Sacrament of Confirmation

Coming from an all-girls catholic school, I was blessed to be confirmed when I was twelve years old. Little did I know that it will be paramount to this whole wedding planning.

Call it serendipity but J also came from an all-boys catholic school! However, it still puzzles me why he was not confirmed! When we came to know this, it has become the first hurdle we had to overcome in this wedding planning. We told ourselves, this is only the beginning.

Since we only have a few days to spend in Manila, we had to maximize our time for all our schedules. In the morning of Friday, we went to Quiapo Church to register for J’s Sacrament of Confirmation. Aside from the Baptismal Certificates requested from our respective churches, Confirmation Certificates are also mandatory most especially for couples who would want to have a Church wedding.

With the necessary documents placed in one envelope, we came at exactly the busiest day of the week in the said Church -- on a Friday. However, according to my research, Quiapo Church is the only church that holds Sacraments of Confirmation every Sunday. It was a relief as we won’t need to wait for schedules from other churches which only happens once a year. We went straight to the Church office which is located beside the church on the right.

The very diligent and trying-to-be responsible missus-to-be doing the application.

There were a lot of people, mostly couples inquiring about getting a Confirmation. Thankfully, my dad was able to gather the requirements necessary weeks before. I filled in the form and submitted the documents, which includes newly issued Baptismal Certificate (should be valid for six months from date of scheduled Confirmation) that states “For Marriage Purpose Only,” both original and photocopy. Fees are based on a pledge basis, so it’s up to us how much we’re willing to give. Applications for Confirmation are based on a first come first serve basis, so it’s very important to come in early. It’s from Mondays thru Fridays, 8:00 am – 11:00 am and 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. There are no advanced registrations, so once registered, one must come for the sacrament on the coming Sunday, otherwise, you would have to register and go through the whole process again.

J was ready to be confirmed that coming Sunday. There was a mass held so we attended. And since it is also a requirement to have a confession prior to the Sacrament of Confirmation, we also did it on the same day.

On Sunday, together with my Aunt who obliged to be J’s Godparent, we came to the Church Office at 6:30 am. The program starts at 7:00 am with a seminar followed by the Sacrament of Confirmation itself.

Since it’s a mass Confirmation, applicants and the Godparent are the only ones allowed to come up to the venue. I had to wait until it finishes at 12:00 noon.

I think I was able to hear mass for three times and I was even able to run errands in the busy streets of Quaipo. People may think it’s unbelieveable, but really, I did it, alone, after being away from the Philippines for more than eight years. That’s another exciting story altogether.

J with my aunt who's now his Godmother, and the Quiapo Church rector and officiant, Msgr. Hernando Coronel

The release of the Confirmation Certificate will be a week after the Confirmation, 8:00 am – 11:00 am and 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm. There is a minimal fee once the Certificate is released.

After the ceremony, we rushed back to pack our suitcases as it is also the same day of our flight back to Singapore.

That’s a major tick off our list!