EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION

AND
RITE OF CONFIRMATION
March 8, 2025
9am

Most Rev. Fr. Socrates B. Villegas, D.D.

Mass Celebrant
THE PROCESSIONAL

INTRODUCTION
Good afternoon my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Today we celebrate one of
the most important events in our Christian life, our CONFIRMATION DAY. We will be
completing the sacrament of initiation through which we will be strengthened and become
mature in our Christian faith through the gifts of the HOLY SPIRIT. My dear parents,
sponsors, and friends, please join us as we together give praise and thanks to God for his
spirit dwelling in us. May this confirmation day be a renewal for each one of us especially
as we will be nourished in today’s Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Let us greet and welcome our
main presider, father, and friend, MOST REV. FR. SOCARATES B. VILLEGAS, D.D., together
with our supportive Parish Administrator, REV. FR.
and his assistant REV. . Please all stand.

INTRODUCTORY RITES

Entrance Antiphon:
Archbishop: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and divinity, and
wisdom and strength and honor, alleluia.

GREETINGS
Archbishop: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen
Archbishop: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship
of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
All: And with your Spirit.

PENITENTIAL RITE
Archbishop: Coming together as God’s family, with confidence let us ask the Father’s
forgiveness, for He is full of gentleness and compassion. I confess….
All: to Almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned, in my
thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do, through my
fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask Blessed Mary ever
virgin, all the angels and saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord
our God.
Archbishop: May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to
everlasting life.
All: Amen
COLLECT (Opening Prayer)
Archbishop: Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who have come to know the grace
of the Lord’s Resurrection, may, through the love of the Spirit, ourselves rise to
newness of life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with
you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
All: Amen

Let us all be seated for the Liturgy of the Word.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

FIRST READING
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the
high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find
any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in
chains.
On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed
around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you
persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are
persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what must do.” The men
traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could not see no one. Saul
got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him
by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he
neither ate or drank.
There was a disciple in Damascus names Ananias, and the Lord said to him in a
vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “here I am, Lord.” The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to
the street called Straight and ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul.
He is there praying, and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come in and lay his
hands on him, that he may regain his sight.” But Ananias replied, “Lord, I have heard from
many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name.”
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name
before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel, and I will show him what he will have to suffer
for my name.”
So Ananias went and entered the house; laying his hands on him, he said, “Saul, my
brother, the Lord has sent me, Jesus who appeared to you on the way by which you came,
that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately things like
scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he
had eaten, he recovered his strength.
 He stayed some days with the disciples in Damascus, and he began at once to
proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.
The word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

GO OUT TO ALL THE WORLD AND TELL THE GOOD NEWS.

 Praise the Lord, all you nations; glorify him, all you people!
 For steadfast is his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

GOSPEL Jn 6:52-59
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John
The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give
us his Flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you
eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within
you. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will
raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true
drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in
him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so
also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread
that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,
whoever eats this bread will live forever.” These things he said while teaching
in the synagogue in Capernaum.
The Gospel of the Lord

All: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.

SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

RITE OF CONFIRMATION
Let us all be seated.
PRESENTATION OF THE CANDIDATES

Priest: To our beloved Archbishop, Most Rev. Fr. Socrates B. Villegas, I will now
present the candidates for Confirmation.

HOMILY OR INSTRUCTION

RENEWAL OF BAPTISMAL PROMISES

Let us all stand.

Archbishop: Do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises?
Candidates: I do.

Archbishop: Do you believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?
Candidates: I do.

Archbishop: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of
the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is
now seated at the right hand of the Father?
Candidates: I do.

Archbishop: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who came
upon the apostles at Pentecost and today is given to you sacramentally in
confirmation?
Candidates: I do.

Archbishop: Do you believe in the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the
forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?
Candidates: I do.

Archbishop: This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
All: Amen.

THE LAYING OF HANDS

Bishop: My dear friends. in baptism God our Father gave the new birth of
eternal life to his chosen sons and daughters. Let us pray to our Father that he
will pour out the Holy Spirit to strengthen his sons and daughters with his gifts
and anoint them to be more like Christ the Son of God.

