Welcome to Middle School Confirmation

MIDDLE SCHOOL CONFIRMATION 2013

Confirmation is the sacrament of initiation in which a baptized Catholic, through prayers, imposition of hands and the anointing with chrism, receives a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit that completes Baptismal grace. The sacrament of Confirmation impresses a character, and by it the baptized, continuing on the path of Christian initiation, are enriched by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and bound more perfectly to the Church. It strengthens them and obliges them more firmly to be witnesses to Christ by word and deed and to spread and defend the faith!

The program helps the middle schooler prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation through the evangelizing and catechizing opportunities offered to them. Candidates may begin the program in the spring of their 5th, 6th, or 7th grade year with the sacrament celebrated in the fall. It is preferred they start in the spring of their 5th grade year so they will be prepared to receive the grace of Confirmation in the fall of 6th grade—a challenging time for many as they begin their middle school years. With the help of parents, sponsors, program coordinators and catechists, the Confirmation candidates are well prepared to receive the sacrament so the gifts and graces given by the Holy Spirit will bear good fruit! “. . . you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses. . .” – Acts 1:8

We ask the candidates to complete the following four components and meet regularly with their Confirmation sponsor:

1. CATECHESIS COMPONENT – The purpose of the Confirmation classes is to help the candidates learn about their Catholic faith, the Scriptures, prayer and the Sacrament of Confirmation. The classes are taught at home with once a month support at the church for both parents and candidates. We ask the parents to teach all of the classes to their middle schoolers at home and for both to attend the monthly support classes at the church.

2. RETREAT COMPONENT – The purpose of the retreat is to help bring the candidates to a closer relationship with the Jesus Christ and to a deeper understanding of themselves and their faith. We ask the candidates to attend at least one retreat during the Confirmation preparation time.

3. FAITH IN ACTION COMPONENT – The purpose of the faith in action component is to help the candidates experience and understand the Gospel call to serve others not only in their immediate parish community, but also within the surrounding community through works of love, charity and compassion for others in their need. We ask the candidates to be involved outside the parish for at least 8 hours or more through service to others.

4. YOUTH MINISTRY COMPONENT – The purpose of the youth ministry component is to help the candidates engage in the wider parish community through fellowship with their peers and committed adult leaders in a relational ministry which encourages them to live faithfully for Christ and His Church. The many friendships that are formed in youth ministry vitally support the young person’s faith – both those preparing to be confirmed and those already confirmed – as they put their renewed faith into action through the gifts and graces given to them by the power of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation. Teenagers are much more likely to remain involved and engaged in Catholicism throughout their lives if they are engaged in parish youth ministry throughout their teenage years. It is much easier, due to more open hearts and less busy schedules, to engage middle schoolers into youth ministry than to engage high schoolers. We believe middle school is the optimal time to introduce youth ministry! We ask the candidates to be involved in regular, weekly youth ministry throughout the Confirmation program to help them continue forming the bonds they have made in an ongoing participation in youth ministry after they are confirmed.

We are having a Parent Information Meeting on Sunday evening from 6:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on:

• April 7th in St. Francis Hall in the Evangelization wing of the school
  

Child care is available on request with 3 day notice by calling 303-770-0531 ext. 0.  Indicate the date of the meeting your will be attending along with your full name, phone number, and the numbers and ages of children needing care.

Materials will be available at the meeting for those who have previously registered for the program.  Please do so by Thursday, April 4th in the Office of Catechesis.

Following the parent information meeting, the program begins in April and continues through the spring and summer with the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the fall of 2013.

For questions or more information contact: Roberta Marsh, M.S. Confirmation Director
robertam@stthomasmore.org or 303-770-0531 ext. 3

". . . you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,
and you will be my witnesses. . ." - Acts 1:8