Joanna Bogle

This Saturday, after our parish Mass, I joined our Confirmandi and their Catechists on their day away at the nearby parish of St Joseph’s, Epsom. We try and arrange a day away for our Confirmandi at about this time in their Confirmation programme and offer them an opportunity to reflect on the Sacrament they are preparing for and combine this with an opportunity to make their Confession. I was delighted that Joanna Bogle, a well known Catholic writer, agreed to come and talk to our young people on this occasion. Joanna came to talk to the parents of our First Holy Communion group not so long ago and I’m very grateful to her for the very positive input she was able to make on that occasion.

In her talk to our Confirmandi, Joanna traced the history from the birth of Jesus to Pentecost and the sending out of his disciples.

Confirmation is a very important moment in a young person’s life; becoming a full member of the Church brings with it new responsibilities. Joanna spoke about the need to prepare well for the Sacrament of Confirmation which includes going to Confession and the important of choosing a Confirmation name that has some meaning and significance to the candidate.

I was very pleased to hear Joanna Bogle say that Sunday Mass is NOT just an option but essential to our Catholic faith and practice . The Church is going through difficult times because the values of the Church are not always in line with secular values. This is not new and will probably always be so. This is why the Church needs you, (young people) now.