It has been a busy year in our parishes for Sacraments as over 450 young people were presented for Reconciliation, First Eucharist and Confirmation.  The parishes celebrated six liturgies for Reconciliation, 12 Masses for First Eucharist and 11 Masses for Confirmation, some of which were rescheduled on a number of occasions.  As the final Confirmation Mass ended and the Sacramental Program for 2021 drew to a close last Sunday, there was a sense of achievement and delight to see the children take their next steps in faith initiation.

Congratulations to our young parishioners who celebrated their Sacraments during the year. Some of these children share their reflections.

Confirmation

“My Confirmation was so exciting; just being able to have it after another long lockdown this year. It was so nice to be there with everyone. It was also very special having my sister as my sponsor and I am so excited to be confirmed into the church!”  Lola

“Confirmation was an amazing experience that made me feel very close to God. Everyone looked beautiful and it was amazing to see everyone being accepted into the church with their desired saints.”  Zara V

“My Confirmation was different from others because I did mine on Sunday instead of Friday, so I didn´t see the teachers or students. Overall it was very special and I loved how the Bishop came out of retiring to help give us his time to do our Confirmation. We were lucky just to be able to do our Confirmation and it was a very special day for my family and me.  Confirmation was the best.” Lachie

“Getting Confirmed into the church was a really special moment for me and for it to go ahead was very lucky. Being there with my family was extra special and I know that it will be an experience that I will remember for a long time.”  Mikayla

“My Confirmation was good because it was the first time I had gone to church in a while because of a lockdown.  I liked that Archbishop Hart came out of retirement to confirm the Year Six’s.  I hope that anyone who gets confirmed in the future enjoyed it as much as I did.”  Will

“My Confirmation was very important to me, I always thought that it was extra special compared to Reconciliation and First Eucharist, knowing that when I took the sacrament I knew I wanted to be Christian and honestly when lockdown restarted I was under the impression that it would be brought back a year later we were very luckily we were able to fit it in.  When the mass started I kind of felt nervous but also excited, to finally make this sacrament.”  Jakob

“My Confirmation was a very special moment for me.  I felt extremely lucky and close to God as I received the sacrament.  It felt like a special moment for me and my family because I was being blessed and confirmed what was said on my baptism by my parents but this year I got the privilege to say it to the Archbishop.  I also felt really lucky to have my Auntie as my sponsor.”  Lily

“My Confirmation was very good because this is the first time I’ve been to church since we’ve been out of lockdown and mine was on the Friday night so I was able to see all of my friends and it was also a special moment to me because my sponsor was also at my baptism and I felt felt that the sacrament was close to my heart because the archbishop was there.”  Hector

“My Confirmation was very special because I had been waiting a while for it and I was happy to finally be able to have it after so long and to be blessed and confirmed into the church by the Archbishop.  I was glad I got to do it with all my friends and to be there with my family and to have my family friend as my sponsor.”  Luke

“My Confirmation was very special to me, as I had been blessed and had confirmed what my parents said for me at my baptism.  It was nice to have an Archbishop bless me and put the oil on my head.  I am happy that I got to do this, because with lockdown we couldn’t have it earlier.  It was nice to have some of my family congratulate and celebrate my confirmation.”  Rhys

“Confirmation was a really big memory for me, I am blessed that I got the opportunity to make my last sacrament unlike some kids last year.  I am especially lucky because the Archbishop was in our church.  It will be remembered.”  Katja

“My Confirmation was filled with memories, I thought it was a very special moment and am glad that I got to do it surrounded by friends and family.”  Eliza

“My Confirmation was a fun experience and I felt grateful for this experience.  It was so nice to see my friends and family there and I’m grateful to have my auntie there as my sponsor.  When I got confirmed I felt blessed and was glad I had that opportunity to join the Catholic Church.”  Lulu

“My Confirmation was a very exciting day for me and I’m sure for the rest of the grade.  It was great to see my friends and students at the church.  At the start of Confirmation I was a bit nervous but then I felt excited instead.  I felt very privileged to be able to do it at all because of Covid.”  Georgie

“My experience at the Confirmation was great because it brought me closer to God.”  Isaac

“My Confirmation was very special because it was fun.  It was a Friday night so I could just go home and relax afterwards.  I liked getting dressed up for the night and seeing all my friends and it was a good experience getting blessed by a bishop.”  Tom

“On Sunday, the grade sixes from OHR and other schools around Melbourne gathered in the Our Holy Redeemer Church to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. The Confirmation had been postponed all throughout the year, so it was great to finally get it done. It was very special for me because my two cousins came all the way from Sydney to attend this special moment. I had a great day, hanging out with my family and having a delicious lunch beforehand. As I received the Holy Spirit, I felt nourished, and proud, and ready to go out into the world and spread it. It was a great day and I felt so lucky to receive Confirmation.”  Lizzy

“On the 28th of November, 2021, year sixes from OHR and other primary schools attended Our Holy Redeemer Church to receive their Confirmation. Confirmation for me was a big deal because it had been postponed multiple times. I entered the church with my family and sponsor and looked around seeing lots of people. This was the first time I had seen so many people since Lockdown ended. I had a fantastic day with my family and enjoyed catching up with everyone. When I walked up to the altar with my sponsor about to be confirmed, I was very grateful. I was grateful because I got to receive my Confirmation and I also felt proud to be another step closer to God.”  Matilda

“Sunday 28th of November was the day of my, and all of the other grade 6’s, Confirmation. This was a very important day for me and it’s a very big deal for me and my family, this is because we’re all very passionate when it comes to our religion, it’s not just Confirmation it’s also every other part of it, whether it be the sacraments or just going to church every Sunday. When I stepped up to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, I felt proud and happy that I was able to receive the Holy Spirit.” Nicholas

First Eucharist

Last week we celebrated our First Communion at Our Holy Redeemer. It was very special because we celebrated with our families and our friends. It is exciting to be part of the Church who receives Communion. We have been waiting a very long time for our First Communion. We dressed up in special clothes because it was an important occasion. Fr Brendan spoke to us about “We are what we eat” and it was funny when he said, “He always found himself near the fridge during lockdown.” Having our first Communion made us feel closer to God and we hope we become more like Jesus. Harriet, Eleanor & Tom