Baptism and Confirmation during Easter Vigil in Mandarin
Showing posts with label Confirmation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Confirmation. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
CONFIRMATION CAMP 2010
115 students from the 3 language groups participated in the Confirmation Camp held from the 26th - 28th of November 2010 at Star-Fresh Agro Park, Seremban. The camp served to prepare the students for the Sacrament of Confirmation in a wholistic manner with topics ranging from Cherishing Who I Really Am, Created in His Love, Church: Comfort Zone or Community, Inner Healing to Chastity and Cohabitation among others. The camp was animated by Mr Martin Jalleh, a well-renowned youth facilitator, with the theme Daring To Be Different. The highlight of the camp was the Inner Healing session where the students learnt to let go of their hurts and unforgiveness and let God touch and heal them. This later culminated in a healing Mass presided by the Parish Priest, Fr George Packiasamy.Besides this, the students had fun through an aerobic and games session facilitated by the parents. The parents too were motivated through a session on "Parenting in the 21st Century" by Mr Martin Jalleh after which they welcomed their children with open arms. The students had a meaningful camp and many cited a transformation in their lives as they headed home. Sr Theresa Chua, Sr Amy Sam, Ms Josephine Bosco, Mr James, Ms Elizabeth Chong and the 3 language group catechists were with the students throughout the sessions. The Parents Committee mainly led by Desmond and Terry helped with food, accommodation, transport and games during the camp. (Composed by Ms Elizabeth Chong)
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Preparatory Confirmation Camp
A total number of 111 Confirmation Class students from the 3 language groups (70-English Speaking, 13-Chinese Speaking, 28-Tamil Speaking) attended the Preparatory Camp on 23-24th Nov 2010 at Visitation Hall, Seremban. The objective of this camp was to prepare the students for the Confirmation Camp on 26th-28th Nov 2010. Some of the topics covered included the 7 Circles of Prayer, Inner Healing, Vocation Awareness and Team Building. The students were also briefed about what a Confirmation Camp is all about. A big thank you to the facilitators - Sr Theresa Chua, Josephine Bosco, Agnes Francis, Elizabeth Chong and some of the pre-confirmation parents who involved in preparing food for the students.(By Ms Elizabeth Chong)
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Media Youth Camp
A Media Youth Camp was organised at Seminari Theoloji Malaysia (STM) on 3 - 5 September 2010 for Pre-Confirmation students. About 42 Pre-Confirmation students attended this camp. The students learned about what is media, how to appreciate movie viewing, teamwork and communication. They also discovered their talent in acting and producing short movies. On the last day of this camp, the parents of the Pre-Confirmation students came to give their support and admire their children's movie-making talent.May this Media Youth Camp enable our Pre-Confirmation students to build long-lasting relationship with their classmates and help them be more zealous in understanding and deepening their faith.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
T-Shirt Designing Competition
About 30 English-speaking Confirmation students participated in a t-shirt designing competition on Tuesday, 7 September 2010 at Visitation Hall Upstairs at 8:30 am - 12:30 pm. The theme of this T-Shirt Designing competition is "Daring to be Different." Besides the t-shirt designing, team-building games were also organised. This event enabled our Confirmation students to show their talents in designing interesting t-shirt designs. May this event enable our Catechism students to maintain a good bond among their classmates and may they be inspired to deepen and strenghten their faith.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Sacrament of Confirmation at Visitation - February 6, 2010
Over 100 candidates from 3 language sections (English, Tamil and Mandarin) were confirmed by His Grace, Tan Sri Archbishop Murphy Pakiam, D.D., Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur. Three other priests concelebrated the Eucharist, Frs. Michael Chua, George Packiasamy and Raymond Pereira.
Archbishop Pakiam reminded the candidates during the homily that they will be sent forth as 'apostles' when they receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation. Being an apostle and a missionary does not require one to have excellent qualifications. In fact, as the Archbishop pointed out, persons in the Bible, such as Simon Peter, St. Paul and the prophet Isaiah who were featured in today's readings were all individuals who felt unworthy in the face of their calling. Being missionary also does not require a person to travel to distant lands, one can be a missionary 'here and now' in the situation of his or her life, in the family, in the school, in society. We are called to preach the good news of God's immense love for his people.
More photos can be viewed in Facebook.
