It was a beautiful summer’s morning when the Bishop of Bedford visited the school to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation to six boys from across the Upper School. The service was the culmination of several weeks of discussion sessions about what it means to live as a Christian in the contemporary world – also accompanied by the Chaplain’s home baking!
During the Sunday Chapel service, the confirmands reaffirmed for themselves the promises that were made on their behalf at their baptism; to follow Christ as the way, the truth, and the life. The service started with the sweet sound of the school chapel choir who were on fine form as they sang Gloria in Excelsis, filling every corner of the chapel.
During the sermon, Bishop Richard challenged the congregation to think deeply about the question ‘what will you become?’ Not only in terms of career or family life, but also in terms of values and deeper meaning, leading us instead to the question ‘who will you become?’.
The confirmands were anointed with oil as the Bishop prayed for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Echoing the anointing has been a traditional element in the coronation of Kings and Queens for millennia, and featured as part of the coronation rite of our own monarch. In this anointing, the confirmands become princes and priests of Christ’s new creation, not only invited to share in the privileges of Christian life but also the responsibilities.
At the end of the service, the confirmands were given lit candles, representing their role as bearers of the light of Christ to the world. The Bishop led them out of the Chapel into the sunshine to applause from the school.
