Confirmation

CONFIRMATION PREPARATION OVERVIEW

Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit - his actions, his gifts, and his biddings - in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life.  To this end, catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church, as well as to the parish community.  The latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of confirmands.  (CCC #1309)

The Goal of St. Bede's Confirmation Preparation Program is to form disciples by leading teens to:

• Develop a personal relationship with Christ
• Experience the power of the Holy Spirit
• Awaken a sense of belonging to the Church

EFFECTIVE CONFIRMATION PREPARATION

• Emphasizes what God is doing in our lives.
  (NOT what we do to be worthy or deserving)
• Works within youth ministry and faith formation.
  (NOT as a separate or competing program)
• Focuses on preparation for celebrating the sacrament.
  (NOT as a place for all of the needed adolescent catechesis)
• Involves the community of faith.
  (NOT anonymous preparation program)
• Works in partnership with parents and sponsors.
  (NOT in competition for family time/attention)
• Launches youth toward full participation and active discipleship. 
  (NOT as an end but a beginning)

ST. BEDE CONFIRMATION PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS - 2010-2011

1)     Registration 

a) Candidate is between the ages of 14-16 upon entrance (first year).

b) All required registration paperwork and fees need to be submitted by September 27, 2010 at the parent/candidate orientation.

2)    Sunday Mass

The Mass is the source and summit of our Catholic faith, and all Candidates are expected to attend Mass every Sunday (or Saturday vigil) and on Holy Days of obligation during the two-year Confirmation preparation period.  The Youth Mass is specifically designed to meet the spiritual needs of all junior high and high school youth in the parish.  Its upbeat music and youth-targeted homilies aim to speak to the heart of young people, making the mass more interesting and relevant to their daily realities.  It also promotes and supports youth participation in all liturgical ministries.  Attendance at the Youth Mass is required as part of the six-week catechetical sessions.

 3)    Catechetical Sessions (six per year)    

In the course of the two-year process, candidates need to attend a total of twelve catechetical sessions focusing on the faith themes given by the Los Angeles Archdiocese Office of Religious Education.  Since St. Bede offers three tracks per year, a candidate has two make-up opportunities for any absences during each year.  A master calendar is included in the Confirmation Handbook so candidates can identify the dates/times of available makeup sessions.  Year two candidates who have not made up missed sessions from the previous year need to attend the same Year 1 session at any of the three available tracks. 

 4)    Faith Exploration "FX" Events (3 per year)

Faith Exploration (a.k.a. "FX") is a large gathered workshop that addresses a faith or youth ministry topic.  All candidates are expected to attend three FX events each year.  To Makeup for any missed FX - candidates may attend Youth Day or another workshop or retreat on the same theme at their high school or another parish.  If a candidate attends an event at another parish or school, he/she will need to provide a letter or email from the adult supervisor of the respective parish/school confirming his/her attendance.

 5)    Youth Day

Youth Day is an annual celebration at the Anaheim Convention Center for 15,000 Catholic high school youth in the archdiocese and beyond.  It consists of great music, rallies, workshops and liturgy.  Each candidate is expected to attend at least one Youth Day during the two-year confirmation program.  This year, Youth Day will be on Thursday, March 17, 2011.  A copy of the Youth Day permission slip may be used to request to be excuse from school. 

 6)    Retreats

Confirmation retreats offer heightened spiritual and transformative experiences for candidates.   There will be a day retreat for Y1 candidates.  Confirmation preparation would be spiritually incomplete if a candidate does not get to experience a transformative overnight retreat in the spring of the second year (shortly before the Confirmation Rite).   Any missed retreat needs to be made up by attending the corresponding retreat at another local parish.  The candidate must provide a written letter by the coordinator of the Confirmation and/or Youth Ministry program confirming his/her participation and attendance at the retreat. 

7)    Service

The call to service is an essential component to the Confirmation experience.  Candidates are asked to perform a minimum of twenty (20) hours of service throughout each year of Confirmation preparation.  Ten (10) hours should be service for the St. Bede parish community and the other ten (10) hours should be service to those who are in need in the greater community  (e.g. the poor, homeless, sick, disabled, elderly, etc.) through Brother's Helpers, Skidettes, the Youth Ministry or other service organizations of choice.  These hours may apply for school service requirements if needed. Parents may earn up to five hours of parish service for their teens when they help our ministry.  (Please refer to the parent volunteer job descriptions.)

