Confirmation Sunday

This past Sunday was Confirmation at our church.  Our choir sang, so we had to be there a half hour early to warm up and rehearse.  

The confirmands gathered outside the church before the service - all the girls were in white dresses and the boys wore dark suits.  

The front doors were decorated with greenery and white ribbons.  

The pastors and confirmands lining up on the square in front of the church, ready to process into the sanctuary.  

The procession heading inside the church.  

It was a packed house, with most of the center part of the main floor set aside as reserved seats for family.  The confirmands are processing into their front row seats. 

A small group of the confirmands performed a song to start the service.  

Lining up for the actual Confirmation.

Each confirmand came forward and knelt at the altar.  

Our pastors in front of the altar, with the communion rails all decorated with greenery and white ribbons like the front door.  

There was also a contemporary combo including a bass guitarist, singer, box drummer, and guitarist, who performed a couple of songs from the balcony.

Communion was served only to the confirmands at this service, and it's a three-step process.  First, the pastor goes around to everyone kneeling at the railing and places his hand on each head for a blessing.  

Next, the pastor distributes the bread (wafers) by placing it on the tongue of each person. 

And finally, the pastor goes around the railing one more time, serving the wine to each person from a common cup.  After that, there is a blessing and dismissal for the group.  (So on the rare Sundays when communion is served to everyone during a crowded service, it can take a VERY long time.  Normally, communion is offered the first Sunday of the month, at an extra Lord's Supper service immediately after the regular service, but there are usually only about 30 people or so who stay the extra 35 minutes or so for it.) 

The confirmands presented flowers to each of the pastors at the conclusion of some speeches by a couple of confirmands and congregational representatives.  Pastor Marian also received a hockey stick.  We are guessing it's because he was the culprit who put a puck through the window over the front doors to the church recently when he was out playing hockey with the confirmands one evening!!  LOL!!  

So, the confirmation service lasted for two hours, with all the musical groups, the actual confirmation, speeches, communion, as well as all the normal liturgical parts of the service and the sermon.  It was quite a production, that's for sure.  Afterwards, there was a receiving line outside in the square for all the confirmands as people left the church.  Thank goodness it was a warm, sunny day with no rain!  

In the afternoon, we went out for a bike ride along the Vah River, to use some different muscle groups than those used on our long hike Saturday.  We got to bed early to be ready for a busy week at school --- Maturita week for the seniors!  More on that in the next post!!