A new faith was growing and becoming something different than where it had started. Though still early in its existence, the church had been around long enough that some practices were beginning to take shape as it sought to grow and to share the love of God in new places and with new people. The fire of the Holy Spirit was moving ever outward as the church reached new places and shared the Gospel with people in foreign lands. It was a moment in which the church had to figure out how to help new believers know the teachings of the faith in order that they could, at the Easter Vigil, be baptized into the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior. Thus, the catechumenate was born.

The path towards baptism was one that was taken with intentionality and with careful preparation of the persons seeking the sacrament. Often taking years, persons enrolled in the catechumenate, those seeking the sacrament of Holy Baptism, would be instructed in the ways of the faith until it was time for them to enter their final preparation for being baptized during the Great Vigil of Easter. In the early church, the sacraments of baptism and confirmation were a single sacrament. Upon being baptized, you were a confirmed member of the church when the bishop baptized you. It was only later that the two rites were split apart as the church grew beyond the ability of bishops to keep up with the demand for Holy Baptism.

This fall, we are preparing for our own bishop to visit our parish on our feast day, January 6. With that comes the opportunity for us to renew the practice of the catechumenate as our own parishioners - youth and adult alike - prepare for their own confirmations during the bishop’s visitation. In the course of the fall, we will be adding those who are preparing for confirmation to our prayers of the people, and all of us are being invited to be part of the formation of our sisters and brothers in Christ in a couple of different ways - from sponsoring someone for confirmation to serving as a chaperone or teacher to praying for those who are seeking a deeper life in Christ. Let’s take a slightly deeper look at the commitment that is being asked of our congregation as we prepare for our bishop to visit on Feast of the Epiphany.

Catechumens (Those seeking a deeper life in Christ)

Church of the Epihany is offering an intergenerational confirmation preparation class for adults and youth alike. During the class, all of us are going to be invited into deeper relationship with Christ and with each other as we explore our own beliefs and the ways that we hear Christ calling us deeper into our faith lives. Persons seeking confirmation are asked to complete a 10-week class that will span the whole fall semester. At the end of the semester, we will take a Saturday (December 10) to be on retreat with one another. During this retreat, we will pray, serve the poor and marginalized, and worship together. Each person is asked to miss no more than 2 class meetings and to attend the one day retreat at the end of the class. On January 6, our parish will present these persons to the bishop for the sacrament of confirmation, reception, or reaffirmation of baptismal vows. Anyone who is interested in seeking confirmation, reception, or reaffirmation can sign up for the class and join us in faith-filled conversations over the fall!

Sponsors (Those sponsoring one or more persons for Confirmation)

When someone is presented for confirmation, they are presented by another disciple - a fellow follower of Jesus Christ. Sponsors for confirmation, like sponsors for baptism, make a commitment to the person they are sponsoring for the sacrament. It is not simply the ceremony and being there to present someone for the sacrament. It is forming a relationship with the person being sponsored in order that you are a source of encouragement in that person’s life of faith. From being present during certain meetings of the confirmation preparation class to checking in with the person you sponsored from time to time over the years (even after the person is confirmed!), sponsors play an important role in the life of a person seeking a deeper life in Christ. We work to support one another in our shared life in Christ by encouraging one another to continue in the teaching of the apostles, the prayers, and the breaking of bread. Sponsors are the people to whom we might turn when we encounter a deep question of faith that is challenging us, and if we take the time to form the depth of relationship that Christ invites, we may find that our sponsors become some of our closest friends and confidants.

Our candidates seeking confirmation will be asked to find their own sponsors early in the confirmation class. Sponsors cannot be a member of the same household but should be part of our faith community! I hope that each of us will prayerfully consider being willing to serve as a sponsor to our candidates seeking confirmation and make the commitment Christ calls us towards as they seek a deeper life in the love of God.

Teachers and Chaperones

All of us need exemplars of the faith to help us through our lives of faith, but we also need good and patient teachers who will take the time to explore the questions of faith as we prepare for the rite of confirmation, reception, or reaffirmation. In the early church, the teachers in the community were known as catechists, and Epiphany is in need of folks who will serve that role as well.

Our catechists will work alongside our clergy to teach the faith to those seeking to go deeper in their life in Christ. Walking together in faith, we will explore the questions of faith in a safe environment and host faith-filled conversations as we are all saturated by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Alongside parents and sponsors, catechists support the catechumens in their faith formation and create safe spaces in which questions are encouraged in order that all of us may respond to Christ’s call to vocation in the church and the world. I invite everyone in our congregation to consider serving as a teacher for our youth and adults who are seeking confirmation this year!

The Parish as a Whole

Of course, everyone we have mentioned thus far is in need of the support of the parish as a whole. As such, we will be praying for our catechumens each and every Sunday as part of our prayers of the people, but we are also invited to take those prayer lists home with us. As we pray throughout the week, we are invited to pray for the people on our parish prayer list - the sick, the people of our community, the congregations in our diocese, the Anglican Communion, and those seeking a deeper life in Christ.

As we move through the fall, we will have additional opportunities to come alongside our catechumens by exploring the very same questions of faith that they will have spent the fall semester considering. We will be encouraged to take into our prayers our own questions, and we will be encouraged to listen and watch for how the Holy Spirit shows up in our lives.

As part of our fall, our entire congregation is being prepared to go deeper in our life in Christ. Whether we are a person seeking confirmation (or reaffirmation or reception), a sponsor, a teacher, or simply another parishioner worshipping on Sunday mornings, we are being invited to be prepared for our bishop’s visit on our feast day. Let us commit ourselves to one another and to Christ as we move towards that day and as we lift up those who wish to make this faith their own.

In Christ,

Hunter+