In the parish year, May and September vie with each other for top place in the list of busiest months. Whereas September is full of parents’ meetings, catechist training, and heaps of enrolment forms, May is full of church seating plans, rehearsals, and threats to teenage girls involving oversize cardigans if they rock up at church not dressed appropriately. Both months have their own stressful charms. In the last couple of weekends, our First Communion and Confirmation Masses have gone almost flawlessly: the pashminas stuffed in my bag in case of under-dressed teenagers have gone unused and First Communion children almost mastered the arts of genuflecting without toppling over and processing in a straight line. This weekend we celebrated a wonderful barbecue with our newly-confirmed teenagers in which they signed each other’s Transitions books (these are excellent end of Confirmation gifts – you can get them here!). Next weekend, we celebrate another adult Baptism, and our Pentecost Vigil – which is both a celebration of our parish’s patronal feast, and the end of our catechetical year.
