WILKES-BARRE – Young Catholics throughout the Diocese of Scranton have been receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation this spring, publicly affirming the faith first given to them at Baptism and embracing a deeper life in the Church through the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
While the Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, is the ordinary minister of Confirmation, the Diocese follows a three-year rotation that allows the Bishop to visit every parish over time. In years when the Bishop is unable to celebrate the sacrament with a parish, pastors are granted permission to confirm students, with many liturgies taking place on Pentecost weekend if not before.
One of the Diocese’s earlier regional Confirmation celebrations took place April 23 at Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish in Wilkes-Barre, where students from four Luzerne County parishes gathered to receive the sacrament.
Candidates from Exaltation of the Holy Cross Parish, Hanover Township, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Larksville, and All Saints Parish, Plymouth, joined the host parish for the special liturgy celebrated by Bishop Bambera.
Among those confirmed was Joaquin Gabriel “Francis” Galdos Nunez of Exaltation of the Holy Cross Parish, who chose his Confirmation name in honor of a saint cherished by his family.
“I’m very happy,” Nunez said after Mass. “I’m following my parents’ religion and helping other people out.”
Nunez admitted he felt nervous when approaching the Bishop during the Rite of Confirmation but afterward described feeling “happy and satisfied.”
Luke Borino of Saint John the Baptist Parish said receiving the sacrament filled him with joy and hope for the future.
“Tonight was a great night. I feel like the future is very bright for all of us,” he said.
Reflecting on the moment of Confirmation, Borino added, “It actually made me feel a lot of joy. I couldn’t stop smiling.”
Father Gerald Gurka, pastor of All Saints and Saint John the Baptist Parishes, said Confirmation marks an important turning point in the lives of young Catholics.
“They take the commitment that their moms and dads and godparents wanted for them when they were baptized and they take ownership of that and they ask God’s spirit, through Confirmation, to strengthen that commitment for the rest of their lives.”
Father Gurka said the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit remain especially important for young people navigating today’s world.
“As young people, they realize you need courage more than ever in a confusing world,” he added. “You need wisdom to be informed, and you need understanding to make right judgments.”
At the end of the liturgy, Father Gurka said he noticed something unique in the expressions of the newly confirmed students.
“There was something different about their faces,” he said. “There was a sense, in a nonverbal way, that they had a greater connection to God. It was a very beautiful moment that I think shined right through the ending of the Mass.”