CONFIRMATIONS in the county should be temporarily suspended, to stop the mass exodus of young people from the church.Fr Paddy Byrne, CC Bagenalstown, bravely spoke out this week about the decision of our young people to turn their backs on the Catholic Church, some within days of their Confirmation.
He points out that over 80% of young people who are confirmed, are not returning to the church for communion the following week.
Fr Byrne has strongly recommended that the sacrament of Confirmation be cancelled for two years, to stop it becoming nothing more than a business opportunity for the local bouncy castle industry.
He stated that the reality for most priests is that the next time they see the teenager they have confirmed is when “they are presenting a child for baptism or getting married”.
“Confirmation in many ways for so many young people is the sacrament of exodus,” Fr Byrne writes in his column in this week’s Nationalist.
“Confirmation affirms a vibrant faith that says yes to being an active member of a Christian community. I suggest that the sacrament of Confirmation needs to be seriously evaluated in our Irish church. There is much more expected than filling photo opportunities for our local papers and supporting our local bouncy castle industry,” he added.
The outspoken cleric says that young people are the future leaders of all our communities and that the church needs to take seriously the gift of our youth.
It is not good enough and certainly not authentic to Confirm a young person as a full member of the faith community and not see them again until presenting a child for Baptism or celebrating marriage?
“There is something unhealthy that almost 100% of sixth class students get confirmed while only 5% of first year secondary school students attend Sunday Eucharist regularly. This is a time of transition in our diocese. Why can’t we take a break from the sacrament of Confirmation for the next two years and build a new vision?” he said.
SIC: TN