Denver Catholic

2 MAY 16-22, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Vatican Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the fi rst weeks of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. Denver Catholic is printed by Signature O¥ set in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. EDITORIAL: 303-715-3215 or denvercatholic@archden.org | ADVERTISING: 303-715-3253 or denvercatholicads@archden.org CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-715-3230 or circulation@archden.org General Manager KARNA SWANSON Director ANDREW WRIGHT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE May 16: Priesthood ordination, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (10 a.m.) May 17: Mass and confi rmation, Good Shepherd Parish, Denver (noon) May 19: Mass and institution of acolyte, Redemptoris Mater Seminary, St. JPII Center (5:30 p.m.) May 20: Mass and confi rmation, Ascension Parish, Denver (7 p.m.) May 22: Mass for outgoing FOCUS missionaries, Christ the King, Evergreen (10 a.m.) @ArchbishopDen May 10 New priests for Denver. "I will give you shepherds after my own heart" Jer 3:15. Pray for #vocations http://ow.ly/ MF3Lf +sja Text 'BISHOP' to 313131 to register SAINTS Find out more about the Restored Order of the Sacraments of Initiation on May 28 during a live Q&A phone call with Archbishop Aquila! PHOTO OF THE WEEK Archbishop Samuel Aquila hosts families from the Father Ed Judy House, a Catholic Charities' shelter for single women with children, at a Mother's Day dinner and celebration at the Holy Trinity Center on the campus of the St. John Paul II Center for the New Evangelization May 10. PHOTO BY DANIEL PETTY W hen we celebrate Pentecost this year, something will happen that people have been talking about since I was appointed Archbishop of Denver in 2012. On the day when the Church celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, providing them the grace to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, the process of restoring confi rmation to its original place will begin. I have decided to do this because it is my responsibility to do everything I can to help every person in the archdiocese reach heaven, to help you become a saint, to grow in holiness. The Church, our families, and our society urgently need more saints. Under the restored order, the sacra- ments of initiation will be conferred as follows: baptism, confi rmation and Eucharist. While baptism will continue to take place at its normal time, con- fi rmation will take place in the third grade, during the same ceremony as fi rst Eucharist. When I was Bishop of Fargo and I restored confi rmation to its original place, I found third-graders to be very receptive to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Their childlike trust and wonder is beautiful to behold. Many times, their ability to see the truth and to trust God completely surpasses our own, and this allows them to receive the graces of the sacrament more deeply. St. Thomas Aquinas acknowledged this when he said in the Summa Theologica, "Age of body does not determine age of soul." There are also important theological reasons for placing confi rmation before fi rst Eucharist. In the early Church, Christian initiation began with new life in Christ through baptism. This was fol- lowed by confi rmation, which perfects the grace of baptism, fi lls us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and prepares us to receive Jesus in the Eucharist. In other words, the sacraments of initiation are "are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it" (Catechism, no. 1324). The Eucharist completes initiation and is the lifelong sacrament that nourishes and strengthens us to be authentic disciples. Unfortunately, the current confi rma- tion process is not consistently forming authentic, lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. Instead, as Pope Francis said in a 2013 address to Italian young people, "what is this sacrament called? Confi r- mation... No! Its name has changed: the 'sacrament of farewell.'" In the early Church, the descent of the Holy Spirit was an experience of empowerment that bestowed spiritual gifts on Apostles and brought them to spiritual maturity. Christ desires for this to be the experience of every believer today, too. By imparting the graces of confi rma- tion at an earlier age, it is my hope and conviction that children will be better prepared to live a life of authentic disci- pleship, even as society becomes more secular. My conviction comes from trust in Jesus Christ and the real, transfor- mative power of the graces he pours out upon every person in the sacraments. In contrast to this stands our culture, which will teach children to be nice, fair, and feel good about themselves, but will neglect their profound need for sal- vation and redemption. It will neglect virtue, teaching right from wrong, good from evil, and teaching them that true happiness is found in a relationship with God. But the secular approach is doomed to failure because it oŸ ers no help to those who fall short of being nice or good. It does not oŸ er true healing or transformation, which can only be found in Jesus Christ. "The Lord," Pope Francis told the Italian young people, "is always with us. He comes to the shores of the sea of our life. He makes himself close to our fail- ures, our frailty, and our sins in order to transform them." Those of you who are parents are the primary teachers of the faith for your children and it is your task to show them how Christ has changed your life, to seek conversion, and to help them cultivate the graces they receive in the sacraments. With the gifts of the Holy Spirit fi rst given in baptism and completed at con- fi rmation, the spiritual nourishment of the Holy Eucharist, and the generous commitment of all the people of God, we can expect to see ever-greater numbers of saints-in-the-making fi ll the Archdio- cese of Denver. To help form your children and grand- children in the faith, I ask that you read my pastoral letter, "Saints Among Us," which explains the restored order of the sacraments of initiation in greater depth. Along with video and print resources, the pastoral letter will be published on May 24 at www.archden.org/saints and will be available in your parish. As we celebrate Pentecost, may the Holy Spirit stir into fl ame the gifts he has placed in your hearts! Forming saints in our midst

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