On Thursday, February 26th two Marquette Catholic High School students will receive the sacrament of Confirmation at Notre Dame Church.
Olivia Sims and Brendan Stadler, both freshmen, attended public middle school and were not part of a religious education program. When the two enrolled at Marquette, they expressed interested in receiving the sacrament. Mrs. Kathleen Beeler, the school’s lay campus minister, prepared Olivia and Brendan for Confirmation and, in good faith, she will present them Thursday evening to Bishop Hying, the bishop of the Diocese of Gary.
Olivia has chosen St. Eva because “she represents strength and peace.” Brendan has chosen St. Wilfrid for “his confidence and fearlessness in standing up for his beliefs.”
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, for "by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed."
Marquette Principal, James White states, “The Marquette community is very proud of these young adults for wanting to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. They are our first in our new Confirmation preparation program. The teenage years, as we all know, are difficult times. Young people are thrown up against a great deal of choices and challenges and it is important to have our faith in God to help us work those obstacles. Olivia and Brendan have shown great responsibility in continuing to grown in their faith.”