PROVIDENCE — Bishop Richard G. Henning celebrated Mass and the Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Dominic’s Chapel on the Providence College campus on Sunday, April 21.
On a sunny morning, as the choir sang refrains of Alleluia, a group of 32 students processed into the chapel, looking forward with eagerness towards their Baptism and Confirmation, something they have been preparing for in some instances for upwards of a year.
“I thank you for the privilege of joining you in this holy moment, this graced moment, in the lives of these young people,” Bishop Henning said at the start of Mass.
“We are blessed indeed to have the witness, offered by these young people, who desire to draw closer in relationship with Jesus,” Bishop Henning said.
“Of course, that relationship begins with Him, who has loved you before you were conceived, and who has longed to know you and walk with you from before time.”
Those who received the Sacraments of Initiation are called to a deeper relationship in a very direct way.
“Everyone’s out here to support us. It’s just a beautiful day full of grace, and it’s just beautiful,” said Samuel Loranger, a sophomore majoring in business management and health policy management. Though he was not raised as a Catholic, he converted with the support of his fellow classmates.
“I was really glad to see so many people and so many of my fellow peers getting their Sacraments,” said Eric Gonzalez, a junior majoring in biology who received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, as well as his First Holy Communion.
Gonzalez noted his journey to Catholicism produced a deep-seated sense of meaning and tranquility, pointing out how, as the day’s ceremonies began, he “felt a calm and peace.”
“I really felt loved by Jesus,” Gonzalez said.
