Confirmation

This Sunday was an important one for me- I was confirmed Catholic! Now I know if you're Catholic and you know anything about when new members join the church, it's usually at Easter. But, since all four of us had already been baptized, Father Al let us take an "accelerated" option. We all decided that we wanted to be confirmed as quickly as possible, and the date of January 10th was set.

The four candidates, Carol, Beth, Calvin, and myself, with Father Al after mass on Sunday. Say a big hello to the newest Catholics in Newton!

We got to choose a confirmation name, which is the name of a saint that means something special to us. Father Al told us it could be someone who is the patron saint of our profession, a name that is in our family, or one we just like the meaning behind. I chose Saint Catherine of Sweden, who is the patron saint of those who have suffered a miscarriage. She spent time counseling and helping those who had lost babies to miscarriage, which resonates with what I have been trying to do through this blog. 

After mass, Theresa cooked up some breakfast casseroles. Eric's grandma Flood and some aunts and cousins were planning on coming to eat with us, but Nichole wasn't feeling the best, so they congratulated me at the church and went home. Grandma Flood gave me a few gifts that I will cherish forever. One of them being the rosary below, which she brought back from when she had visited Rome. The other gift was a brooch with a flower made from the flowers from Julie's funeral. It is absolutely beautiful and I already have it pinned to my coat to wear every day. Such thoughtful gifts! Dan and Theresa also got me a rosary, but after getting the one from Grandma Flood, they decided to take it back and pick something else out for me.

I'm so excited to begin this new journey as a Catholic. I think I'm most excited that I don't have to awkwardly sit in my seat while everyone else goes up to get communion haha! Continue to pray that the four of us are strengthened in our faith and relationships with God as we continue to grow in the Catholic religion.