Bishop Solis begins his Confirmation schedule

Friday, Mar. 31, 2017

KEARNS — “Hooray, we are happy! Hooray, we celebrate! Hooray, hooray we have a new bishop!” the congregation of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church sang in Vietnamese as they welcomed Bishop Oscar A. Solis to the parish March 26 for the Confirmation Mass. 

“The Sacrament of Confirmation is a celebration of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles became witnesses of our God …  even to the point of giving their lives for their belief. Our hope is that when you receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, God will give you the strength to be courageous witnesses for him,” Bishop Solis said in his homily to the young people waiting to be confirmed.

Bishop Solis encouraged the confirmandi gathered before him to say proudly, “I am a believer in Jesus,” after being confirmed. “You will be hungering more for the Word of God,” he said.

Father Dominic Thuy Dang Ha, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, said he had been waiting for a bishop to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation for a very long time. Because the diocese had been without a bishop for almost two years, his parish had two classes of young people waiting to be confirmed, he said. 

During the March 26 Mass, Fr. Ha greeted Bishop Solis on behalf of the entire parish. “We would like to welcome you as our bishop, as our shepherd,” he said. “It’s a privilege to see you at your first conferral of the confirmation (in Utah). May the will of God be done in your sacred responsibilities. In short, we are blessed to have you.”

The parish’s Vietnamese culture was on display before the new bishop during the Mass. Drums boomed, cymbals rang out, the choir sang Vietnamese hymns, and  children waved brightly colored flags as the congregation joined their voices in songs of welcome.

The parish also offered gifts to the bishop: a bamboo plant, which is an ancient Vietnamese way to wish long life and happiness; an enormous bag of rice and an electric rice cooker; and a basket full of traditional Filipino fruits, such as durians, bananas, pineapples and grapefruit. 

Bishop Solis bowed his head in thanks for the homage from the parish. Acknowledging that the day was a special moment of gladness for the parish, he prayed that God would bring his presence to the Confirmation.

 “Thank you for introducing these young men and women who have decided to accept the wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit,” Bishop Solis said.

Addressing the confirmandi, he said, “You’re going to receive the fullness of Christian initiation … You are going to become full members of our Catholic Church.”

When Bishop Solis asked the young people  to name the first sacrament, they murmured a quiet, nervous answer. However, when he held a hand to his ear and asked, “What was that, again?” they belted out the answer, Baptism, as the congregation laughed.

Through the intercession of Jesus, Catholics in baptism begin their spiritual journey in union with God, Bishop Solis said, and “Jesus, our loving Lord, comes to our aid again when he offers the gift of Confirmation.” 

Bishop Solis ended his homily with a word of caution to the young people. “Don’t think it’s over, that (after being confirmed) you’re going to give a big wave and say ‘hasta la vista, baby’” because there is always room to learn more and grow in faith to God, he told them.

After anointing each of the confirmandi with oil, marking them as full members of the Catholic Church. Bishop Solis finished with a prayer: “All powerful God, send your Holy Spirit upon them. Fill them with the spirit of wondering awe in your presence. We ask this in Christ, our Lord, Amen.”