On Monday evening, 23 Epsom College pupils were confirmed in St Luke’s Chapel by the Right Reverend Andrew Watson, the Bishop of Guildford.
In front of over 200 family, friends, teachers and HMMs, the group of pupils from Year 7 to Upper Sixth were confirmed.
Bishop Andrew, the Visitor of the College, was invited to lead the service by the Senior Chaplain, Canon Haviland and the Assistant Chaplain, Mrs Rebecca Catterall. While the occasion was a formal one, there was a real warmth which made the service enjoyable, accessible and fun (particularly when the Senior Chaplain went around the congregation sprinkling as many as he could reach with Holy Water).
There was an informal supper for candidates, their families and guests in Big School which preceded the service and gave the Bishop the opportunity to meet the candidates for confirmation. There was a buzz of excitement and a tangible sense of expectation for the evening ahead.
The service featured readings of Colossians 3: 12-17 by our Head, Sir Anthony Seldon, and Matthew 3: 13-17 read by our Assistant Chaplain, Mrs Rebecca Catterall. The College’s Chapel Choir led the singing of four hymns and also sang an anthem during the distribution of Holy Communion.
Those confirmed were prepared by the Senior Chaplain in small groups each week. Throughout the term, the candidates discussed what it means to be Christian in the 21st Century and one of the main aims of the course was to empower the candidates to question and not be satisfied with easy or trite answers.
A service of confirmation takes place annually in St Luke’s Chapel at the end of the Lent Term. If anyone is interested in finding out a little more about confirmation, Canon Haviland and the Chaplaincy team would be delighted to hear from them.
