - 087-2236145

SACRAMENT OF THE SICK – HOUSEBOUND

What Is the Sacrament of the Sick

The Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick is exactly what it says. It is a prayerful celebration for someone or for a group of people who are ill and are blessed by the priest with Holy Oil.

It is NOT a sign that someone is dying as it was perceived in olden times. It is not a magical ritual; the person doesn’t automatically get better immediately after an anointing. God’s healing and loving presence are called upon that the sick person might be raised up and restored to health.

Symbolism

The words of blessing over the oil say it all. It is “oil intended to ease the sufferings of your people”. Oil soothes and heals. Oil blessed for the sick is a sign of the Anointed One (Messiah) of God. The person so anointed receives the healing, saving power of the One who saves (Messiah).

Oil

The oil that is used is Olive Oil. The Bishop and priests bless it at the ‘Chrism Mass’ on Holy Thursday in the Cathedral. The holy oils are then taken each year to each parish and hospital for use throughout the year in the Sacrament of the Sick.

How?

A person is anointed on the forehead and the palms of the hands while the priest says: “Through this holy anointing may the Lord in his love and mercy help you by the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord who heals you, save you and raise you up.”

Who Can Be Anointed?

Anyone in ’serious illness’, those who are infirm, in advanced years, or anyone prior to surgery. (It is not only for when a person is in ‘danger of death’.)