,

It practically gallops!

Onward, Christian Soldiers

Lady Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas and Norah Jones all got mentioned during Bishop Richard Stika’s homily on Friday night. He was the celebrant as a class of high-school juniors from All Saints parish received the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Bishop’s point was that our faith can be like music. Sometimes we know the words, sometimes we know the tune but how often do we truly know both?

This was the bishop’s third Confirmation at All Saints. His first was merely days after his ordination in 2009. At the reception after Mass, Bishop Stika said it seemed like I attended Confirmation every year. Last year, I was there to hear my wife sing. This year, I was a sponsor.

Last spring was a challenging time in our diocese. Ridiculous anti-Catholic pamphlets were distributed in Pigeon Forge; some people suffered burns during the Easter Vigil at a downtown parish; and an abuse victim bravely came forward to inform church and civil authorities about the priest who abused him in the 1970s.

It was around that time that I was approached by members of a family who had moved to All Saints from parts of the world where anti-Catholic propaganda was unheard of. It felt weird for them to now live where Catholics are in the minority. The family’s oldest son wanted to know if I, as a fellow parishioner, would be his Confirmation sponsor. He had found strength from some of my on-air remarks when he was faced with anti-Catholic comments from his classmates at a public school.

Over the past ten months, I’ve gotten to know the young man and his family better. At the rehearsal last Sunday, I was proud to see him volunteer to serve as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion at the Confirmation ceremony. During the Mass itself, he spoke up and answered correctly when the Bishop quizzed the class on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. After Mass, my wife and I went to dinner with the family and some of their friends and had a great time hearing about the places they’ve lived and visited in Europe and California. I look forward to many more such conversations.

http://www.catholic.com/library/Anti_Catholic_Whoppers.asp

February 20, 2011 | Filed Under Catholic 

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