First Sacraments

During term time, Ampleforth provides a home from home to boarders, with all of the comforts and care you would expect. But it also becomes their parish while they are here and we give our students the opportunity to prepare for and receive the sacraments.

On a beautiful weekend in April, 60 students were confirmed at the Abbey church. They had been preparing for the occasion for many months, with much of the work being done with our student catechists. As any parent will tell you, teenagers much prefer to listen to their peers than to adults and our confirmation candidates are no exception! They build a strong bond with their catechist and as a result their experience of confirmation is profound with both the confermandi and the catechists deepening their faith.

The confirmations were carried out by Fr Gabriel Everitt who reminded the candidates that the confirming was not being done by him but by ‘God the Holy Spirit, who is the love of God’.

The confirmation weekend was immediately followed up by another special occasion in the chapel at Gilling Castle. Three children at St Martin’s Ampleforth received their First Holy Communion during Sunday Mass. They had been prepared for the day by Fr John Fairhurst who asked the children plenty of tricky questions during the Mass to make sure they were well and truly ready!

What made the occasion even more special was that not only were brother and sister, Soraya and Sebastian making their First Holy Communion but that also their younger brother and sister, Ariana and Caspian were baptised on the same day. It was a truly memorable occasion for the whole family and symbolised how Ampleforth has such a profound impact on the spiritual lives of our students and their families.

Please keep all of our students and their families who received the sacraments in your prayers as they embark on new chapters of their life with God.