26 Children Confirmed at Danish Church in Luxembourg

The Den Danske Kirke i Luxembourg (Danish Church in Luxembourg) recently held a confirmation service for 26 Danish children.

The ceremony on Sunday 25 May in the Eglise du St. Esprit in Luxembourg-Cents was one of the two big events held by Danish Church in Luxembourg every year. With over 500 friends and family members of the young Danes giving their confirmation, the event comes second to the Christmas bazaar held in November/December. Confirmations always take place on a Sunday or a Public Holiday, during April and May, while a few places in Denmark will have the Confirmations during autumn.

This day is for the young people, with the boys usually dressed in suits and the girls in beautiful dresses; they receive many presents and money, with the post-service Dinner menu in most cases being decided by the young people as well.

After the church ceremony it is a relaxing day until dinner when the family and guests gather over a three-course meal with songs and speeches.

Confirmation means "saying yes". During the confirmation ceremony, God's promise to the individual made at baptism is confirmed: God confirms his promise to be with the baptised person always and he or she receives the blessing and a special greeting from the Church in the form of a Bible verse that is thought of as a kind of life companion. Confirmation is not a sacrament in the Evangelical Lutheran Church but a rite that also marks the passage from childhood to youth.

Children confirmed: Victoria Viana Haunstrup. Josephine Augusta Kjelgaard, Jacqueline, Alexandra Hannibal, Monica Sofie Løfqvist, Celine Nymann Søgaard Dueholm, Sofie Fuglsang Olsen, Julie Vase Bundgaard, Laura Rudolph Outzen, Kasper Berg, Kirstine Clemmensen, Nicholas Ströh Becker, Alberte Ulrich Poulsen, Nicolas Boyer, Laura Berggreen Skovmand, Andreas Spiermann Brokopp, Rasmus Stadsgaard-Haun, Magnus Hardahl Hansen, Julie Lambæk Vendelbo, Tobias Schroll Jønsson, Christian Bek Stricker, Helene Meyland Winkel, Mathias Flaga Olesen, Christian Runo Waaben, Sebastian Eric Poulsen-Duer, Helena Vrede Wøidemann and Max Rømer

The Danish Church in Luxembourg is operating under the Danish Seamen's Church Abroad (DSUK) associated with the Church of Denmark. The first Danish service in Luxembourg was held in 1974 by the resident Danish priest from Brussels; since 1994 the Church in Luxembourg has had its own resident Danish priest here.

Thanks to good support from the Danish Seamen's Church Abroad (DSUK), the Danish Church in Luxembourg has bought a vicarage, hired a priest, and has been registered as a Luxembourg a.s.b.l.