ANNAPOLIS – In the life of a Catholic, everyone has his or her own journey to walk with Jesus.
That was no different May 14, when 78 youths and young adults from Holy Family in Davidsonville received the sacrament of confirmation at St. John Neumann Church. Eleven of those new Catholic adults, however, had a little help along the way – from their fellow twins and triplets who were confirmed alongside them.
Four sets of twins and one set of triplets were among those confirmed in a church filled with several hundred parishioners, family and friends. The twins were Grace and Patrick Callahan; Nathan and Nicholas DuBeau; Ava and Cooper Matala, and Dutch and Marisol Torreyson. The triplets were Alexis, Landon and Olivia Chadwick.
“It was a nice process going here and going to all the classes,” said Landon Chadwick, one of the 15-year-old triplets. “When we were at home, if I had a question I could just go to them (his sisters,) especially if my parents didn’t know. We can be more religiously open to each other.”
Olivia, his sister, agreed.
“It’s an incredible experience, going through all the sacraments with two other people by my side,” she said. “It’s been quite a journey, growing in our faith, and I hope it continues for the rest of our lives.”
They had help from their aunt, Elyce Reynolds, who was the confirmation sponsor of all three.
“It was an honor,” Reynolds said.
Alexis, the other triplet, related how the most memorable moments during the confirmation process were those that brought them together without the formality one might associate with preparation for a sacrament.
“I feel like there were interesting moments where we could joke with one another, and we could just laugh,” she recalled. “You could say anything you wanted without someone being judgmental about it. I feel like you have more of a comfortable space to open up to them.”
John Freiland, the youth minister at Holy Family, directed the preparation of the confirmation class during a very unconventional year.
“It was challenging,” he explained. “Most of the kids did come to an in-person retreat in April.”
He said interacting with the candidates during the pandemic posed obstacles, but ones that were overcome.
Nine confirmation classes were held, most using Zoom web conferencing, with as many as 50 candidates on one screen. Hybrid classes, with the option of some in-person gatherings, also took place, but with masks obscuring their faces. There were also two in-person retreat options and one virtual retreat option.
“We told kids from the beginning, making prayer a priority would make the biggest difference this year,” he said. “We encouraged kids from the start. It’s a process of figuring out what God wants them to do. How does God want them to use their gifts?”
The DuBeau twins, Nicky and Nathan, enjoyed the process, especially as they had each other to lean on. They said they discussed a lot of the saints’ names and helped one another choose the best name that fit each other. They also did community service together “so it was more fun,” they said.
Freiland, whose background includes three years in the seminary, was happy to learn that 16 of the 78 confirmandees were open to the possibility of religious life, and another five said they would go if called. That question had been posed to them by auxiliary Bishop Adam J. Parker, who confirmed them.
“You have arrived in your life at a moment that will change you forever,” Bishop Parker told the confirmandees during his homily. “You’re saying a very important ‘Yes.’ Belonging to the Roman Catholic Church – getting confirmed – means we are disciples of Jesus Christ. What are disciples of Jesus Christ called to do? We’re called to make other disciples.”
He also encouraged the faithful to live a life of service and to invite others into that life of service. He noted that together the church does “some pretty incredible things,” highlighting work in education, food assistance, sheltering those in need and offering medical care.
Father Andy Aaron, pastor of Holy Family, concelebrated the Mass.
The sacrament had additional meaning for 11 confirmandees with siblings at their side.
“It does give a special connection,” Freiland said. “I think that’s a big help and grace to them.”
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