Find Your Purpose!
What Is Confirmation?
Confirmation, along with Baptism and the Eucharist, forms the Sacraments of Initiation, which are closely connected. In Confirmation, the baptized person is “sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit,” providing strength to serve the Body of Christ.
The Old Testament prophets foretold that God’s Spirit would rest upon the Messiah, fulfilled in Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and received the Spirit at His baptism. Jesus’ mission was always in communion with the Spirit, and He promised the Spirit would be given to the Apostles and the Church.
After Jesus’ resurrection, believers who accepted the Apostles’ preaching were baptized and received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, which became the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation. By the second century, this sacrament included anointing with sacred Chrism, emphasizing the name “Christian,” meaning “anointed,” as Jesus Himself was anointed with the Holy Spirit.
Why Confirm?
Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ inour families, neighborhoods, schools, society and the world. Through Confirmation, our personal relationship with Christ is strengthened. We receive the message of faith in a deeper and more intentional manner with great emphasis give to the person of Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to give the Holy Spirit to the Church for building up the community in loving service.
The Holy Spirit bestows seven gifts- wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude, counsel, piety and fear of the Lord– to assist us in our mission and witness. The impact of these gifts accompanies us in the various stages of our spiritual development.
Find your PURPOSE
Who Is Confirmation for?
Confirmation is primarily for students in or completing their 8th Grade year who have completed two full years of Religious education. Confirmation Prep usually begins a with 7th grade and wraps up with Confirmation near the end of the school year.
Can My Student Attend If We Are Not Catholic?
Yes! Your student will not be able to receive the sacrament unless they elect to go through the OCIC process which has a couple more requirements but we love participation from our communities teens regardless of their sacraments!
Can They Bring A Friend?
We don’t recommend it for the Confirmation prep classes, however we do have Teen Nights every Sunday which friends are welcome to attend!
What Will Each Class Look Like?
This year we are utilizing the PURPOSE Curriculum from LifeTeen which is fully compatible with and reinforced by our Teen Night program.
Each Class is structured very similarly to Mass with a Gather, where we come together in prayer and often games which leads into the Proclaim where one of the Catechists will speak on the topic of the week and help the teens develop a deeper understanding of the subject before we move to Break where the teens will break out into their small groups who will be with them throughout the year to discuss the topic and go over any relevant materials. Finally we move into Send where we wrap up the lesson with an action item for the week and end in prayer. As the class ends at 10:45, we strongly encourage our participating students to attend the 11AM mass together!
What If I Can’t Make It To Every Session?
We encourage you to do your best but we will provide resources as needed to help ensure your child doesn’t fall behind! If they miss too many sessions we will offer a makeup session later in the year. We do take off for major holidays, and the month of December to avoid interfering with your travel plans!
Are There Other Opportunities For My Teen to Get Involved in the Church?
Nearly Every Sunday also has a Teen Night starting at 3:30PM for the Middle Schoolers, and 6PM for the High Schoolers with the hope that both groups will attend the 5PM Mass with our volunteer team.
Throughout the year we will also offer teen specific retreats, camps, and movie nights, along with a few volunteer opportunities to help them get their hours needed for confirmation!