This Saturday at the 5:00 pm Mass, Bishop Perry will confirm or give a special blessing to 14 of our 7th and 8th Grade Religious Education Students, 17 of our 8th Grade School Students and 2 of our new members who matriculated from the RCIA Program. They will be joined by 18 confirmandi from St. Teresa's on Armitage.

The students have been preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation for two years through religion classes, service projects and retreats. Through this time, they have learned more about the Catholic faith, and also examining their own beliefs and the person they are growing to be.

Here is what they have to say:

Why did you choose (or not) to be confirmed in the Catholic faith?

I chose to be confirmed in the Catholic Faith because my family and I are strong Catholics. I believe in all aspects of this faith, and I worship God and his works daily. I would like to become an adult in the Church so that I can be a role model for younger members of the Church, as well as take part in roles in Church like Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors. -Maria Frech

I chose to be confirmed so that I can take part in more service opportunities in the Church and take more responsibility for my faith. - Emma Polt

I am not getting confirmed. I am getting a blessing as a sign of respect and thanks to the Church for teaching me the moral values I now live by. - Max Lobaugh


I chose to be confirmed in the Catholic faith because I wanted to continue my journey and path to becoming closer with God. I have a very strong connection with God and believe that He chooses our paths and ways of life. I owe it all to Him for all my blessings and gifts and so I would love to continue my journey with Him. -Logan Toon

I chose to be confirmed in the Catholic Faith so that I can strengthen my faith and my connection with God. - Christian Sanchez

I am choosing to be confirmed in the Catholic faith to strengthen my love for God and for the Church as a whole. -Joe Cusick

I chose to be confirmed in the Catholic Faith because I hope to continue my faith. I also hope to be seen as an adult in the Catholic Church. Confirmation is a significant sacrament in the lives of my family members and I hope to be a part of it. - Evelyn Hermanek


I am choosing to be confirmed because I would like to continue learning and exploring my faith. I would also like to help out and take more responsibility during mass. -Grace Garrison


I am going to be confirmed in the Catholic Faith because I want to go further and learn more about my faith to help and teach others. I want to help those in need because while I was doing my service, I realized that a lot of people just like me were suffering. It was amazing to help those kids and get them what they need. When I get confirmed I am excited to help people and teach others about my faith and their next steps in the Catholic Church. -Mia Hartman

Which of the gifts of the Holy Spirit do you think you need the most at this point in your life? Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgement, Knowledge, Courage, Reverence, and/or Wonder and Awe?

Right Judgement won in a landslide, with 8 votes. Kasim Quinn does a good job in explaining the logic that many used for this choice:

The gift of the Holy Spirit that I need most at this point in my life is right judgment because this is the stage where kids my age usually start making bad decisions that later mess up their lives. -Kasim Quinn

I think that I need the gift of knowledge so that I can better understand my relationship with God. - Mikey Donohue


Right now I think I need courage and reverence the most. To me, these go hand in hand because to be reverent, you need courage to be strong in what you believe in. As a teenager, it can be seen as uncool to be religious and think about God but we need to respect God and stand up for him with the gift of courage and reverence. -Katie Ausman


Were you surprised by anything you learned about yourself or your faith during the preparation process?

Before confirmation I had kind of created my own beliefs and morals because I wanted to distance myself from the Catholic Church. I don't completely agree with the Catholic Church and I was looking at the few things that I don't like about it instead of the vast amount of the rest of the Catholic Church that is amazing. I realized that my beliefs that I had made weren't so different from the Catholic Church at all. I had simply made misconceptions about the Church and when I had corrected those misconceptions I saw that my beliefs were the Catholic faith in everything but name. I stopped trying to distance myself and embraced my faith as what it is. -Albert Kerelis

I learned that I enjoy service and the feeling of accomplishment after service has been completed. I also learned that becoming an adult in the church is more than just doing more service and being more involved in the church. It is also how you can help others and guide them into the faith. - Grace Cusick

I was surprised at how much preparation goes in to being confirmed. - Morgan Peddle

I was most surprised by that fact that after performing service work, I felt that it wasn't something that I had to do. Rather, service work was something that I liked and wanted to do. -Carly O'Brien

I was surprised to learn the parables in the bible were more than stories but ideals to live by. This surprised me because I always thought of the bible as a book of pictures and stories.
- Jake Daut

I have learned a lot about myself and my faith throughout this process. I have learned that it is okay to have a different religion. I learned that God will accept me no matter what, but I have to respect Him. I have to attend church and be a responsible Christian. I am not embarrassed to express my faith in front of my family, friends, and community.
-Eva Nauman

I was surprised by how much it truly impacted me to know that I would be responsible for continuing and maintaining my Catholic faith. It made more aware of the importance and meaning behind church.
-Donna Mitria