Editor's Note

Strength in the Lord

When I was interviewing young people for this month’s cover story on Confirmation, I found their answers to one question particularly interesting. I asked, “What was the toughest part of preparing to be confirmed?” One said “commitment” – the program required a lot of activities over a long time. Another said, “Trying to remember that God is always with me.” A third said, “Picking a saint for my Confirmation name.”

It struck me that all of these tasks – commitment, trust in the Lord and choosing the ideals that form our identity – are lifelong tasks; and they are the very sort of tasks that draw on the strength and grace of Confirmation. One of the teens spoke about her happiness at becoming a “full-fledged adult” in the Church. What adults learn, in all aspects of life, perhaps especially in the spiritual realm, is that greater freedom demands a more secure and realistic sense of self, and the commitment to make sacrifices in the pursuit of ideals. The young people who spoke to me seemed eager to meet that challenge, aware of their dependence on the Lord and confident in His help.

Another young person featured this month, Amy Hutton, showed the same kind of fortitude. When she realized at age 18 that she was pregnant, she placed her baby’s well being ahead of her own emotions. You can read her story on page XX.

And don’t miss pages 14-15. Although Easter is past, the Church observes the Easter Season until Pentecost, May 31. With that in mind, we’re remembering Holy week with images of the liturgies and events of that week from various churches in our Diocese. We’re grateful to various photographers who generously donated their time and talents for this feature.

I wanted to remind readers again about the Stations Project I initiated in our Lenten issue. Does one Station of the Cross speak especially to you? Please write a brief reflection on that Station and send it to me. I’m hoping to feature reader reflections in North Carolina Catholics in Lent 2010. Several readers have responded already, but there is still room for more.

Thanks for your letters and comments. You can send them to 715 Nazareth Street, Raleigh, NC or reece@raldioc.org.