Archbishop Pakiam reminded the candidates during the homily that they will be sent forth as 'apostles' when they receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit at Confirmation. Being an apostle and a missionary does not require one to have excellent qualifications. In fact, as the Archbishop pointed out, persons in the Bible, such as Simon Peter, St. Paul and the prophet Isaiah who were featured in today's readings were all individuals who felt unworthy in the face of their calling. Being missionary also does not require a person to travel to distant lands, one can be a missionary 'here and now' in the situation of his or her life, in the family, in the school, in society. We are called to preach the good news of God's immense love for his people.
More photos can be viewed in Facebook.
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Sacrament of Confirmation
This coming Saturday, February 6, the parish of Visitation will witness the conferment of the Sacrament of Confirmation on over 100 candidates by His Grace, Tan Sri Archbishop Murphy Pakiam. Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of Initiation, the other two being Baptism and Eucharist. At this mass, these students will complete the full process of initiation into the Catholic faith.
Confirmation is the Perfection of Baptism:
Although, in the Latin rite Catholic Church, Confirmation is usually received as a teenager, several years after making First Communion, the Catholic Church considers it the second of the three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism being the first and Communion the third). Persons who are initiated into the Catholic faith as adults, however, receive the sacraments of initiation in the correct order, namely Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.
Contrary to popular notion and literature, Confirmation is not a sacrament of maturity, i.e. it does not celebrate or confirm the rite of passage or coming to age. Rather, Confirmation is regarded as the perfection of Baptism, because, as the introduction to the Rite of Confirmation states:
"by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed."
Therefore, the emphasis is on the "more" - more perfectly bound, more graces, more of the Holy Spirit, to indicate its close connection to the Sacrament of Baptism. The second emphasis is on witnessing.
Scriptural Foundation
The roots of confirmation are found in the New Testament. For instance, in the Acts of the Apostles 8:14-17:
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
When the Apostle Paul met disciples in Ephesus who had only received the baptism of John the Baptist, they received Christian baptism and then Paul laid hands upon them and "the Holy Spirit came on them" (Acts 19:2-6).
Also, in the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, Christ speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles (John 14:15-26). Later, after his Resurrection, Jesus breathed upon them and they received the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), a process completed on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). After this point, the New Testament records the apostles bestowing the Holy Spirit upon others through the laying on of hands.
The Form of the Sacrament of Confirmation:
Many people think of the laying on of hands, which signifies the descent of the Holy Spirit, as the central act in the Sacrament of Confirmation. The essential element, however, is the anointing of the confirmand (the person being confirmed) with chrism (an aromatic oil that has been consecrated by a bishop), accompanied by the words "Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit" (or, in the Eastern Catholic Churches, "The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit"). This seal is a consecration, representing the safeguarding by the Holy Spirit of the graces conferred on the Christian at Baptism.
The Minister of the Sacrament of Confirmation:
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out, "The original minister of Confirmation is the bishop." Each bishop is a successor to the apostles, upon whom the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost—the first Confirmation. The Acts of the Apostles mentions the apostles imparting the Holy Spirit to believers by the laying on of hands (see, for example, Acts 8:15-17 and 19:6).
The Church has always stressed this connection of confirmation, through the bishop, to the ministry of the apostles, but She has developed two different ways of doing so.
Confirmation in the East:
In the Eastern Catholic (and Eastern Orthodox) Churches, the three sacraments of initiation are administered at the same time to infants. Children are baptized, confirmed (or "chrismated"), and receive Communion (in the form of the Sacred Blood, the consecrated wine), all in the same ceremony, and always in that order.
Since the timely reception of Baptism is very important, and it would be very hard for a bishop to administer every baptism, the bishop's presence, in the Eastern Churches, is signified by the use of chrism consecrated by the bishop. The priest, however, performs the confirmation.
Confirmation in the West:
The Church in the West came up with a different solution—the separation in time of the Sacrament of Confirmation from the Sacrament of Baptism. This allowed infants to be baptized soon after birth, while the bishop could confirm many Christians at the same time, even years after baptism. Eventually, the current custom of performing Confirmation several years after First Communion developed, but the Church continues to the stress the original order of the sacraments, and Pope Benedict XVI, in his apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, has suggested that the original order should be restored.
Eligibility for Confirmation:
Even in the West, priests can be authorized by their bishops to perform confirmations, and adult converts are routinely baptized and confirmed by priests. All those who have been baptized are eligible to be confirmed, and, while the Western Church suggests receiving the sacrament after reaching the "age of reason" (around seven years old), it can be received at any time. (A child in danger of death should receive Confirmation.)
