A little old, a little new ...

Today 'my' parish ran it's first confirmation class of the year. For those new to the idea of confirmation, it is a time when people make an opportunity to affirm their belief in the church's teachings and creedal statements.

Traditionally it is done once a year so that one's preparation is complete, and is confirmed, around Easter. Our parish is no exception to this tradition. The priest assigned a text for students to read, and has planned field trips to locations significant to Anglicans in Toronto.

They include the cathedral, the convent of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, Toronto's two Anglican seminaries, the Sea Farer's mission, and a
mission to the homeless.

I find this approach to confirmation to be quite intriguing, because it allows the participants to see the big picture of the church they are joining - it's not just confined to your parish.

As a child I remember that one was not allowed to receive Holy Communion until after confirmation. The idea being that prior to this rite of passage, you simply weren't old enough to "get it", intellectually, or to really comprehend what was going on.

While I'm not always sure that I "get it", I do think it is important for people to understand what they are participating in. I think that in many ways, the "getting it" is part of the faith that one grows into.

For those church traditions who practice infant baptism, having a rite such as confirmation, or catechism, or first communion, is important because it allows a person to mark out the boundaries of their own faith. When one is baptised as an infant, it represents a commitment someone else is making on your behalf, to raise you according to the tenets of their faith. When one is confirmed, it is an affirmation of one's own commitment.

I do not think that baptism is unimportant. I think that it is very important, and I also understand why some people say that it ought to be something someone chooses for himself (herself) rather than be submitted to. I also happen to think that there are some good explanations (which I won't go into here -- don't worry) as to why it can be done for infants.

Anyhow, I hadn't intended to post a dissertation on baptismal theology, but merely an update and a neat approach to something very old.

The picture attached was taken shortly after the first class tour. It faces west along Toronto's Front St., and depicts the city's famous Flatiron building in the foreground, with the city's financial scy scrapers in the mid ground, and the CN Tower off to the back and left of the frame.