KUCHING — A total of 63 students from both St Joseph’s Private Secondary School and St Joseph’s International School were sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit as they received the Sacrament of Confirmation during a Mass held on 18 February 2022 at St Joseph’s Cathedral in Kuching. This long awaited confirmation Mass brought together teachers, staff, and family members of the confirmands who were grateful to have been able to receive this sacrament, albeit several months later than scheduled.
The Mass for the St Joseph Family of Schools (SJFS) was presided by Fr Stanley Goh, SJ, with Fr Joseph Ng, SJ concelebrating. In his homily, Fr Stanley reminded that the Sacrament of Confirmation is like a seal that gives authority to rulers in the past but that the authority given to them at confirmation is to go out to proclaim the good news. This was echoed in the testimonies of the students who wrote the following reflections after receiving the sacrament.
Student testimonies
The Sacrament of Confirmation to me is a very special sacrament. It helps to reassure our faith in the Holy Trinity and also serves as a bridge to becoming a mature Christian. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, we are also given a greater responsibility to take part in the Church’s mission of living the Christian faith daily and witnessing to Christ in everything we do. I hope that I am able to carry out this responsibility and try my best to live my life in God’s image. – Ian Lee
I realised how important the Sacrament of Confirmation was. Compared to baptism, for confirmation I would be fully aware of what was happening and I would renew my profession of faith myself. The day of my confirmation helped me strengthen my faith even more. Through the support of everyone there and with the rites of confirmation, where my faith was strengthened and my relationship with the Church deepened, I got to know the love God has for us. With this, I hope that my faith will continue being a source of strength in my life. – Joyce Singai
Today, I am beyond grateful that I am confirmed and accepted by God to live as His follower. But this couldn’t be done without my families, teachers, friends, officers and all the tiny details of things that happened around me. For they are the ones who shaped me to be who I am today. Thank you. – Jolin Chong
Confirmation is a special moment one can experience in their life journey—where we can enter into another stage in life, growing in maturity and livelihood. As I accepted my responsibility and commitment to the sacrament, a new fire lit in me and I felt as if I had reinvigorated to a new person. When we say, “I do”, it is meant as a way to seal and complete our commitment to God. Like a seal stamp in the olden days where it is used to agree on certain proposals, duties, and many more. Every word said by the priest is very precious to the confirmands as it contributes to the journey we take into a new chapter in our lives. During the anointing of the chrism oil, I especially felt extremely thankful to our godparents/our sponsor, proxy teachers, priests, and the other teams who had worked and risked themselves for us so that we may be able to complete this part of our young lives. It was an enriching moment that I had with God, tensions were gone from my shoulders and I felt at peace, truly an amazing experience. I am now part of the community that will share out the news of God’s Kingdom and I hope the next generation of confirmands would feel the same way as I did when they receive their confirmation. – Gracia Chang
St Joseph’s Private School