A confirmand must be in a state of grace. If the sacrament is not received immediately after Baptism, the confirmand should participate in the Sacrament of Confession before Confirmation.
The Effects of the Sacrament of Confirmation:
The Sacrament of Confirmation confers special graces of the Holy Spirit upon the person being confirmed, just as such graces were granted to the Apostles on Pentecost. Like Baptism, therefore, it can only be performed once, and Confirmation increases and deepens all of the graces granted at Baptism.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists five effects of Confirmation:
* it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation [as sons of God] which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!";
* it unites us more firmly to Christ;
* it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
* it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;
* it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.
Because Confirmation perfects our baptism, we are obliged to receive it "in due time." Any Catholic who did not receive Confirmation at baptism or as part of his religious education during grade school or high school should contact a priest and arrange to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Confirmation is the Perfection of Baptism:
Although, in the Latin rite Catholic Church, Confirmation is usually received as a teenager, several years after making First Communion, the Catholic Church considers it the second of the three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism being the first and Communion the third). Persons who are initiated into the Catholic faith as adults, however, receive the sacraments of initiation in the correct order, namely Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Contrary to popular notion and literature, Confirmation is not a sacrament of maturity, i.e. it does not celebrate or confirm the rite of passage or coming to age. Rather, Confirmation is regarded as the perfection of Baptism, because, as the introduction to the Rite of Confirmation states:
"by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed."
Therefore, the emphasis is on the "more" - more perfectly bound, more graces, more of the Holy Spirit, to indicate its close connection to the Sacrament of Baptism. The second emphasis is on witnessing.
Scriptural Foundation
The roots of confirmation are found in the New Testament. For instance, in the Acts of the Apostles 8:14-17:
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
When the Apostle Paul met disciples in Ephesus who had only received the baptism of John the Baptist, they received Christian baptism and then Paul laid hands upon them and "the Holy Spirit came on them" (Acts 19:2-6).
Also, in the Gospel of John, Chapter 14, Christ speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles (John 14:15-26). Later, after his Resurrection, Jesus breathed upon them and they received the Holy Spirit (John 20:22), a process completed on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). After this point, the New Testament records the apostles bestowing the Holy Spirit upon others through the laying on of hands.
The Form of the Sacrament of Confirmation:
Many people think of the laying on of hands, which signifies the descent of the Holy Spirit, as the central act in the Sacrament of Confirmation. The essential element, however, is the anointing of the confirmand (the person being confirmed) with chrism (an aromatic oil that has been consecrated by a bishop), accompanied by the words "Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit" (or, in the Eastern Catholic Churches, "The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit"). This seal is a consecration, representing the safeguarding by the Holy Spirit of the graces conferred on the Christian at Baptism.
The Minister of the Sacrament of Confirmation:
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out, "The original minister of Confirmation is the bishop." Each bishop is a successor to the apostles, upon whom the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost—the first Confirmation. The Acts of the Apostles mentions the apostles imparting the Holy Spirit to believers by the laying on of hands (see, for example, Acts 8:15-17 and 19:6).
The Church has always stressed this connection of confirmation, through the bishop, to the ministry of the apostles, but She has developed two different ways of doing so.
Confirmation in the East:
In the Eastern Catholic (and Eastern Orthodox) Churches, the three sacraments of initiation are administered at the same time to infants. Children are baptized, confirmed (or "chrismated"), and receive Communion (in the form of the Sacred Blood, the consecrated wine), all in the same ceremony, and always in that order.
Since the timely reception of Baptism is very important, and it would be very hard for a bishop to administer every baptism, the bishop's presence, in the Eastern Churches, is signified by the use of chrism consecrated by the bishop. The priest, however, performs the confirmation.
Confirmation in the West:
The Church in the West came up with a different solution—the separation in time of the Sacrament of Confirmation from the Sacrament of Baptism. This allowed infants to be baptized soon after birth, while the bishop could confirm many Christians at the same time, even years after baptism. Eventually, the current custom of performing Confirmation several years after First Communion developed, but the Church continues to the stress the original order of the sacraments, and Pope Benedict XVI, in his apostolic exhortation Sacramentum Caritatis, has suggested that the original order should be restored.
Eligibility for Confirmation:
Even in the West, priests can be authorized by their bishops to perform confirmations, and adult converts are routinely baptized and confirmed by priests. All those who have been baptized are eligible to be confirmed, and, while the Western Church suggests receiving the sacrament after reaching the "age of reason" (around seven years old), it can be received at any time. (A child in danger of death should receive Confirmation.)
