To celebrate the feast of Christ the King, confirmations were held at the Cathedral last Sunday with people from parishes across the diocese being confirmed by Bishop John.
13 people were confirmed and a couple were also baptised. During the ceremony, candidates stated their decision to follow Christ, renouncing evil and repenting of their sins, professed their belief in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit and then were confirmed by Bishop John, who reminded each candidate that they had been called by God before praying for them.
One candidate said that she felt ‘amazing' after being confirmed. During the service she had felt “the presence of the Holy Spirit like tingling”, when the Bishop made the sign of the cross on her forehead and also when he laid hands on her head to confirm her.
On being asked to describe the experience, another candidate said: “It was nourishing. I was an atheist until last year, so it’s been quite a journey!"
A third candidate said: “I’ve been into the cathedral before as a tourist but never for a service of worship. The whole experience has been absolutely wonderful.”
The Revd Mel Beynon, Curate in the Halas Team in Halesowen, one of the parishes who had brought candidates for confirmation said: “It was a very joyful service, and so encouraging to see young and old getting confirmed.”