HICKORY — July 9 was a special day at St. Aloysius Church: 118 faith formation students received the sacrament of confirmation from Bishop Peter Jugis, and the bishop also blessed a new crucifix for the church’s sanctuary.
“This year the celebration of confirmation was most impressive to me because it captured the inclusive nature of our faith community,” reflected Kathryn Grandgenett, who has directed the ministry for six years. “James Maxson, music director, and Sarah Rose, youth director, worked with Angel Romero, Hispanic music director, to be sure that our music for the confirmation Mass was in two languages: English and Spanish. It was absolutely beautiful. The lectors chosen to read the Word of God were former faith formation students of mine who attended prior confirmation preparation classes and they just happened to be Hispanic.
Also, the extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion were all Hispanic. Over the years, confirmation preparation has always been a very special ministry to me, but the Mass was always in English. It was so beautiful to bring us all together as one body in Christ and language was not a barrier.”
Grandgenett continued, “Each year, faith formation students who are anticipating confirmation must earn faith and service credits. This year, Deacon Bill Schrieber arranged for the students to clean up the grounds at the Catholic Conference Center, also located in Hickory. This was not an easy task because our summer has been particularly hot. Our confirmation students worked diligently, a true labor of love, and they did an amazing job.”
The crucifix that the bishop blessed during his visit to the Hickory parish stands nine feet tall and is made of lindenwood, noted Father Lawrence LoMonaco, pastor. It was handcrafted in Rome.
“Although we have a masterfully hand-carved triptych depicting the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary dedicated when the new church was built in 1993, the parish felt the need to include a more traditional crucifix placed in our sanctuary. Those who wanted to donate for the traditional crucifix graciously gave,” he said. “Our celebration of confirmation was quite extraordinary with a bilingual Mass and the dedication of a new traditional crucifix.”
— Barbara Case Speers, correspondent