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Leader Magazine
DECEMBER 1960.
THE CONFIRMATION SERVICE.
An Account by one of the candidates.
When I first joined the Regiment, I was asked by the Padre to fill in a form. One of the items on this form was whether or not I would like to be confirmed. I had never given this a lot of serious thought before, but now I di and it came to me that I would like to be confirmed.
The classes started about the sixteenth of June this year. The Padre had two classes on Wednesday evenings. We learned the full meaning of the Apostles' Creed, and we also learned the Ten Commandments and what they mean to us. Some of the boys could not get along all the time, and so in time there was just one class. This brought us right up to October and on the thirtieth of October we were Confirmed.
We were seated in the Church by twenty minutes to eleven. Some of the others had just been baptised. At about five minutes to eleven, the Bishop of Bangor came in, dressed in all his robes. He had three NCO's as retainers. During the service two of them stood behind the Bishop, and the third one stood to one side, holding a big folder that had the service printed inside it.
First we had to renew the promises made for us by our God-parents. We then knelt down, and while we were kneeling the Bishop started to confirm the lads by laying his hands on their heads. When it at last got to my turn, I found that my legs almost ceased to function, and it was only with a big effort that I managed to walk. There were two of us, and we had to walk up the steps and kneel before the Bishop. He placed his hands on my head and said a blessing. Then he placed his hand on the other lad's head and said his blessing. After he had done this, he placed a hand on each of our heads, and blessed us both together.
After the service we went to the Social Centre and had tea and biscuits with the permanent staff and the Bishop.
We had one more class after this, so that the Padre could show us the Holy Communion Service, and give us prayer books with the date we were confirmed written in them.
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