Joseph Edward Faranda became Joseph Edward Eudoxius Faranda today. He was confirmed at St. Augustine’s Church with the rest of his eighth grade class, by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, who is the top Vatican official at the UN. The Mass and Confirmation began at 12 o’clock.
The Pastor of St. Augustine’s, Monsignor Hilary Franco, spent many years working in Rome and evidently has the personal contacts – this was Archbishop Migliore’s third year in a row where he came to St. Augustine’s to administer the sacrament of confirmation. The Archbishop is officially the “Apostolic Nuncio, Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations.”
The story behind why Joe chose the confirmation name Eudoxius (he was a Roman magistrate who became a Christian and was martyred in Armenia around the year 311, during the persecutions of the Roman Emperor Diocletian) is a bit interesting. After all, it’s not exactly a common name – not Francis or Paul, etc. In my very first weblog posting on September 8th, 2005, Tom Faranda’s Folly: First Post I mentioned that Joe was thinking of taking this name.
The Mass and Confirmation service was lovely; the choir sung beautifully and the Archbishop gave a very fine, appropriate (and short) homily.
Here’s Joe outside the Church with his sponsor, my youngest brother Phil
Here’s a halfway decent long shot of the Archbishop – who gave a fine homily and seems a very amiable fellow!
Phil, Archbishop Migliore, and Joe after Confirmation
Following the ceremony it was off to Murphy’s in Yorktown for a late lunch – the four of us plus Phiil and Grandma
Here Phil is showing Brigid that he also has pictures of food he’s eaten while out; as he defends my photographing the Guinness shown above!
Desperate to get Joe to smile – tough when you’re thirteen
Tim took this shot after we got home – Joe looks tired of the whole thing at this point
And here’s Joe with my mother Jeanne, this evening.
I snapped this picture outside the Church and have to post it; that’s our friend Denise Ellis, whose son FJ was also confirmed today, taking a picture of two of her daughters. I just like the fact that I caught the moment… Denise may have some Limbo dance talent!
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