The Holy Spirit was called down in
force this past weekend with the priestly ordination on June 9 followed by the
confirmation of adults on June 10. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge welcomed the 67
confirmation candidates and their sponsors to the Mass at St. Andrew the
Apostle Church in Clifton along with their families and friends.
“What you all have in common is that
you are not all here today because of some sort of chance or coincidence,” said
Bishop Burbidge. “You are here today because the Lord in his divine and
mysterious plan and time has chosen you. He has led you to this moment where
you will soon be fully initiated into the one holy catholic and apostolic
church.”
“I feel very complete now.” Garnett Williams
He encouraged the candidates to live
out the peace of Christ by living in a right relationship with God, themselves
and with others even if it requires separating from the crowd.
“Pray every day, ‘Spirit of God, give
me the courage that I need,’” said Bishop Burbidge. “Strengthened with the
precious gift of the Holy Eucharist, go forth as witnesses of Christ.”
Bishop Burbidge called the candidates
forward with their sponsors referring to them by their confirmation names, and
made the sign of the cross with Sacred Chrism on their forehead.
For Precious Blood Church parishioner
Garnett Williams, the path to confirmation started out as just another
“check-in-the-box” to marry his fiancée, Jennifer Vauk, who also served as his
sponsor. While it may have started that way, he said the faith instruction he received
over the past few months transformed it into an influential faith initiative.
“I feel very complete now,” said
Williams.
The fact that the confirmation was
held at St. Andrew the Apostle Church held special significance for Williams,
who chose the confirmation name Andrew.
“I chose St. Andrew because he was
Jesus’s first disciple, a fisherman and finally and most importantly because of
his humility in not wanting to be crucified on a cross in the same shape and
configuration as Jesus because he felt he was not worthy,” he said.
The Mass for Adult Confirmation was
the second of its kind in the diocese this spring. More than 150 adults were
confirmed at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington on Pentecost.