This past Saturday, I finally reached the peak, the summit, the pinnacle and the apex of my life thus far.

            I was confirmed as an adult in the Catholic Church.

            Now, let me tell you, it does not sound like a big deal, but this kind of thing does not happen every Saturday, or not to me anyway.

            Confirmation is one of the three sacraments of initiation, (Baptism, Eucharist,) and the process involves all sorts of interesting stuff.

            First, I had to go through a long process of meetings and lectures which were once a week for about an hour, for more than ten weeks.

            These meetings probably could have been narrowed down into one for only three hours with all of the repetition.

            Next, I had to choose a sponsor who would help me along my faith journey.

            I chose my big brother Pete, mainly because we are very close, and we can be serious while still having fun together, and I knew he would really help.

            I then had to write a letter to the Bishop of the Green Bay Diocese, David Ricken, to explain to him the reasons I wanted to go through with this process. 

            After all of the meetings, and the overnight retreat, which is a story for another time, it was finally Saturday, October 3, the day I told the Bishop, “Bishop Ricken, I wish to be confirmed.”

            The Mass was the best part.

            As I approached the Bishop with my brother, the whole church was silent, as the music had not yet begun, and my moment was fast approaching.

            Pete presented me and after a short prayer by the Bishop, my head was more than covered in oil, and I said “AMEN” like no one has ever recited the word before.

            It was awesome!

            When my best friend, class of 2009 graduate Peter Smith, asked me how it felt to finally be considered an adult like himself, I responded with this simple simile: “I feel a lot like Aaron Rodgers when he was upgraded from a backup to a starting quarterback; my game face and tempo never changed for church; I am just a bit more mature and adult-like now.”

            In all honesty I do not want to sound like my Confirmation was a joke.

            In fact, I really enjoyed my time preparing with other friends, and it was a great experience, but I always think it is good to find some fun and comic relief in everything you do.

            And if real adulthood feels anything like being an adult in the Catholic Church, then I could definitely get used to that...in a few years.