Archbishop John Wong meets with the newly confirmed
By Juliana P.J. Ringgingon and SOCCOM of HFC, Telipok
Jan 17 2024
TELIPOK – A total of 103 candidates have received the Sacrament of Confirmation in Holy Family Church, Telipok. The candidates had been preparing to receive the sacrament for more than a year. A spiritual recollection was done on 23 Dec 2023 as part of the preparation and a rehearsal was conducted on 30 Dec 2023.
Parish priest, Fr David Sham said that it was the tradition of the parish to confer the Sacrament of Confirmation on the Holy Family Feast Day which fell on Sunday, 31 Dec 2023. He emphasized that the Church, following the clear indication of Sacred Scripture and immemorial Tradition, teaches that just as Baptism gives new life, the Eucharist nourishes life and Reconciliation restores life when it is broken, the Confirmation strengthens that life by the gifts of the Holy Spirit (cf. CCC 1302-1303).
The joyous occasion was presided by Archbishop John Wong. In his homily, he reminded the candidates and the faithful that receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation does not mark the end of formal religious education. Rather it should be viewed as the beginning, for he said no one can outgrow a need for a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the faith.
Therefore, he emphasized that Confirmation should not be perceived as the rite of passage or graduation. Instead, it should be understood as what God is doing without ceasing for his beloved children, a distinctive working of God in a person’s life. He also mentioned the significance of the Sacrament for us to better defend and witness to the faith, i.e. to accept the Word of God, do it and spread it. As there will be many situations where we are called upon to defend and witness and we need all the help we can get. Help from God to be “more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed” (cf. CCC1285).
The gifts of the Holy Spirit associated with Confirmation are strength. We often called these strengths as virtues. These virtues i.e. wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord, are divine help that we need to lead a fruitful Christian life. Without it, it is impossible to fulfil our baptismal calling.
The Chairman of the Holy Family Pastoral Council, Lawrence Kimkuan, in his speech, congratulated the newly confirmed and hoped that they will be actively involved in the various ministries in the church. Meanwhile, Organising Chairman of the event, Petrus Maximus, thanked everyone for the cooperation and supports.
The occasion was accompanied by the traditional Sumayau dance, Timorese community dance and various other presentations such as of the lion dance group of the Chinese community, the Children, Youth, Family groups and the Women’s League. The happy occasions had indeed brought deeper meaning of the Sacrament to the newly confirmed and to the community of believers in Holy Family Church, Telipok.
The Archbishop was accompanied by Parish Pastoral Council members during the Feast Day’s cake cutting
