June 11, 2025 // Bishop

First-Ever Confirmation Mass Held at St. Augustine Parish

Kasia Balsbaugh

After Amivi Gbologan’s son, Eugene, was confirmed, he came up to her and said, “Mom, I am ready for the mission!”

“It was a profound, moving experience seeing a significant step in my son’s faith journey,” Gbologan said about the confirmation. “I am very happy to see him developing a relationship with God and his commitment to living out his Catholic faith.”

Eugene was one of six teens confirmed on Tuesday, June 3, by Bishop Rhoades at St. Augustine Parish, a historically African American parish in South Bend. According to parish leaders, it was the first time in the church’s history that a bishop of the diocese has confirmed their young people onsite. Most years, the small parish of nearly 200 families combines with other groups for confirmation at a larger church. In light of the occasion, the small church was packed with parishioners who came out for the confirmation Mass.

Deacon Mel Tardy runs the youth ministry and formation programs at St. Augustine with his wife, Annie. According to Deacon Tardy, the class is the parish’s largest to be confirmed during Bishop Rhoades’ tenure. Five Black teenage boys were confirmed at the Mass, while another was confirmed earlier this spring with his school classmates. Also confirmed alongside the young men on June 3 was the only female and non-Black student in the class, whom Deacon Tardy said was “fully accepted and respected by all the guys.”

“This sense of diversity and desire that everyone belongs is what we strive for at St. Augustine,” Deacon Tardy said.

In addition to being catechized on Church teaching and practice, the confirmation class gave a presentation to the parish on Black Catholic history, reinstituted the youth altar server program as their service project, and did social activities together such as horseback riding. Most of them are also attending Catholic youth camps this summer, Deacon Tardy said.

For a while, the class didn’t know if they would be able to be confirmed this year at all. Deacon Tardy explained that the students’ schedules and Bishop Rhoades’ commitments at the Synod of Bishops in Rome late last year didn’t appear to match up. He described it as a “test of faith” for the students, who had to make the decision to be confirmed with other groups or hold out to be confirmed as a parish class.

“We put it in the hands of the Holy Spirit and prepared them as if they would be confirmed this spring anyway,” Deacon Tardy said.

When Deacon Tardy happened to be at the same event as Bishop Rhoades, he told the bishop about the teens’ situation, and Bishop Rhoades offered to make a special trip out to St. Augustine to confirm them this year.

After Monsignor Bill Schooler, the parochial administrator of St. Augustine, scheduled the confirmation Mass, Deacon Tardy said they knew the Holy Spirit was at work when they saw the date: June 3, the feast day of Ugandan martyrs Charles Lwanga and companions.

“All along, we’ve encouraged our teens and their families to walk by faith and God will do something special,” Deacon Tardy said. “No one suspected that it would be as special as having the bishop come to our parish … or that it would be on a feast day of significance to the Black Catholic community.”

There was another reason the date was special for the sacrament: Bishop Rhoades pointed out that the Church had celebrated the Ascension the previous Sunday and would celebrate Pentecost the Sunday following the confirmation Mass. He reminded the congregation that this was the time when the disciples and Jesus’ mother, Mary, were gathered in the upper room, praying and waiting.

“And what are we doing? We’re praying and waiting for the Holy Spirit to come upon the six of you,” Bishop Rhoades said.

In his homily, Bishop Rhoades drew parallels between the Holy Spirit and fire, a common symbol for the Third Person of the Trinity. “Fire gives energy; the Holy Spirit gives us energy to live our faith,” Bishop Rhoades said. “He gives us fortitude, strength. Fire can be strong. Fire can destroy. The Holy Spirit comes to destroy – destroy evil, destroy sin. … Fire also gives light, and the Holy Spirit enlightens us, helps us to know God’s will, to know your vocation.”

When Bishop Rhoades asked the confirmandi which gift of the Holy Spirit has to do with the Holy Spirit’s guidance, he was very impressed when one of them answered “counsel” right away.

“Most of the time, students get that wrong – it’s like their fourth guess,” Bishop Rhoades said as the congregation applauded.

Bishop Rhoades also stressed to the young people the love God has for them.

“Christ is with us no matter what,” Bishop Rhoades said. “He is with us in our sorrows as well as our joys.” He added: “He loves us and will never let us down. And when you have that kind of hope, you can get through anything.”

Nonyem Onujiogu-Frye’s son, Joseph, was one of the teens confirmed at the Mass. Joseph took the confirmation name William, which Onujiogu-Frye said he picked after his grandfather, William Frye, who was also his confirmation sponsor. When researching the saint that went with the name, Joseph discovered that St. William “stood for things important to him,” as his mother put it. Though Joseph’s grandfather was coming off a hospital stay and unable to attend in person, Joseph’s uncle stood in the sponsor’s place for him.

Onujiogu-Frye has been attending St. Augustine Parish with her family since 2018, soon after her move to South Bend. She discovered it through one of her co-workers, as she was looking for a more diverse church community for her children.

“The parish is just one inclusive, amazing, welcoming, and comfortable parish,” Onujiogu-Frye told Today’s Catholic. She added: “I found a beautiful home for my children. It’s an integral part of our life in South Bend.”

David and Janel Charlton, whose sons John and Lele were confirmed, said they were grateful to Bishop Rhoades for making the trip and the Tardys for their work in formation. Additionally, they said, parishioner turnout at the confirmation Mass was “amazing.”

Deacon Tardy called it “historically significant and unique” for the church to be filled with parish members for the confirmations. Usually, he said, only sponsors and family members attend when confirmations are held at a different parish. “Moreover, we as Black folks are not in the habit of coming out en masse for sacramental celebrations,” Deacon Tardy explained. “Therefore, we are so proud of our parish for supporting the youth and our bishop by packing the parish. The youth couldn’t believe so many people would come out just for them!”