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Well, probably because one of your children is preparing
for Confirmation
(or thinking about it!). The choice, of course,
is theirs! But that doesn't mean that they don't
need all the encouragement they can get! In the
Confirmation rite, we pray
that the Holy Spirit
with strengthen your son or daughter to continue
to follow Jesus -
and that help also comes through other people. It's
a brave choice to stand up and declare their faith
in Christ -
especially today when the majority of young people
don't attend church.
Bear this in mind, especially as your child gets
to an age when peer pressure becomes stronger.
Confirmation is a part of Christian
Initiation - and so can only be understood when
it's associated with Holy
Baptism. Confirmation and Baptism belong together
- even though they have become separated by time
and space! Confirmation completes what has been
begun in Baptism and enables young people who have
been baptised as young children to make a mature
expression of Faith.
If your child hasn't been baptised then this provides
a wonderful opportunity for Confirmation and Baptism
to be celebrated together - the way it initially
happened! If you want to find out more about Confirmation
and the rites of Christian initiation then please
click on the section on the menu bar.
It's important to remember that there is life after
Confirmation! There's an old joke about a priest
who had a problem with bats in his church. There
was just no way he could get rid of them!
The answer soon came! Get the Bishop
in to confirm them! Many churches see lots of young
people drifting away from the church after they
have been confirmed. Some people have even commented
that Confirmation is a rite of passage - out of
the church! However, Confirmation offers the young
people a chance to make a mature expression of faith
and so it should be seen as the beginning of a new
stage in their life. In the Confirmation rite they
publicly declare that they wish to carry on in the
Christian way.
As a parent, you will obviously have the best interests
of your child at heart. Some of the things you can
do are:
• Encourage your children in the Christian
life;
• Pray for them;
• Try to make it easy - not difficult - for
them to get to church;
• Talk to your children about their Confirmation
preparation. Take an interest in what they have
learned. You can even sit and surf the web site
with them!;
• Be willing to listen to them, talk to them
about their faith, and even learn from them! You
may get a renewed enthusiasm for the Christian faith!;
• Perhaps you are not a Christian yourself
or do not attend church regularly. This doesn't
mean that you can't or shouldn't take an interest
in the faith your child has decided to take.
Some parents may be disagree that they want their
children to follow the Christian way and be Baptised
or Confirmed. There is no easy way through this
and there will be valid opinions on all sides -
but talking to each other and involving your child
in the discussions is probably the best way forward.
Remember, if you have any questions or queries about
the Confirmation Preparation then talk to your priest
or whoever is leading the course. |
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