response #7: confirmation

Response # 7: Confirmation
After much deliberation, Jessie and I decided to attend Confirmation at the Tully Cross church. The day was April 2nd-- it was the middle of the week, and the service was at 1:00 in the afternoon. There were plenty of reasons not to go: I had a cold, we had a literature response due that night, Jessie is Protestant, to name a few.

We immediately felt out of place, because it was obviously a family affair. We had at least been warned by our friend Mark to dress up, so we had that going for us. The priest directed us to the balcony because the place was pretty jam-packed. The balcony was shady-- I felt as though we had been shunned there. There were only two pews that were accessible, the others were stacked disorderly in the alcove.

The mass began on time, which was a small shock to me. In my experience, Irish time is never on time. The bishop was there, dressed in red, and I had unknowingly worn a red shirt, so we matched! Throughout the mass there was music, which there usually is not in a normal mass. Gaelic was also interspersed throughout. The "Our Father" was recited in Gaelic, and because I don't know any Gaelic I was unable to partake. This added to the uncomfortable, outcast feeling that was growing in my stomach.

After the anointing with the oil and the receiving of the Holy Spirit, the Bishop asked all of the children if they would like to take a vow abstaining from alcohol and drug usage. The children were asked to say a prayer silently to themselves if they chose to take the vow for however long they decided. It was individual choice whether or not the vow was taken seriously. Afterward, speaking with the children in my class at Eagle's Nest, they told me they had all taken the vow for as long as ten years and as short as twenty minutes.

I was amazed by the out turn of the community. Religion is taken very seriously, which was evident by the community and family support. The religion teacher of in each local school was the principal of each school. The importance of religion is so enforced by all institutions. It is incorporated into all social aspects.

Because I am Catholic, I was confirmed at the age of 14. There was 3 years difference between the Irish students being confirmed and the age I was. It was interesting to see how even in the same religion, traditions vary.

After mass had ended, Jessie and I walked down to the credit union for sandwiches, scones, and tea. It had taken many church women to prepare the amount of food set out on the buffet-style tables. There were few there when we arrived, but sure enough, after I'd finished my first egg-salad sandwich, the number of people had greatly increased and continued to do so. Jessie and I had chosen seats against the wall near the start of the foodline so we could not be missed. I saw several students from Eagle's Nest, but they did little to acknowledge me and even more to avoid me. It may have been paranoia, but we were definitely out of place and left shortly after consuming more scones and sandwich triangles (free food!). Their deliciousness made up for the extreme awkwardness.

Later that day, after class, Cottage 8 went to the pub. As Tommy Sammon had foretold, it was very busy. Any excuse to drink, religious events no exception. Especially religious events. At the Renvyle, I crossed paths with Matthew, one of two redheads in my class at Eagle's Nest. I offered my congratulations and he offered me the sum of money he had received as compensation for this oh-so-holy day. Sadly, I only wished he had offered me the hefty amount of money his relatives showered him with. Instead, he told me all of the purchases he planned to make: a Nintendo Wii and Playstation controllers among them. I guess it pays to have large families as the Irish do-- literally. I offered him my last euro if he would buy a Bible, but he repeatedly declined, much to my relief. I am not rolling in the dough and have no Confirmation or other Holy Sacrament coming up in the near future, although it would be nice and help me to pay off my loans.

In the end, I didn't have the courage or heart to pickpocket an 11-year-old, so I resorted to drinking half-drank drinks people had left behind and then sullenly returned to my cold cottage where there was no Nintendo Wii to greet me. Realistically, I think the money detracts from the whole religious experiences. It devalues the day; kids are focused more on monetary gifts and not on the importance of the sacrament. But, who am I to judge? Only observe with mild contempt and jealousy.