Confirmation in the Catholic religion is a very important step in a young person's life, because, according to the web site Catholicism.about.com
(http://catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/p/Confirmation.htm), it perfects the baptism taken as a baby. The web site states, "Babies are baptized without choice. Receiving First Holy Communion isn't quite a choice either when you are 6 or 7 years old. However, by the time the students are in their teens, they are making a conscious decision to choose their Catholic Faith, receive the Holy Spirit, and follow Christ more deeply."
The 18 Lovelock youngsters making this conscious decision were Stephen Reese, Giovanni Gonzalez, Danner Barrick, Alondra Suarez, Patrick Schmith, Brittany Garcia, Angel Camarena, Gavin Sanchez, Jerrii Ramirez, Nico Rodriguez, Mariana Gonzalez, Angel Ramirez, Eriberto Rodriguez, Jennifer Moreno, Eddie Bejar, Melissa Gonsalves, Jesus Cruz and Abigail Bake.
The ceremony was presided over by Diocese of Reno Bishop Randolph Calvo.
"Whether you know it or not, the Holy Spirit is at work in you," Calvo told the candidates for confirmation during the ceremony.
In a short interview with the Review-Miner following the ceremony, Calvo said the importance of the sacrament is that the young people are making the decision for themselves to follow Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
"At this age they can speak for themselves and the Holy Spirit will help them keep and live out their faith," Calvo said.
Val McLean and Maria Valtierra are co-teachers in the confirmation classes that the students have been taking for the last two years, to ready themselves for this day.
"We teach all the foundations of the Catholic faith," McLean said. "Some of the topics included in the classes are the meaning of each part of our Holy Mass, how to read the bible, the blessed trinity, the fundamental prayers, the beatitudes, works of mercy, gifts of the Holy Spirit and fruits of the Holy Spirit."
"We have deep discussions with students about the Ten Commandments and how they are relevant in their modern lives," she added.
Students are required to fulfill 40 hours of community service as part of their lessons in the confirmation classes.
McLean said she teaches the confirmation classes for several reasons, but most importantly, "I like interacting with teens and by volunteering my time, I feel I am doing what is expected of me as a confirmed Catholic," she said.
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