Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation is one of sevensacraments that the Catholic Church offers to the faithful as an ordinary means of grace and is also the third and final Catholic sacrament of initiation. However, final Sacrament does not mean that you have arrived at the end of your Catholic journey nor is it a "rite of passage", but, rather, it is a commissioning of your idividual vows and promises of your Baptism and the beginning of your lifelong adult faith journey. With the annointing of chrism oil you are sealed with the Holy Spirit and called to live a life of holiness and obedience to God’s will. Typically most were baptized as infants and annointed with the same chrism oil at their baptsim, but, our parents made our baptism vows for us, promising to teach us the Catholic Faith and to help us grown in the faith. At Confirmation you will say these vows for yourself. If you are an adult looking to receive your Sacraments or Confirmation please visit our RCIA Page.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Confirmation is described like this:

“Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the ‘sacraments of Christian initiation,’ whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For ‘by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.’” (CCC 1285)

Taking Confirmation seriously means you are making a decision to continue, spread and defend the Catholic Faith, but do not fret, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit to come and help the disciples and the Holy Spirit will be there for you too through the gifts that help us on our lifelong faith journey. The gifts of the holy spirit are:

Wisdom – Helps us to rightly order our interpersonal relationships and the centrality of God and his will in our lives.
Understanding – Helps us to comprehend the Gospel and the will of God as communicated through his message.
Knowledge – The capacity for exploring and pondering God’s revelation along with the awareness that some mysteries of faith are beyond our ability to grasp completely.
Counsel – Helps us to choose the path of God when presented with choices that relate to our journey toward him.
Fortitude – Also refered to as courage or strength helps us to do what we know is right even when it might be difficult or costly.
Piety – Is a strong devotion to God through prayer
Fear of the Lord – Is not to be afraid of God, but to be in wonder of his power and might, and to marvel at his majesty.

The blessing that the bishop gives over the confirmands during the Roman Rite of Confirmation encapsulates all of these gifts beautifully

“All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
by water and the Holy Spirit
you freed your sons and daughters from sin
and gave them new life.
Send your Holy Spirit upon them
to be their helper and guide.
Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of right judgment and courage,
the spirit of knowledge and reverence.
Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.”
(CCC 1299)

These gifts and your newly sealed vows you are confirming your agreement with the Church's teachings and you will be given the strength to defend and spread the Gospel. To help you on this journey we will prepare through Catechism, service opportunities with acts of mercy and closer to your Confirmation date, usually in the Spring, there will be an opportunity to go on a spiritual retreat, received confession and prepare for this important step on your spiritual journey.

THE DETAILS

SCHEDULE

From October - December, on the fist and third Sunday of the month, we will meet from from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM at the Parish Center in person and masked to follow the current CDC guidelines. Stating in January, we will meet from 6:30 - 8 pm for Litugical based Confirmation Prep sessions that include parent and sponsor participation. During this immediate prep phase, we will focus on the Rites of the Sacrament enabling our confimandi to fully know and experiece the graces they will receive on the day they celebrate this special Sacrament. other components of the Confirmation Prep include a Retreat, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Interviews with Fr. Morrette and Fr. Resilia and completion of service done in the parish and community.

Full Schedule for Faith Formation. Youth Ministry page 2

CURRICULUM

CATECHIST SCHEDULE FOR 2021-2022

We will begin our Lessons with Decision Point from Dynamic Catholic which is specifically designed to engage the Young Church in their faith. It asks the right questions about life, choices, where they fit in and dives into the deep meaning of our Catholic Faith and how to live it. The program is video based with a workbook and reflection space to offer opportunity for the Young Church to make their faith a part of their own life journey. You can download a convenient App that leads you through the whole program which will help if we have to go remote with our catechesis.

"DECISION POINT is the first Confirmation program specifically developed to engage young Catholics in a meaningful conversation about the genius of Catholicism. It teaches and inspires teens to respond to God’s grace, and it’s changing hundreds of thousands of young lives."

After our Last Session with Decision Point we will begin our immediate prep for Confirmation. We will be using Chosen through Ascension Press which prepare the Confirmand, parents and Sponsors for Confirmation Day.

Chosen will "Engage your teens and excite them about the Faith"

"Chosen: Your Journey Toward Confirmation takes young people on a journey through the entire Catholic faith in all its richness and vitality. Teens will be captivated by the story, from Creation all the way through salvation history, and they will come to see how the sacraments, prayer, and discipleship are the keys to a happy life. The goal of this 24-lesson program is nothing short of winning over the hearts of teens and making them disciples of Christ."

SERVICE

OLV-OLS Grades 7-10+ Prayer & Service Expectations

Along with faith learning sessions, members of our Young Church, in Grades 7 -10+, are expected to complete prayer & service experiences within our parish, community and world as part of the preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation and their role as missionary disciples.

NEW PRAYER and SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES will be offered throughout the year. Email notifications to sign-up for service opportunities will be sent before all events. A reflection sheet is to be completed after each service project and sent to Mary Eaton [email protected].

REFLECTION SHEET