NWR: Catholic ladies share your confirmation stories

Awe how exciting! Congrats!!

I was confirmed at 19 years old! Even though I was a "cradle" Catholic, my parents never really focused on having us involved in the church as we grew up. I found this great church while I was going to college and decided to enter the RCIA program. I loved it and the mentors were great and I'm still friends with the small group I was confirmed with! I wore a semi formal black dress and some wedges! My mother in law actually was my sponsor since she helped me get back into my faith!

@Christina that is so sweet that your MIL was your sponsor!

I was confirmed at the "typical" age, 8th grade, or whatever age it was back then! My confirmation name is Mary. My godmother's daughter was my sponsor, because at the time she was about 20 and I looked up to her as a role model how she lived her life and was dedicated to her faith and being a good person. Now her daughter is going to be my flower girl!

When I was confirmed everyone wore white dresses. Many were like mini wedding dresses. Although, we were all children.

I was confirmed in 6th grade which I think is standard. Our year was the first year they made everyone wear white plasticy graduation robes and I was pissed. I don't remember what I wore under it, but I remember being pissed about the robe. My confirmation name is Faith, I remember my older sister (who was my sponsor) and I went through the book of saints and just picked a pretty one lol. I also remember having to go to a confirmation practice that was so long my sister decided we were leaving early. I was my cousin's sponsor I guess 6 years ago, but I don't remember a thing from that one. I have since become the worst catholic ever.

ETA: Apparently it's not standard! Just for my school.

@OMG! Christina-you were confirmed at the Newman Center? That's where DH and I go. Do you still go there? My story is to come...looking for picture

I find it interesting the differences in ages to be confirmed! We are confirmed in high school!

Congratulations on your upcoming confirmation @SimpleSeamstress, how exciting! I was confirmed when I was a child in Mexico, we used to go back every Christmas to visit our family and I guess back in the day it was common to confirm your kids in one day. I don't remember how old I was but I couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 years old because I was sitting on my grandma's lap since she was my nina (sponsor.) When the priest came over he did the sign of the cross in front of me and then slapped me. Ya slapped me, a light slap, but a slap. He did it to all the children apparently this was very common in Mexico. When I was 14 right before I did my quinceañera, our church didn't want to accept that confirmation because obviously I hadn't learned anything so I went thru the classes which was awesome.

Lol @Nicole yep in 2012! We don't, we attend mass in Tulare, I miss it though!

I was confirmed in the 8th grade which is around the normal age I guess. My godfather (uncle) was also my sponsor I believe, but I can't remember my saint or what I wore...I'm with S&P, I'm now the worst Catholic ever lol, and I mostly did all that before because my parents made me.

Huge props to you though, SimpleSeamstress!! I think it's great that you're doing it as an adult, on your own and you know it's something you really want! I hope it's a great day for you!

I was confirmed in 8th grade I think?? My confirmation name was Lucia. We wore red robes for ours (it wasn't on Easter Vigil but some other day).

But DH was confirmed last Easter Vigil. It was just stunning - the whole ceremony. He went through RCIA (and I went with him too) - I ended up being his sponsor. They just wore these cloak things over their outfits (he was in a suit).

For the real fun- I was Baptized Catholic as a baby, Confirmed Lutheran in 8th grade, went to a Baptist church through high school (amazing youth group). My best fit in college and law school was a Presbyterian Church and now I'm at a nondenominational church. To add one more twist- FH is Jewish!

That said, I loved my confirmation- I liked a boy at my church and we went through confirmation classes together. Day of I wore a pretty dress and then we all got the white robes to wear too. Lutherans don't do a confirmation name but we did have a confirmation verse we had to recite- mine was Micah6:8 and I can still recite it today!

@Christina That is cool that you came to it on your own in college! The RCIA coordinator had me join the adult confirmation class. About 2/3 of the people in the class were baptized Catholics that never got confirmed. They were confirmed by our Bishop in January. It was very special to go witness that. I am to be confirmed in my parish by my priest since I was baptized in another tradition. I still need to decide on a confirmation name. My sponsor is a Jesuit Seminarian who will be ordained next year. I have been so blessed to get to know him and have him as a mentor because the process of conversion and trying to understand things is not easy!

I got confirmed when I was 19 also. I grew up Catholic, but my parents didn't take me to church all that often and my entire extended family was Protestant. I actually went to church with my Protestant family more than my family's Catholic Church.

For high school, my parents decided to send me to a Christian school 1 town over, because our town's high schools sucked. The Christian school was in the Calvin tradition and was truly my first experience actually integrated faith and life. I learned a ton about theology because Calvinists LOVE theology. My parents made me go to confirmation classes and when I was 16, I decided to stop going because I thought I wanted to be Calvinist like my school and my BF (who is now DH).

Then for college, I went to a Christian university in the Anabaptist tradition. I thought the Anabaptists were kind of nutty (no offence to anyone here). I learned a lot about their theology and with the encouragement of some of my Bible teachers from high school and college, I started studying Catholic theology as well. I absolutely fell in love with it and the lightbulb clicked on that just wasn't there before. I got confirmed at the same time as my mom, who was raised Baptist and just went to Catholic Church with my dad, but didn't convert until I did. My high school Bible teacher was my sponsor and I was confirmed by the same bishop as @Christina.

@Christina-DH and I are moving back to Visalia next month and will be going to St. Mary's. We will miss the Newman Center. It's the first Catholic Church where felt a sense of community-of course, the exists elsewhere, but it's first time I sought it out.

My confirmation name is slipping me right now! Lol but I will remember it.

That sounds like an awesome sponsor to have! Catholic faith is definitely not too east to understand so it's great having someone explain it! Do they have you reading any books?

@Mrs. B Two of the mentors in my RCIA program that are older both were slapped at their confirmation. I just looked it up and it was ended as a practice during Vatican II. I guess it symbolized having strength when faces with adversity or something. Interesting that they were still doing it in Mexico!

Oh really! We will have to get together I love St. Mary's too! We were married at St. Aloysius and we continue to go there to attend with our families. When we are in a crunch, we attend St. Charles Borromeo, which is nice, but are in a transition to building a new church in place.

@Christina No books were assigned. But I have been doing my own reading. Right now I am enjoying My Life With The Saints by James Martin SJ.

@SimpleSeemstress- I'm super excited for you. I chose St. Catherine of Alexandria-she is the patroness of women scholars. She told her father that if she met a man more beautiful than her, than she would marry him. She never got married. lol. I have her book and would definitely suggest looking for a book on whatever saint you pick.

I love my Catholic faith and it's something that the more you learn, the more beautiful it gets.

@Christina-I like St. Charles too. We tend to go to St. Mary's more because me dad is the head usher for the 7pm mass. I read that they are building a 2400 seat church for St. Charles. I'm not sure I'm please with it being that massive but whatever.

I was confirmed at 13 in IL. I didn't actually take the classes since it was the Tridentene (sp?) rite. I just wore a dress. My confirmation name is Philomena, FH's is Sebastian.