By David Kilby | Correspondent

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. teaches about one of the most meaningful thresholds in the faith journey of young Catholics in a 16-minute DVD entitled “Confirmation …. Strength for the Christian Catholic Journey Through Life.”

Through the video, he teaches how Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of Initiation, and how those who receive the Sacrament receive the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. He explains the theology and meaning of the rituals behind the Sacrament, what is required through Canon Law for a Confirmation to be valid,  and the tradition of choosing a sponsor and Confirmation name.

In a letter promulgating the DVD, prepared by the Department of Television and Radio in the Office of Communications of the Diocese, the Bishop asked pastors and parish directors of religious education for Confirmation preparation to make a presentation of the DVD to parents and sponsors of their confirmandi during the sacramental preparation period and, perhaps, to show it to the confirmandi  themselves right before reception of the Sacrament.

 “It brings together sacramental theology and our policies in a clear and accessible way, answering some questions often posed to us,” Bishop O’ Connell wrote in the letter. “It also presents the witness of young women and men regarding the meaning of this Sacrament in a beautiful way as well as the affirmation of parents and sponsors.”

In the video, the Bishop calls Confirmation “joyful occasions” where “The parents are rightfully proud of their daughters and sons as they take this important step into Catholic Christian adulthood.”

He calls the parents the primary educators of their children, and says “the attitude and influence of Catholic parents cannot be overstated” when the time comes for their children to be confirmed.

Also in the video, parents are interviewed as they give their reasons for making Confirmation an important occasion in their child’s faith journey, and some young Catholics share what the Sacrament means to them.

“With Confirmation, it’s you yourself saying it, so I think it’s more of an initiation for you yourself,” one young lady shares in the video.

“Confirmation really is me stepping up and taking charge of my faith,” says a young man recently confirmed. “You can kind of sense the Holy Spirit and the gifts of it coming into your heart.”

“I think it’s the beginning of my faith journey,” says another young man.

The Bishop states that Confirmation strengthens and deepens baptismal grace, and is a personal Pentecost for the one being confirmed. It can only be received once because its gifts, the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, are meant to last a lifetime, the Bishop teaches.

In the video, Bishop O’Connell also explains the requirements that the confirmandi and the sponsor have to meet.

“A person who is a sponsor should be a practicing Catholic who believes in the Sacraments and what they represent,” he shares.

Such sponsors are also interviewed to demonstrate how they are blessed by being chosen by the confirmandi. These sponsors share how their role as a sponsor deepens their relationship with the confirmandi and their own commitment to learning more about Catholicism.

The video can also be viewed on the diocesan website at  http://portal.dioceseoftrenton.org/pr-Catechesis-on-the-Sacraments-Confirmation.