High school graduation season in early June is an exciting time for our teens. It is accompanied often by national news stories of diplomas granted to senior citizens who for some reason or another missed their high school graduations many years ago.
Such a story came to light this past June when 100-year-old Ethel Nishimoto was surprised by the awarding of her high school diploma. She was meant to graduate from Farrington High School in Hawaii, but her class’s graduation ceremony was canceled after the attack on Pearl Harbor caused the temporary closing of her school so that it could serve as a hospital for the wounded. Ethel was so happy to finally receive her diploma some 82 years later!
Important milestones in life are sometimes missed for one reason or another. We can say the same thing about the reception of the Church’s lifegiving Sacraments. This is especially true for the Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation.
Recently I had the joy of conferring the Sacrament of Confirmation on individuals who are not only grandparents, but even great-grandparents! What happy occasions! It is never too late to receive the Church’s powerful Sacraments of grace while here on God’s good earth.
Perhaps the past circumstances that caused a delay remain fresh in your minds. On the other hand, perhaps they’ve faded like sun-soaked wallpaper over the decades, and it is difficult to remember the finer details. The more important thing is the desire for God’s grade offered in the Sacraments and the motivation to reach out to the clergy or staff members to begin a conversation about such possibilities.
It is our joy to receive such inquiries and to work with you on promising pathways ahead. Please be in touch if these words set your hearts aflame with the desire to receive the grace of the Church’s Sacraments no matter how many years have passed since the traditional ages of their reception. All things are possible with God!