The 2024 ‘Confirmation Morning with the Bishop’ was held at Ashton School in Cork on Saturday morning 4th March. Every year, Bishop Paul Colton invites all the young people who hope to be confirmed in the year ahead to meet him near the start of the year. This happens at a morning of fun, games, activities, singing and refreshments. 

After the ice breaker and a game organised by the young leaders in the Cork Diocesan Youth Council (CDYC), the confirmands took part in four different groups and activities.

Peter Stobart, Director of Music at St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, who heads up the Diocesan Church Music Scheme, taught everyone the hymn the Bishop chose to be sung at each of the Confirmation Services in the Diocese this year.

Intentional Discipleship is very much on the Anglican agenda since the meeting of the ACC in Lusaka in 2016. In Cork, Cloyne and Ross this is being integrated in the Diocesan programme Charting a Future with Confidence. At the Confirmation morning, the Very Reverend Cliff Jeffers, Dean of Ross, with the help of two ladders, explored with the young people what it means to be a disciple.

The Archdeacon of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, the Venerable Andrew Orr, who is chairperson of Eco-Congregation Ireland introduced the young people to another idea of the Anglican Communion of churches: ‘The Communion Forest is about energising local initiatives, not only in tree-planting, but also undertaking activities to restore eco-sytems of many kinds in order to safeguard creation. This year each young person planted their own rocket plant or parsley plant to take home and grow in their garden. The Diocese has also entered into partnershiup with Reforest Nation to plant a forest of 300 trees in Ireland between 2023 and 2024 on behalf of this year’s group of people being confirmed, and for his 25th anniversary, Bishop Paul Colton planted one Oak tree for each confirmand, for which the participants also received a certificate.

Matt Gould, Church Army Lead Evangelist and Community Leader at the Carraig Centre, used a twisty path laid out with masking tape to help participants think more about what ‘voices’ we listen to in Christian discipleship and the importance of listening out to the lead of the Holy Spirit who helps us understand God’s word in scripture. Lots of fun was had trying to follow a path when blindfolded, relying on the whole groups instructions – quite challenging! Participants then had a chance to walk the same path with a ‘helper’ to guide them, which was much easier. 

This activity helped participants appreciate from experience what Jesus said in John 14, where he promised ‘another helper to be with you forever… the Spirit of Truth’. Each participant was also given a bookmark with Psalm 119.105 printed on it: ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’. 

For many years, Bishop Colton, has spoken to each group of confirmands about prayer. Through his work in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden he discovered, several decades ago, the ‘Wreath of Christ’, a bracelet with prayer beads. Each year he has given a gift of one of these to each young person in the Diocese who has been confirmed to provide one way to help them with their praying.This year, the Bishop addressed all one hundred confirmands together and they watched a message from Bishop Johan Dalman, Bishop of Strängnäs, in which he explained everything about the prayer beads.