A "Service Hour Completion Form" is issued to each candidate at the beginning of each year.  It is the responsibility of the candidate to maintain the accuracy and obtain the signatures required on the form during the course of the year in order to receive credit for service hours.  If the forms are not signed by the appropriate person, credit for the hours will not be given.  At the completion of each year of the confirmation program each candidate will submit his or her form to me for review and approval.  If the candidate has not completed the appropriate number of service hours he/she will be required to do so over the summer or in the following year.  By the end of the two-year process, each candidate needs to submit a minimum of 40 service hours.  All candidates need to submit Service Hour Completion Forms by April 30, 2011.

 8)    Select a sponsor and confirmation name

Each Year 1 candidate needs to select a sponsor who meets the requirements by the first sponsors' session with their candidates.  After the session, they will need to attend the Youth Mass with their candidates to participate in a "Ritual of Promise" together. 

Each candidate will need to research and select a Confirmation name   by the beginning of the second year.  He/she may keep his/her Baptismal name or choose a known patron saint's name. 

 9)    Parent Participation

Parent participation in the Confirmation process is needed.  Parents are given a Confirmation Parent Guidebook, which provides four worksheets to facilitate parent(s)-candidate one-on-one faith-sharing sessions.  Please take time to share your faith experiences with your teenager(s) during the two-year process.  

In addition, the Confirmation program need parents to serve as catechists, chaperones, session aids, administrative assistants, or special event team members.  Parents may earn up to five hours of parish service for their teens when they help our ministry and/or donate to the wish list.  Please refer to the parent volunteer job description sheet and the wish list.

 10)  Sponsor Participation

Sponsors are given a Confirmation Sponsor Guidebook at the first Year 1 sponsor session in November.  Sponsors are expected to read and implement some of the ideas/suggestions provided in the guidebook.  Besides praying for and cultivating a faith-enriched relationship with their candidates, sponsors need to attend sessions with sponsors, Confirmation rehearsal, and the Confirmation Rite.  If the sponsor is not able to attend any of the required events, then a parent needs to be his/her proxy (except for the Confirmation Rite in which case another trusted adult or a Confirmation adult team member will be the proxy).   

If you have questions regarding St. Bede's Confirmation Preparation Process, please contact

THE CONFIRMATION TEAM

The Confirmation Coordinator is responsible for recruiting, training, and supporting a team of volunteers:

- Adult Catechists - All adult catechists need to have attend the Confirmation Specialization training at a minimum.  To download a Confirmation Specialization flyer, please click here.  In addition, catechists need to comply with the Safeguard the Children requirements by getting fingerprinted, attending a Virtus "Protecting God's Children" awareness training, and signing a "Guidelines for Adults Interacting with Minors" Form."

- Chaperones - Chaperones are adult volunteers who help chaperone at special events including Youth Day and Year 2 weekend or overnight retreats.  Confirmation Parents earn the maximum five parish service hours for their son/daughter by serving chaperones.  Please contact Theresa Costanzo if you're interested in becoming a chaperone.  In addition, catechists need to comply with the Safeguard the Children requirements by getting fingerprinted, attending a Virtus "Protecting God's Children" awareness training, and signing a "Guidelines for Adults Interacting with Minors" Form."

- Teen Leads - Teen Leads are confirmed teens who serve as peer leaders for the Confirmation candidates.  The key roles for teen leads include being small group leaders, community building leaders and faith sharers at Confirmation sessions and year 2 retreats.  Teen leads who participate in the following Summer Trainings will also have the privilege of helping to plan special sessions, including the year two retreat: 

• Christian Leadership Institute: CLI is a program that enables young people to become leaders in parish and/or high school settings.  The goals of CLI are to foster the leadership potential of each individual and to heighten his/her awareness of the responsibilities of leadership in his/her community.  This is a six-day training with numerous workshops; it is not a retreat.  There are two training weeks in 2010:  July 25-30 or August 8-13.  St. Bede can only send five teens to this training, so we will select the top five applicants.  The cost is $300.  However, teen leads who are committed to serving for a minimum of one year will receive a St. Bede scholarship of $150.  To download an application form, please click here.
• Signed. Anonied. [To] Witness. South: SAW South is a leadership retreat, with a more spiritual focus than CLI.  We really recommend this retreat to any interested teen leads who want to help plan/prepare the year 2 overnight retreat, including giving a witness talk.  It will take place on August 9-13, 2010.  The cost is $220.  However, teen leads who are committed to serving for a minimum of one year including the year 2 retreat will receive a St. Bede scholarship of $110.  The registration deadline is July 2, 2010.  To download a registration form, please click here.