by Father Mayank Parmar for BISMumbai

Amrutdhara DonBosco Animation centre, Kapadwanj hosted and conducted 04 days of Confirmation shibir from 04-07 November 2021 for 72 children of Christ the King Parish, Nadiad. The shibir consisted of overall development of the child with the theme, Moved by Hope, the Rector Major's Strenna 2021.

The children were divided into 05 groups after the names of various types of people namely pharisee, scribe, saducee, etc. The shibir had variety of sessions which spelled out clearly Youth Spirituality. All the activity based sessions helped children focused and enthused in the classes. The sessions such as Celebrate life in Happiness, Being holy, Doing daily duties, Acceptance of suffering and Being in union with the Lord, helped children to understand the value based life.

The second aspect of the shibir was revising the lessons that were taught earlier on the Holy Spirit, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Gifts of the Holy Spirit. It was combined with the Quiz in which all participated thus revising the importance of the sacrament of confirmation.

The third aspect of the Shibir was about prayer life. The day began with morning prayers and meditation. The children had an opportunity to read the gospel of the day and reflect on the word of God and had an opportunity to share among their friends. This practice helped them to verbalize their reflection. The day ended with night prayers and good night talks in which children were given good thought for the night before retiring for bed. The regular animated rosaries through PPT, candle lights, burning of their evil habits made children reflect on the mysteries of the rosary and make it a habit of praying the rosary. The daily mass celebrated by different priests and their reflections, choir with melodious singing enhanced their spiritual outlook.

The fourth aspect was to cater to their physical development. The outdoor games in the team helped not only to recreate physically but also made them learn about team spirit, group work, leadership skills etc.

Events like camp fire, musical evening, Ek Shaam Yesu ke Naam, and Bible quiz, kept the children busy.

The main organizers of the Shibir were Fathers Mayank Parmar and Ashwin Macwan. They were accompanied by a group of youth volunteers. The children were accompanied by Father Tony K.-Parish Priest Christ the King Church, Nadiad, with nuns Deepika, Jyotica, and senior teacher Neelaben, volunteer Krupali, and catechist Sanjaybhai.

Dr. Kalpnaben Trivedi-Principal of C B Patel Arts College commented: "it is wonderful to see value formation taking place through these kind of camps. It is a need of the hour. One of the parents Nilesh Christina said that such kind of activity should be conducted regularly. Father Tony said, "I am very grateful to God and the Salesians for taking care of our children and orienting them towards God during these days of the Shibir.