When I was 13, I had my Confirmation at our church.  My 8th Grade Catholic friends and I had attended weekly catechism classes during the year, culminating with a retreat and ceremony.  That weekend, I also received a letter (that I still have) from my parents that reduced me to tears because it talked about how I was growing up.  My sponsor and role model was a family friend and someone I see and speak to all the time about life, friendship, and advice.  Getting confirmed was a big deal and something I remember very clearly as part of my Catholic upbringing.

So, with my daughter’s Confirmation coming up this Wednesday night, I wanted her to celebrate the religious journey she has been on for the past 13 years.  Because everyone loves brunch foods, we agreed on a Saturday morning Confirmation Brunch.

But, first, what is Confirmation?  In the Catholic Church, Confirmation is one of the 7 Sacraments (Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Confession, Anointing of the Sick, Matrimony, and Holy Orders).  According to American Catholic.org, sacraments ‘are ceremonies that highlight what is sacred, significant, and important to Christians‘.  In particular, Confirmation is about being sealed with the Holy Spirit.   During the ceremony, each confirmant will be anointed with oil and the phrase ‘be sealed with the Holy Spirit’ will be stated.  The Protestant Church also celebrates Confirmation.

Confirmation is celebrated differently around the world.  In the Eastern churches, Confirmation happens at the time of Baptism.  This was the case for my parents.  In the Eastern Orthodox churches, children receive Confirmation and Communion at the same time as Baptism.

The fact that Confirmation happens in Grade 7 or 8 is relevant because it is considered an age when children can ‘confirm’ their faith and commitment to the Church and its teachings.

So, back to the brunch.  One of the first posts I published was on a weekend brunch.  The Confirmation Brunch was very similar but had slightly different foods.  We also had cupcakes, balloons, and favors this weekend.

The menu included breakfast foods of waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, baked french toast, croissants, fruits and fresh orange juice.  The lunch foods were bagels, cheeses, cold cuts, and veggies.  The cupcakes posed a challenge for me because I couldn’t find any decorative toppers so I ended up making my own fondant cross-shaped cut-outs.  I set up the food on the kitchen island so the guests could easily help themselves.  For the table centerpiece, I kept it very simple with ornamental sprigs and butterflies, which were mimicked on the cupcakes.  Finally, for favors, we made chocolate covered matzoh crunch, which I have also blogged about here.

Have you hosted or been to a Confirmation Brunch?

Here are some photos:

 

Let me know what Confirmation Brunch ideas you have!  I’d love to hear about them.

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