A confirmand must be in a state of grace. If the sacrament is not received immediately after Baptism, the confirmand should participate in the Sacrament of Confession before Confirmation.
The Effects of the Sacrament of Confirmation:
The Sacrament of Confirmation confers special graces of the Holy Spirit upon the person being confirmed, just as such graces were granted to the Apostles on Pentecost. Like Baptism, therefore, it can only be performed once, and Confirmation increases and deepens all of the graces granted at Baptism.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists five effects of Confirmation:
* it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation [as sons of God] which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!";
* it unites us more firmly to Christ;
* it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
* it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;
* it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.
Because Confirmation perfects our baptism, we are obliged to receive it "in due time." Any Catholic who did not receive Confirmation at baptism or as part of his religious education during grade school or high school should contact a priest and arrange to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Confirmation Class Community Service - Gotong Royong Cleanup
The Confirmation Class students came together in full force on December 18 to do a thorough clean up job of the church,hall, formation centre and compound. Community service is an integral part of the Confirmation class programme.
Congratulations and a Big Thank You for the fine work!
More photos in Facebook.
(Photos by Elizabeth Chong)
Congratulations and a Big Thank You for the fine work!
More photos in Facebook.
(Photos by Elizabeth Chong)
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Confirmation Camp with Martin Jalleh: December 4-6
100 over confirmation candidates from 3 language groups of the parish were challenged by Martin Jalleh to "Make a Difference." They were led to explore and reflect on their faith life, relationships with others, and their personal dreams for the future.
The camp began on Friday evening with icebreakers by the Y2Y youth followed by the opening orientation by Martin. The Y2Y youth also animated several games and group dynamics on the following day. On Saturday night, the whole group was led into a period of prayer and healing where many experienced healing of memories, especially of past hurts and disappointments. Fr. Michael Chua celebrated eucharist with the group that very same night after the Inner Healing Session.
The two and half days camp concluded with an open session on Sunday afternoon between Martin and the parents of the students. He explained some of the teenage challenges their children were facing and challenged them to provide wholistic options to their children as well as to ensure that their children's future is established on firm foundation, faith rather than things of the world. At the end of the talk, the students came in to present a song dedicated to their parents followed by a special moment of reconciliation.
Thanks to all the catechists, the Y2Y youth advisors and members, the parents' committee who cooked, prepared the food and logistics and chaperoned the children at night!
Here are some photos. More photos can be obtained from Facebook.
The camp began on Friday evening with icebreakers by the Y2Y youth followed by the opening orientation by Martin. The Y2Y youth also animated several games and group dynamics on the following day. On Saturday night, the whole group was led into a period of prayer and healing where many experienced healing of memories, especially of past hurts and disappointments. Fr. Michael Chua celebrated eucharist with the group that very same night after the Inner Healing Session.
The two and half days camp concluded with an open session on Sunday afternoon between Martin and the parents of the students. He explained some of the teenage challenges their children were facing and challenged them to provide wholistic options to their children as well as to ensure that their children's future is established on firm foundation, faith rather than things of the world. At the end of the talk, the students came in to present a song dedicated to their parents followed by a special moment of reconciliation.
Thanks to all the catechists, the Y2Y youth advisors and members, the parents' committee who cooked, prepared the food and logistics and chaperoned the children at night!
Here are some photos. More photos can be obtained from Facebook.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Confirmation Camp Pre-Study Days 2009
Around 100 students from the 3 language sections of the Confirmation programme came together for 2 days as preparation for this weekend's Camp with Martin Jalleh. The preparation study days were animated by the Confirmation Class teachers, Sr. Theresa Chua (Pastoral Associate for Catechetics) and Fr. Michael Chua. Sr. Theresa Chua explored creative ways of prayer with the students on the first day. One of the students shared later that she found this prayer exercise very encouraging and enlightening, as she could now appreciate that prayer need not be confined only to conventional means, such as vocal and mental prayer. On the second day, Fr. Chua facilitated various group dynamics and activities that helped the students explore issues of diversity, communication styles, stereotyping, and race. The students enjoyed the many games that highlighted the dangers of ethnocentricity and the importance of fostering diversity in relationship and community building. Some of the Y2Y youth advisors were present to help with the ice-breaking activities and group dynamics.
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