Large class for Vernal-area parishes' Confirmation

Friday, May. 08, 2015

VERNAL — The 30 young men and women who formed the Confirmation class from Saint Helen and Saint James the Greater parishes in Roosevelt and Vernal were one of the largest groups in the area’s history, despite unexpectedly losing one of their classmates.

The May 1 Mass at which the Sacrament of Confirmation was conferred was offered for Emily Stratton, who died suddenly at the age of 15, just before the beginning of the class’ second year of studies.

In his comments at the Mass, Archbishop John C. Wester, administrator of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, reminded the confirmandi that Emily is now part of the Communion of Saints. 

“She is praying for you and interceding for you,” the archbishop said, and asked that they pray for her and for the consolation of her family.

The confirmandi are of an age where they are struggling with the conflict of wanting to be individuals but yet also are trying to fit into their community, Archbishop Wester pointed out.

The Sacrament  of Confirmation receives them fully into the Catholic Church, with its 1.2 billion members, “but I’ve got good news for you: We don’t want you to lose your identity,” the archbishop told the confirmandi. “Jesus created you individually. Each one of you is precious and sacred, and we honor the sacredness of who you are.”

Still, they should allow the community to help fashion them, with the help of the Holy Spirit, “because without the Holy Spirit the tendency is going to be for you to do what you want and forget about everybody else,” he said.

He urged the confirmandi to use the gifts of the Holy Spirit to help them live the faith, to build up the Church and their community, and to bring people together.

“We need people to be kind, to be Christ-like, and the Holy Spirit will help you to do just that,” the archbishop added.

In his concluding remarks, Archbishop Wester said he was proud of the confirmandi. “God has placed many gifts in you, and I hope that you will continue to use them for your good, in our Church and also for our community and our world,” he added.

The confirmation class was very lively, said Diana Sroka, one of the leaders.

 “They had me jumping. These guys are more questioning, more wondering what’s going on” than those in past years, she said. “We had much more interesting discussions.” 

Ten of the confirmandi were from Roosevelt; the remainder were from the Vernal parish. Reflecting the ethnic diversity of the area, 26 were Hispanic, three were Caucasian and one was of Chinese descent, said Tom Stinger, another of the class leaders. 

Over the course of the two years, “I saw a willingness in some of them to embrace the liturgy,” Stinger said, adding that sometimes he and Sroka wondered “if we’ve done the job that’s been entrusted to us,” but “we just lay the foundation and let God do the work. How it will bear fruit, we’ll see.” 

Among those who was confirmed was Agustin Martinez from St. Helen Parish, who has been an altar server since he was old enough to do so; he now also is a lector. He and his family clean the church every week, and “do everything that the church asks,” he said, adding that Jesus keeps him involved.

“He is my guidance,” Martinez said; he credited his parents, who are both very involved with the parish, with setting an example by loving and respecting each other.

Martinez chose Augustine of Hippo for his confirmation name because he identified with the saint. “He played tricks when he was young. I do that, too,” said Martinez, who has read some of Augustine’s autobiography Confessions.

“I respect him, and I think that he respects me,” Martinez said.