Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
While confirmation season isn’t an official liturgical season, it is a very real phenomenon and a deeply spiritual time of year for bishops. Over many weeks I meet with groups of young people who are about to be confirmed, asking them about their faith and then sealing them with the gift of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of confirmation.
My prayer is always for each one of these young people to follow Christ. The reality is that too many young Catholics treat confirmation as a rite of passage out of the Church. Distracted by many things, they often drift away from church when are no longer required to go to faith formation classes.
But “sealed by the Holy Spirit” means that God’s Spirit is alive in each of them regardless of whether they are listening for that voice. The Spirit calls them to follow Christ, to take up the mission of Jesus Christ to bring His love and mercy to everyone on earth. I pray that each of these young people will open their hearts to hearing and following the Lord’s call.