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mission and overview:
The goal of our parish confirmation preparation is to help teenagers understand the effects of the Holy Spirit in their lives, bring them into a deeper relationship with Christ, and unite them more deeply into the Body of Christ, especially at the parish level (CCC 1309).
Our confirmation preparation focuses on an overview of the sacrament, the Nicene Creed, personal prayer, the Mass, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and service. These topics are covered in addition to the topics current to the LifeNight semester or online spiritual formation which a student may choose to do as well. Confirmation sessions run twice a year, once in the fall in and once in the spring.
structure:
There are three components to our confirmation preparation: All students attend six preparation sessions that are held on Wednesdays between 6:30-8:00 pm. During these sessions they are grouped into small communities which meet during the nights to discuss the topic of the evening after hearing a teaching on that topic. These sessions are required unless extenuating circumstances prevent it. These sessions cannot be made up.
Students also participate in one of two forms of spiritual formation during the semester. They may choose to attend one LifeNight a month on a Sunday evening (many students attend more), or they may choose to do their formation online. Students choosing to do online formation will watch a video posted on our website that will outline a spiritual exercise at the beginning of the month. Through that month the student will engage in the exercise, and then write a 4-6 page reflection paper on it. Guidlines for writing a reflection paper can be found on the right side menu.
As a third component of our preparation, teenagers attend a retreat experience. During the fall semester, students can choose to attend the weekend retreat on November 20th-22nd, or they may choose to attend a day retreat on December 12th. If a teenager cannot attend either of these weekends, they are responsible for scheduling a non-academic retreat for themselves sometime before they recieve the sacrament.
Additionally, students at the beginning of the year will have an interview with Joel Stepanek or Anna Schmidt to introduce themselves, sign a commitment sheet, and finalize their choices for spiritual formation and retreat.
who can recieve the sacrament:
Any high school teenager who is 16 at the time they will recieve the sacrament of confirmation, and feels that they are personally ready to recieve the sacrament is eligible. Teenagers are eligible to go through the high school confirmation preparation until they graduate from high school. Any college-aged young adults should enroll in the parish RCIA program to be confirmed into the Church.
knowing when to recieve the sacrament:
The choice to recieve the sacrament of confirmation is an important one, and is solely up to the discretion of the candidate. Our diocese currently recommends two years of high school faith formation before one recieves the sacrament of confirmation, so it is highly recommended that teenagers attend LifeNights their freshmen and sophomore year of high school. A teenager should choose to enter preparation for the sacrament of confirmation after careful prayer, discussion with their parents, and a full commitment to the sessions and requirements can be made given their school and work schedule.
preparation fee:
Teenagers do not pay fees for the bulk of their high school faith formation at St. Francis of Assisi Parish. When a teen chooses to be confirmed, there is a $135 confirmation fee which they pay which covers:
- four years of high school faith formation
- a retreat experience during confirmation
- confirmation resources
- subsidizes youth ministry events through high school
No student will be turned away from our preparation due to financial difficulty. There are many scholarships and grants available for students who need financial assitance, and interested parties should contact Joel Stepanek for more information.