Pictures of Confirmation by Bishop Rifan - 27 Mar 2003
Signo te signo crucis et confirmo te chrismate
salutis. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.
(“I sign thee with the sign of the Cross, and I confirm thee
with the chrism of salvation, in the Name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”)
With these words, His Excellency the Most Reverend Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM, conferred the Sacrament of Confirmation on 28 young men and women, 14 from Divine Mercy Parish and 14 from Holy Family Parish, on the evening of April 24, 2008, at Holy Family Church in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was a historic occasion – the first time in almost 40 years that an Archbishop of Vancouver had conferred the sacrament in the Traditional Roman Rite.
People from both parishes began arriving at the church an hour beforehand, with the candidates and their sponsors occupying the front pews. Nearly all the pews were filled by seven o’clock, when the Divine Mercy choir began the prelude, a Spanish song to the Holy Ghost known and loved by the community at Holy Family:
|
Divino Espiritu bajad |
Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts |
All then rose to their
feet for the procession of the acolytes, mitre bearer, crozier
bearer, master of ceremonies, priests, and finally Archbishop Roussin
in purple cassock, as the choir sang the responsory in a setting by
Tomás Luís de Victoria (1548-1611):
Ecce sacerdos magnus,
Qui in diebus suis placuit Deo:
Ideo jurejurando fecit illum Dominus
Crescere in plebem suam.
(“Behold
the high priest / Who in his days pleased God / Therefore by an oath
the Lord made him / Increase among His people.”)
At the high altar, the Archbishop intoned the hymn to the Holy Ghost, which was taken up by the choir:
Veni, Creator Spiritus,
Mentes tuorum visita,
Imple superna gratia
Quae tu creasti, pectora.
(“Come,
Creator Spirit / Visit the souls of Thy people / Fill with grace from
on high / The hearts which Thou hast created.”)
Then, crozier in hand
and now wearing a gold cope and mitre, the Archbishop spoke to the
candidates about the gifts of the Holy Ghost and the challenges of
living one’s Catholic faith in today’s world, his care
and concern for their spiritual growth and well-being evident as he
approached the pews where they sat and in the give-and-take between
the Shepherd and his young flock.
Spiritus Sanctus superveniat in vos, et virtus
Altissimi custodiat vos a peccatis.
(“May the Holy Ghost come down upon you, and the power of the
Most High keep you from all sin.”)
Beginning
with these words, the Archbishop then invoked the Holy Ghost and
asked that the candidates might receive His seven gifts of wisdom and
understanding, counsel and fortitude, knowledge and piety, and fear
of the Lord. With Archbishop Roussin seated facing the congregation
and assisted by Fathers Erik Deprey and Alessandro Lovato, the
candidates went up one by one with their sponsors, kneeling as the
Archbishop anointed their foreheads with holy chrism while reciting
the words of Confirmation, Signo te
signo crucis ..., and then gently
struck them on their left cheek with the words Pax
tecum (“Peace be with you”),
symbolizing that the confirmed is a soldier for Christ and must
endure suffering and the persecution that comes from conflict with
the world.
Confirma hoc, Deus, quod operatus es in nobis,
a templo sancto tuo, quod est in Jerusalem. Alleluia.
(“Confirm, O Lord, what Thou hast wrought in us, from Thy holy
temple which is in Jerusalem. Alleluia.”)
After all had been confirmed, the choir sang this antiphon, and the Archbishop sang the concluding prayer and gave the confirmands a special blessing: Ecce sic benedicetur omnis homo qui timet Dominum: Benedicat vos Dominus ex Sion, ut videatis bona Jerusalem omnibus diebus vitae vestrae, et habeatis vitam aeternam (“Behold, thus shall every man be blessed who fears the Lord: May the Lord bless you out of Zion, that you may see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of your life, and have life everlasting.”)
After
the singing of the Regina Coeli,
Archbishop Roussin briefly addressed the sponsors and parents,
reminding them how important it was to show the confirmands by their
example how to live their Catholic faith. He invited everyone to
recite the Apostle’s Creed, the Our Father, and the Hail Mary.
Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament followed, during
which a prayer for His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI was said on the
third anniversary of his installation as Supreme Pontiff and Vicar of
Christ: Dominus conservet eum, et
vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in
animam inimicorum eius (“May the
Lord preserve him, and give him life, and make him blessed upon the
earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies” –
Ps. 40:3).
Holy God, we praise Thy name; Lord of all, we bow before Thee!
All on earth Thy sceptre claim; all in heaven above adore Thee!
Infinite Thy vast domain, everlasting is Thy reign.
Infinite Thy vast domain, everlasting is Thy reign.
To the strains of this beloved hymn, lifted up to heaven by the full force of congregation, choir, and organ, a beautiful and memorable Confirmation ceremony drew to a close. A reception followed in the church hall, which was packed with people from both parishes who came to greet the Archbishop, congratulate the confirmands, and celebrate a significant moment in the life of the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
PARTICIPANTS
Confirmands
Kate Nundall, Lucy Bonner, Alycia Doering, Mega Doering, Deirdre O’Reilly, Maria Pelster, Kathrine Hodges, Ana Elena Volz, Charles Van Aert, Brendan Gulka, Liam Gulka, Lawrence Donnelly, Marc Bonner, Patrick Hodges, Joniel Badua, Jordan Llabore, Ryan Pham Decena, Brandon Pham Decena, Ashley Gragasin, David Cardoza, Alex Jimenez, Karina Jimenez, Marisa Artiga, Maria Jose Orellaua, Rosario Rodriguez, Allan Jordan Mayorga, Jenifer Ayala, Avigael Aguilar
Clergy
Most Reverend Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM;
Reverend Erik Deprey, FSSP, and
Reverend Alessandro Lovato (assisting priests);
Reverend William Ashley (in choir)
Servers
Kenneth Lieblich (master of ceremonies);
Paul McCabe (mitre bearer);
Andrew Turner (crozier bearer);
Ryan Grossi and Joseph Walters (acolytes)
Musicians
Cathi Akhurst, Theresa Donnelly, Jan Turner (alto);
Suzanne Currie, Veronica Roenitz, Lilibeth Uy (soprano);
Edward DeVita (tenor);
Darrel Doering, Byron Hosking (bass);
Christopher Suen (bass; director);
Pat Buckley (organ)
Reception
Mercia Hodges,
Lynn Reid (coordinators)
[credit for photos]
Photographs by Sharon Hu.