The sacrament of Confirmation is the embodiment of the graces that are bestowed upon a

religiously educated and mature member of the Catholic Church. A child studies from preschool
until the eighth grade to prove that the path of a Confirmed Catholic is one of their choosing, and
that they fully understand all the responsibilities Catholicism entails. Confirmation is the
Churchs way of transitioning a child into an adult who can make him/her own decisions and
follow the religious life by him/herself. I however, had a different introduction into the faith,
because I was a converter. I was not raised in the faith; I found it, or rather, it found me.
I was baptized in a Presbyterian Church as an infant, but I inconsistently attended a
Methodist Church throughout my childhood. It was not until my ninth

grade year that the
Catholic faith was introduced to me. The more that I attended Catholic Masses, the more I fell in
love with the religion and its spirituality. Not only did Catholicism help me to find myself, but it
also helped me to become much closer to my family in a way that I previously could not
understand. I grew up hearing stories about what happened in Church, praying the rosary daily,
and how amazing it was to be confirmed. After hearing so many of those stories and finally
being able to comprehend what my family was saying, my ultimate goal became much clearer:
Confirmation. Although I began the journey late, I would not take back my experiences.
I started attending the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes (or CCD) in the fall of
2010. These classes help to educate future Confirmers from September until May on the
teachings of the faith. Every week before Mass started, an hour class was held in which we
discussed different lessons derived from the Bible. I stared CCD as a ninth grader in an eighth
grade class, because that was the last level before Confirmation. The process was extremely
intimidating because all of the other kids had been working their entire life to reach the point at
which I had just started. As I attended weekly, I realized my age did not truly matter, because I
was fulfilling my dream. I was going to be a Confirmed Catholic in a matter of months if I stuck
with the program and passed the dreaded end-of-year test. After a year of writing papers,
attending class, and taking quizzes I finally took the end of the year test that would ultimately
determine whether or not I was ready to be confirmed. I took the test and ended with the second
highest grade in the class, an almost perfect score. All that was left was the official ceremony.
I remember walking down the aisle to the center alter and seeing the Crucifix hanging
high above the priest. That day, I realized I was exactly where I was meant to be, and everything
finally felt complete. All of the work that I had put in was finally paying off. With my family
gazing on admiringly, I was anointed with holy oils and officially confirmed. My church
community celebrated my confirmation and graciously welcomed me into their arms. As for my
family, I finally understood why they spent so much time talking about how amazing it was to be
Catholic.
The decision to be Confirmed was entirely my own, and therefore I view it as my greatest
accomplishment. It was truly the first time that I was able to make a life changing decision that
made me who I am today. I have lived a part of my life without faith, and I know how blessed I
am to have found a religion that makes me as happy as Catholicism does. I will always treasure
my journey on the road to Confirmation.