This bears a remarkable resemblance to the program in use in my (now former) parish.
My daughter's confirmation was much more reverent and solemn. What's more, they actually had to learn stuff . . . and take tests about the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, and the Seven Sacraments, and so forth.
She chose a militant saint like Michael -- St. Martin of Tours. I think his association with horses had something to do with it . . .
Good article! Of course, the entire Church has been afflicted with the Catechesis of the Terminally Stupid/Immature, so at least he wasn't alone.
I was really fortunate here in St. Augustine. Quite by accident, I attended a confirmation (of 8th graders) at the Cathedral. The Bishop (Bp. Victor Galeone, the one episcopal spokesman who dared to come out against his "brother bishop," Lynch, on behalf of Terri Schiavo) gave a great homily, discussing truth, martyrdom, and all that good stuff. He had the kids on the edge of their seats as he told them the story of a 14 year old Cristero, now canonized, who had been beaten, had the soles of his feet cut off and was then forced to walk to the place where he would be killed, and finally was shot to death while yelling Viva Cristo Rey. And the Bishop did a good examination of the kids followed by the best Trinity for Idiots explanation I have ever heard!
Things are looking up.
More proof (this is a joke -- refrain from wad-ifying the panties) that the RC Church is especially blessed: No church so thick with jerks could have survived this long unless God were with us.
Sounds like my marriage-encounter retreat.
Same thing here, or thereabouts.
It's sickening having middle aged morons trying to run a Confirmation program. Watching "Finding Nemo," doing everything visually. I had no idea we were confirming children...
Why don't these people treat the kids like the adults they are supposed to be in the Church??
PS - My Confirmation head person does the same garbage...
Gee whiz... mine was much better. We had something to eat after the Good Friday service, then we had the sponsor time where we went through the questions, then we went into an upper room where we were told we all had to be very quiet and to use the bathroom before we went in because we needed to stay in our seats. Then we had faith journeys by all the second year catechumens and all the candidates... must have been forty or fifty people. It was tedious. They said we might go all the way to 10:30, but thankfully we were all out of there by 9:30.
I know I'm making fun of this, and I certainly think it could have been done better. But watching the UB2s (catechumens) relate to each other made all of us candidates want to be closer to each other too, and I noticed a definitively heightened sense of fellowship among us for the rest of our time together, which ended last Sunday when we were confirmed and received our first communion. I also kept thinking of the stories throughout the rest of the Triduum. Boring yes, but I wouldn't trade the experience for the world.
James Grant might recognize this as a manifestation of The Trouble with Prosperity.
When my kids were little, I had to keep them out of Vacation Bible School in my parish because the concluding Mass was so juvenile that by the time they were in 3rd grade they thought it was too childish.
To think that 45 years ago when I went to Mass I was lost in awe...