As the Church prepares to celebrate Pentecost, Pope Leo XIV is calling on young Catholics to remain faithful to Christ long after receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Speaking on May 16 to young people preparing for confirmation from the Archdiocese of Genoa, Italy, the Holy Father reflected on both the beauty of the sacrament and the troubling reality that many young Catholics drift away from parish life afterward, according to EWTN News.
“One of the greatest joys of a bishop is celebrating confirmations, because it is truly a gift of the Holy Spirit,” Pope Leo said. He described Confirmation as a moment when Catholics receive “the fullness of the Holy Spirit,” which gives believers “this enthusiasm, this strength, this ability to follow Jesus Christ.”
The pope encouraged the young people to live their faith courageously in a culture that often pulls people away from God.
“It is truly beautiful to receive this sacrament,” he said, adding that the Holy Spirit helps Christians “to always say ‘yes’ to the Lord, to have no fear of following him with courage, and to live out our faith in a world that so often seeks to draw us away from Jesus,” according to EWTN News.
Reflecting on the upcoming feast of Pentecost, Pope Leo lamented that many young people disappear from parish life after receiving Confirmation.
“At times, when the bishop administers confirmation, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the children are never seen again! They disappear from the parish,” he said, according to EWTN News.
The Holy Father urged the confirmation candidates not to lose the joy they experienced during their spiritual preparation and pilgrimage to Rome.
“Don’t forget what you have experienced during this time,” he said, “including the joy of coming to Rome to celebrate together, to pray together. And may this joy live on in your hearts as you continue to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Pope Leo also stressed the importance of community and friendship in remaining faithful to Christ.
“We do not live out our faith alone; we live it together,” he said. “And forming these relationships of friendship and community is a way of living with perseverance as disciples of Jesus.”
The pope especially encouraged the young people to embrace perseverance — one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit — by remaining active in parish life and continuing their journey as missionary disciples.
“There are so many activities, so many opportunities — but above all in the life of faith, because Jesus Christ wants to walk with you,” he told them.
Before concluding, Pope Leo invited the young Catholics to make a promise to God: “that you truly desire to continue being his friends, his disciples, and his missionaries, and that you desire to persevere in the faith.”
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