All: Pray in silence for a short time.

The bishop and the priests who will administer the sacrament with him lay
hands upon all the candidates (by extending their hands over them). The bishop
alone sings or says:

Archbishop: All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

by water and the Holy Spirit you freed your sons and daughters from
sin and gave them new life. Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be
their Helper and Guide. Give them the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of
knowledge and reverence. Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe
in your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

THE ANOINTING OF CHRISM

“The anointing with chrism and the accompanying words express clearly the
effect of the giving of the Holy Spirit. Signed with the perfumed oil, the baptized
receive the indelible character, the seal of the Lord, together with the gift of the
Holy Spirit that conforms them more closely to Christ and gives them the grace of
spreading ‘the sweet odor of Christ’”

The deacon brings the Chrism to the bishop. Each candidate goes to the bishop, or
the bishop may go to the individual candidates. The one who presented the
candidate places his right hand on the latter’s shoulder and gives the candidate’s
name to the bishop; or the candidate may give his own name.
Bishop: Dips his right thumb in the Chrism and makes the sign of the cross on the
forehead of the one to be confirmed, as he says:

“(NAME), be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Newly confirmed: Amen.

Archbishop: Peace be with you.

Newly confirmed: And with your spirit.

GENERAL INTERCESSIONS

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL

Archbishop: The Father gives us his own Son as real food and real drink at this altar.
We can ask him for all our needs, in Christ, the source of new life.
All - LORD HEAR OUR PRAYER.
 That the Church may grow in appreciation of the Eucharist as the Bread of Life by
celebrating the sacrifice of the Mass with greater devotion. Let us pray to the Lord.
 That as a community, we may not be idle in our life of faith but everyday seek God in our
difficulties and sufferings. Let us pray to the Lord.
 That families, especially our children, may grow in the ways of grace through the constant
reception of the Eucharist. Let us pray to the Lord.
 That the sick may be strengthened in their faith by uniting their sufferings with the
suffering of Christ, Let us pray to the Lord.
 That our beloved dead may have the eternal life promised by Christ. Let us pray to the
Lord.

Archbishop: Heavenly Father, you gave us the Body and Blood of your Son as food and
drink for our journey. Grant that through our union with him, we may be
united with one another as members of his Body. We ask this through Christ
our Lord.
All: Amen.

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST

Please be seated for the preparation of the altar and the gifts….

Archbishop: Pray brethren….

All: May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for
our good and the good of all his Holy church.

PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS

Archbishop: Graciously sanctify these gifts, O Lord, we pray, and, accepting the
oblation of this spiritual sacrifice, make of us an eternal offering to you.
Through Christ our Lord.
Preface of Easter V
Archbishop: The Lord be with you!
All –And with your spirit!
Archbishop: Lift up your hearts!
All – We lift them up to the Lord!
Archbishop: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God!
All –It is right and just!
Archbishop: It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, at all times to
acclaim you, O Lord, but in this time above all to praise you yet more
gloriously, when Christ our Passover has been sacrificed.
By the oblation of his Body, he brought the sacrifices of old to fulfillment in the
reality of the Cross and, by commending himself to you for our salvation,
showed himself the Priest, the Altar, and the Lamb of sacrifice.
Therefore, overcome with paschal joy, every land, every people exults in your
praise and even the heavenly Powers, with the angelic hosts, sing together the
unending hymn of your glory, as they acclaim:

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

COMMUNION RITE

THE LORD’S PRAYER

PRAYER AFTER THE COMMUNION

Archbishop: We have partaken of the gifts of this sacred mystery, humbly imploring,
O Lord, that what your Son commanded us to do in memory of him may bring
us growth in charity. Through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

CONCLUDING RITE
Archbishop: The Lord be with you.
All: And with your spirit.
Archbishop: Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessings. (Pause)
- May the Lord who called you to be members of His church give you the
grace you need to live as her faithful and devoted children.
All: Amen
Archbishop: May He free you from all anxiety and strengthen your hearts with His
grace.
All: Amen
Archbishop: May He protect you from all dangers, crown your efforts with success,
and lead you to everlasting life.
All: Amen