Last week the whole school was privileged to witness 20 students receiving the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Holy Communion. One student was also received into the Catholic Church, this happens when they have already been baptised in a different Christian tradition. It was an honour to welcome Bishop Steve Lowe to celebrate the Mass along with Fr Glenford Lowe who concelebrated.

The Sacraments are an important part of our living faith tradition and a pathway to union with Christ. In receiving Confirmation and the Eucharist, our young men were called to a deepening of their spirituality. At confirmation, the Holy Spirit is received. The Holy Spirit helps us in many ways. It comforts, teaches, helps us grow in our relationship with God and gives us strength to live in Christ. The Holy Spirit also gives us power and helps us know when we don’t make the right choices. We need to want to grow, learn and change to be more godly for the Holy Spirit to really work with us.

Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian life. A great gift and food for the journey when we receive Jesus, he then lives in us and we live in him. During the account of the story of the men on the road to Emmaus in Luke’s Gospel, they are accompanied by a stranger who talks with them about scripture and the actions of Jesus. It is only in the breaking of the bread that they truly see Jesus and are converted to become his Disciples. It is with this knowledge that we celebrate our young men receiving this Sacrament for the first time. May their hearts be truly converted in coming to know Jesus more intimately and may they too become wholehearted disciples of our loving Lord.