Culture

Thanks to the Missionary Childhood Association, hundreds of students at Saint Bernadette parish in Chitula, Malawi receive Confirmation.

Propagation of the Faith

Strengthened in Sevenfold and Sent

Friday, January 30, 2026Culture

On the Sunday morning of our Malawian mission trip, we headed to Saint Bernadette Parish in Chitula for Confirmation Day. The parish was still under construction, so Mass was held outside. The altar was elevated on a layer of bricks so that the whole gathering could see. The table was draped in chitenges -- a local cloth -- of the Blessed Mother.
A choir of voices rang through the air. Their harmonious song echoed through the trees, pulsed through the ground, and pierced my soul. "This must be what the first day of Heaven will sound like," I thought to myself. The procession began and ten young girls danced down the aisle. The girl in front had a smile a mile wide. Her eyes raised skyward with each sway and step in complete praise to God.
Hundreds of confirmation students, some in white and red robes, others in their best dress, followed behind. A young Missionary Childhood Association member from the group served as lector. He read clearly and confidently. During the homily, the bishop asked the students questions about the Gospel and tested their knowledge on the gifts of the Holy Spirit they were about to receive. I realized that Missionary Childhood was truly at work each time the students answered in unison. Every Hail Mary whispered, and mission bank filled by members around the world helped to give these students an understanding of how Jesus is present in their lives.
Next, each student lit a candle, processed forward, and knelt to receive confirmation. The catechists laid their hands on each student's shoulder as the bishop anointed them with chrism and gave each confirmandi a tap on the cheek.
Mass lasted six hours! Even small groups of children from a nearby village, who passed through the surrounding trees, paused to see the cause of the celebration. Before the closing prayer, a representative from each confirmation class received a World Mission Rosary. The beads were a gift from the Pontifical Mission Societies of Boston thanks to volunteers across our Archdiocese who make them. Strengthened now with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the newly confirmed returned to their farms and villages with a deeper commitment to share the message of the Gospel to the ends of the Earth.
Find time this week to pray about the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. How is God calling you to use them so that more children in the missions, like those at Saint Bernadette Parish, may celebrate and grow in their faith?