Confirming Our Faith

Last weekend my brother, Zack and I received our Confirmation. Most people just assume you receive this sacrament when you are in high school but unfortunately sometimes life gets in the way. During my high school years and Zack’s middle school years we were being shuffled from Quincy to Holbrook and then back again. We missed the CCD sign ups and unfortunately were not able to enroll. Sure Mom and Dad were upset but then life just goes on…

Years later I met Mike. Its safe to say Mike has always been in touch with his faith. Mike went to St Josephs for elementary school and Cardinal Spellman for high school. Actually he was the only one of his brothers to go to Catholic high school. This was his choice! Not something you hear very often from a 14 year old. Throughout our relationship he has always told me how important it was to him to be married in a Catholic church. Now I’m going to be honest, this was not at the top of my priority list. I wanted the one stop shop and a huge party! The 5 minute ceremony, followed by the open bar cocktail hour, and finally the best reception anyone has ever been to! The kind they would all talk about for years to come!

Naturally, probably the minute we were engaged, I started to plan our wedding. Mike stopped me quickly, “Remember I want to get married in a church…”. I remember thinking UGH! Really?!?! But I agreed. He sat me down at some point and told me it was the only thing that made sense to him. It was the only thing that mattered to him. In his eyes we wouldn’t really be married if we weren’t married in a church. He told me I could do anything, have the reception anywhere, pick whatever colors, whatever cake, flowers, ANYTHING, as long as we were married in the Catholic church. I thought long and hard about it and came to the conclusion that Mike was right. My whole life I was raised a Catholic. Yes, we slack off and don’t go to church nearly as much as we should but we still have faith. It wouldn’t be right if I wasn’t married in a church. I remember being border line nervous to ask Mike if we could get married in my childhood church. It was weird. I don’t know why I was nervous but I was. This was the church I was baptized in. Where I received my first communion. Before I knew it, I couldn’t imagine being married anywhere else. Thats when I started to become nervous. I didn’t want to be selfish. This was the only thing Mike asked for and now I’m asking to be married in my church. Well I asked and of course he said yes. He was elated that I wanted to be married there.

To be married in the Catholic church you don’t have to be Confirmed anymore. But this was something that meant a lot to me. I didn’t even realize it for years that it even mattered to me until now, but it did! This was about us. I felt both of us should be known members of the church to do this the right way. (Finally do something the right way in our lives, whatever the right way may be.)

I found out through the Deacon, that will marry us in July, about an adult Confirmation class taking place at another parish in Quincy. It was a 5 week course, every Sunday for an hour and a half. You would not believe how much Zack and I learned in that 5 week span. Our class was about 12 people who were all doing this for their own personal reasons. As soon as probably the first class I noticed right before my eyes my religion actually made sense to me. I think and hope it had the same effect on Zack. Both of us enjoyed going and were sad when it was over.

We had our grandparents be our sponsors. The ceremony was held on a Sunday afternoon with about 33 adults from all over the South Shore. With the age range from about 18-70. Besides the fact I was extremely sick and almost fainted mid mass, it was a great day!

Thank you Grammy and Pa for being there with us. We are so proud to have our Confirmation names be Edward and Margaret! WE LOVE YOU BOTH!!