More than 100 Sydney Catholics received the sacrament of Confirmation during Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on 24 May.
The ceremony, timed with Pentecost, saw Bishop Daniel Meagher confer the sacrament upon 140 people across the city.
In his homily, the bishop explained that after Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection, he remained with his disciples for 40 days before ascending into heaven.
Ten days later, the apostles gathered with the Virgin Mary as they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit as promised by Christ.
“All the time, Jesus just loves us, and he loved the apostles from heaven. And that love of Jesus was his spirit pouring out from the highest heavens and descending into the hearts of the apostles,” Bishop Meagher said.
“The apostles were completely changed, the life of God, a new life, baptised again in the spirit, had entered into them.”
He said the newly confirmed were strengthened by a second sacramental outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit, which united them as one church despite their different reasons for seeking the sacrament.
Ryde-Gladesville assistant parish priest Fr Daniel Drum FMVD said there were approximately 10 people being confirmed from his parish, and they had attended dedicated formation sessions ahead of their sacrament.
The classes ran for six weeks and were designed to foster an “adult understanding of the sacrament.”
“It’s kind of like an abbreviated RCIA, we take them through classes where we talk about what is the church, what does it mean to be a member of the church, and then how do we respond to God through faith and the sacraments,” he explained.
He said nine of the newly confirmed were from Ryde-Gladesville, with the tenth being from Macquarie University, where Fr Drum serves as chaplain, with their ages ranging from 18 to over 50 years old.
“Some are single, some are married, some are engaged, so different workplaces, different kinds of backgrounds, even different ethnicities, so a nice variety,” he said.
Parish priest of St Therese in Mascot Fr Reinaldo Vassoler CS, who also celebrates Mass in Spanish and Portuguese communities across Sydney, said the 22 confirmands from his parish ranged in age from 19 more than 35 years old, including 12 from the Brazilian Catholic community.
He said some adults seek Confirmation later in life partly for cultural reasons as they prepare for major milestones such as marriage, as in some countries of South America, Catholics are required to be confirmed before marrying in the church.
