Please "Confirm" Receipt

Ah...Confirmation.

With a capital C-O-N-F-I-R-M-A-T--I-O-N!!!

I don't know about you guys, but this particular Sacrament was not one that I could get fully behind until I was seeing it from the other side. Sure, it was cool, and I was stoked to be "part of the club" as it were, but I didn't really know what I was in for. I don't know if anyone really does until they're viewing it in retrospect.

It's kind of like marriage. The wedding is beautiful and wonderful and everyone comes and everyone sees it happen, but the marriage is what happens when you're not in the middle of the dance floor with "I Only Have Eyes For You" playing and pictures being taken and toasts being made and your mom crying because 'her baby is getting married.'

Everyone thinks of "Confirmation" the way they think of a wedding. It's a cool ceremony, and check out those hip robes (isn't that a riot?), and yay--oil! And yay--Saints! And whoa! Is that literally the Bishop? That's literally the Bishop!

But the actuality of it doesn't hit until later. Because we're adults now. We have jobs to do in the church now. Look--we even have mentors who have been through the ringer to guide us through the noob stuff that everyone has to go through when they're just coming into the company and need to learn the ropes. Just like a real job! Except our mentors are Saints and sponsors. The most legit mentors ever to mentor a mentee.

And now here you are, on the outside looking in. You have the ability now to be a mentor to all these newcomers. You can choose to set the example for these fledglings. Because, when it comes down to it, the true test of confirmation is not the list of questions from the Bishop that you answered with trembling knees when you were sitting there in your red robe waiting to get oil smeared on your forehead. The true test is whether or not you'll be a good mentor when the time comes for those kids on the other side to follow your example.

Much love,
Ceci Galvin
CYM, St. John the Evangelist

Well...That Was Awkward

This is when it gets hilarious, y'all.

Here's the deal with awkward topics: they never really go away. As we said last night, you'll probably hear about how things get better when you get older, but honestly, it just gets more awkward. Except once you're "adulting," the world just expects you to...I don't know, handle it better or something.

What I find impressive is just how well you guys did manage all the awkwardness at the meeting. "Chastity." Not exactly the easiest thing to talk about.

But you guys were so classy about it. It was impressive. And that's not something we get to see very often, unfortunately. A lot of times, and this was something we talked about, it's looked down upon to be different from the crowd. But you guys managed to be really good examples of "the bubble," even with something that may seem unimportant short-term: you are a truly good group of people. And this will make it so much simpler going forward when dealing with all the awkward stuff like this. Because, not only will you be able to understand it from the correct perspective, but you'll be able to help each other out. Since, after all, making it simpler doesn't necessarily make it easier, and having people around to help us when those different morals make us feel alone. You kids are truly great human beings.

This was evidenced not only by how you handled the topic of epic awkwardness, but by your willingness (hilarious as it was) to share the things you've learned with the Confirmation Candidates through your letter writing. Some of us even know a handful of the candidates, and I'm sure you'd agree they'll be super-stoked to get them.

Thanks for everything, and continue being awesome in the face of all that awkwardness. Because there's going to be a lot of it.

Much love!
Ceci Galvin
CYM, St. John the Evangelist

Mom and Co.

"Would You Rather" is always fun. It tells you a lot about someone by what they choose, and it's helpful when they explain why they choose it.

There are a lot of things we have to take by faith because we can't see it. We weren't actually around for the Crucifixion, or the Nativity, or the Annunciation, so we didn't get to personally talk to Mom and Baby J. The vast majority of us have to go by what we know from experience and trust that these people are looking out for us. Our eyes may be closed, but we're still carried.

Ha! It's like the game!

A mom is almost always going to be that reassuring presence in our lives, whether or not we see it that way at times. She's always got our back. And those siblings of ours, how different would our lives be without their love and support. And I don't mean the biological siblings with whom we roughhouse and bicker and squabble. I mean the awesome people on the medals we wear around our necks, the people whose stories we know so well. Don't forget that they're around too. That they are part of our family, and that family looks out for one another.

And when I say "look out for one another," let's not forget that it goes both ways. That we owe it to them to love them. To talk to them, even if it's just a phone call to Mom (like a decade or two) to say hi. To keep the equivalent of "a wallet picture" with us. Why else would we do these things? Why else would we have all those statues around? The miraculous medals? The holy cards?

Because we love our family. And we know they love us. And even if we don't see them all the time, we like to remember that they're there. So the next time someone asks about what the deal is with "Mom," or wonders why we pray to statues (love that one), just let them know gently that this is your family. And that's what families do when they love one another: they show it to the world.

Much love!
Ceci Galvin
CYM, St. John the Evangelist