"Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds... A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs" (CCC 1316, 1319).
In accordance with Diocesan guidelines, we have a two year preparation program for Confirmation, with students preparing during sixth and seventh grade to receive the Sacrament in the fall of eighth grade. Religious Education students older than sixth grade, and school students older than sixth grade, will be placed in an appropriate level with students of similar age, to complete the two year program.
Requirements
Students have three broad areas of activity in their preparation for Confirmation:
- Academic Preparation at either Saint Bernadette School or in the parish Religious Education Program
- Active Service Learning through completion of Works of Mercy with an assigned Confirmation Team
- Guided Spiritual Reflections on Confirmation through completion of quarterly assignments in a provided Confirmation Portfolio.
- In addition to the three broad areas of activity, students are required to attend a Confirmation Retreat (dates provided early in the second year of preparation), a group Confirmation Interview with one of the priests with their Confirmation Team in the weeks prior to the Confirmation Mass, and the Confirmation Mass rehearsal which is typically a week or so prior to the Confirmation Mass.
About Confirmation Portfolios:
This requirement filled a need to help the students focus on the spiritual part of Confirmation by guiding them through thinking about their academic preparation, communicating with their sponsor, exploring saints to determine a good choice as a patron, reflecting on their recently completed Works of Mercy, and other relevant assignments. These are turned in quarterly. THE PORTFOLIOS ARE A MANDATORY PART OF CONFIRMATION PREPARATION. The Confirmation Portfolios are in the standard black/white composition notebooks, and the students are provided with one composition book and the quarterly activity sheets which are glued/taped into the book by the students on a quarterly basis to provide a journal, of sorts, of their preparation for Confirmation.
About Confirmation Teams:
Students are placed on Confirmation teams based roughly on geographic location of their home. School students and RE students are on the same teams to encourage community building inclusive of the entire parish. Volunteer Confirmation Team leaders plan and schedule 4-5 Works of Mercy for their team throughout the two year Confirmation preparation period, with two additional large scale Works of Mercy planned by the Director of Youth Ministry and the Director of Religious Education. Grace Mee (DYM) is the primary administrator of the Confirmation Teams program, working closely with the DRE.