Veni Sancte Spiritus

“Confirmation is the rite in which we express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop.” -- The Book of Common Prayer, pg. 860

This past year, I have been helping to prepare a group of St. Elisabeth’s young people for Confirmation.  We have worked our way through a common text - “My Faith, My Life” by Jennifer Gamber - exploring theology, Scripture, sacraments, prayer, and the history and organization of the Church in the Episcopal tradition.  We’ve been ably assisted in this study by a group of faithful and supportive mentors from the St. Elisabeth’s congregation - Phil Miller, Kara Superfine, and Larry Whipple who have generously given of their time to meet one-on-one with our students and to join us for our group discussions.  

In addition to our lively sessions together, the students have committed to serve as Sunday morning acolytes and to volunteer with our outreach ministries - Soup Kitchen and Family Promise.  Finally, each student and their mentor will be presenting on a topic of their choice at an upcoming Sunday Forum after the 10am service this Spring.  (See article later on in the Voice for more information!)

Our class will be confirmed by Bishop Clark when she visits us on Sunday, June 7th which is also our Parish Picnic Sunday.  Please hold our students and their mentors in your prayers and come out to support them at their Forum presentations and on the day of their Confirmation.

As our young people finish their preparations and as we hold them in our prayer, I wonder if we too might reflect on “the inward and spiritual grace” of confirmation: the strengthening by the Holy Spirit.   How are you - in practical ways - strengthened by the Holy Spirit in your life?   How have you experienced inspiration or strengthening in your heart and spirit in the past?   What renews and inspires you in the present?   In what ways do you yet desire or hunger for strengthening or inspiration?  How might you make real an intention to pursue such strengthening or inspiration in the future?    When the bishop lays her hands on the heads of our confirmation students, join me and her in praying that they too might experience such inspiration and strength in their own journeys of faith.

Faithfully,

The Rev. Adam Spencer, Rector