This is an annual highlight – this year 23 young people prepared by Father Giles Dove. And they are welcomed into Communicant membership of the Church of Scotland by local Church of Scotland minister, Rev Philip Patterson – whose Northern Ireland accent is in better order than mine.
These days, Confirmation comes in small numbers – people at all stages of life who want to make an explicit commitment of faith. Others want to do something which affirms their move from another Christian community into the Episcopal Church.
So this is different – more ‘rite of passage’ – more like my Confirmation in far-off 1964
I enjoy being with the young people – just as important they bring with them a diverse community of parents, uncles and aunts, grandparents and godparents. It’s a great challenge and one which I relish.