`let's face it, Confirmation is all about money," said Darragh. "But he already has all the Man United gear," said Aoife.

My best friend's 12-yearold son had phoned to ask me to be his godmother. No, not his sponsor, his godmother. You see, he intended to make his confirmation - but first he had to be baptised.

His parents, Sean and Shona, had been our friends for more than 20 years. We had married at around the same time and our children were roughly the same age. They went to each other's birthday parties and we visited at Christmas. We knew each other's extended families and would consider ourselves close. But there was one area of our lives that had been kept separate because it was so contentious: religion. Born Catholics, they had become determinedly anti-Catholic and had made a decision that their children would not be baptised and would not be brought up in any formal religion.

When we were younger we had argued long and hard into the night about this, but as the years went on it became an area that was just not touched upon. Apparently they had said to the children that if and when they wanted to join any religion they could do so.

Their children went to an interdenominational school, where perhaps a third of their class was Catholic. Once a week a teacher gave an hour's instruction in basic Catholic beliefs, and young John had diligently gone along for all his school years. He bypassed Communion, but somehow Confirmation had caught his imagination. When he told his mother, she talked to the teacher and they got in touch with the parish church. A priest gave him extra instruction for more than six months. Now he was ready to receive his first sacrament.

Nothing would convince my gang that he was doing it for anything other than the money. But his parents indulged him - and the rest of their kids - and, in fact, when communions and confirmations happened in the neighbourhood they were always given a treat. John was baptised a month ago. Our two families went to the church. He has two older brothers who have never shown any interest in Catholicism, but they were respectful of the ceremony and seemed to enjoy it. My gang giggled and sniggered and were very disappointed that John was not totally immersed in water.

His communion went ahead the following week and he is now ready for the confirmation. His parents are broke from all the hospitality they have had to offer. I felt bold enough to ask him why had he decided to become a Catholic. He mumbled and bumbled a reply and his mother translated for me. "He seems to like the order and regularity of it all - the very thing that made me turn away from it."

As for me - well, I am thrilled. Three outfits in one month: I have never been so well dressed. Oops, I sound as mercenary as Darragh!