confirmation parent information packet · information packet 2016-2017 sacred heart of mary...

Confirmation Parent Information Packet

2016-2017

Sacred Heart of Mary Catholic Church Confirmation Program

Sacred Heart of Mary

Confirmation Program

Welcome!

All of us Sacred Heart of Mary want to welcome you, your Confirmation candidate, and

your entire family to the Confirmation preparation process! This is an exciting time for your

Confirmation candidate within their faith journey! Your Confirmation candidate is now

embarking on the journey to own their faith and take the responsibilities of their own faith life

and to be a soldier for Christ!

With that being said we are here to help with that process as much as possible! We want

to make sure that we are providing all the necessary tools, experiences, and communication to

make this as meaningful of a process as possible. Please never hesitate to contact myself either

by phone call or email.

Within this packet, you will find various important pieces of information that you will

want to keep track of throughout the entire year. Please make sure you take the time to cover this

information with your Confirmation candidate and store it in a place where you both can locate

it. The following information will be covered:

- Confirmation Requirements Outlined

- Service Component Explained

- Retreats

- Saint presentation

- Confirmation Letter

- Confirmation Rehearsal

- How To Choose A Sponsor

- Celebration of Confirmation Information

- Forms

May the blessings of our loving Heavenly Father be poured out upon your candidate and

your entire family during this process. I am so excited to embark on this journey towards

Confirmation with each Candidate.

In Gratitude,

Lisa Oliver

Youth Director

303-499-7572, x209

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



CONFIRMATION PREPARATION REQUIREMENTS

The Confirmation preparation process at Sacred Heart of Mary contains specific

elements in order to help the candidate experience as many aspects of faith as

possible. The elements of Confirmation preparation are as follows:

1. Attend Mass weekly

2. Substantial attendance in confirmation classes

3. 8 hours participation in group service project & complete Service Reflections

4. Attend 3 Parish Events at Sacred Heart of Mary

5. Attend a Sacred Heart of Mary sponsored retreat or youth conference

6. Write a Confirmation Letter of Intent

7. Choose a Confirmation Saint and prepare a short presentation about the Saint

8. Attend Confirmation Rehearsal

Please discuss these elements with your child in order to work together and plan

appropriately during the Confirmation process this year.



MASS ATTENDANCE

What does it mean to “attend mass weekly”? As Catholics, we are to attend mass

every Sunday and holy days of obligation (CCC 2180). God created us for the

purpose to know, love and serve Him in this life and to be happy with Him forever

in the next. Because of this purpose which is written on our hearts, we are actually

only able to be satisfied by living it out.

In the Mass, God gives us the only thing that can truly “satisfy” us: His very self.

There are other ways we can encounter God such as prayer, reading the bible,

serving others. All of these, however, point to and enliven our reception of Jesus,

body, soul, and divinity, in the Eucharist. The Eucharist nourishes us spiritually by

uniting us with the risen Christ (CCC 1392).

Mass is the richest encounter we can have with God here on earth and helps fulfill

our core purpose: union with God. God also knows us and our needs better than

we even know ourselves and as such commands us to attend mass (3rd

Commandment).

No one will be taking attendance to make sure your son or daughter is attending

Mass. As a family, the parents set the example of how to live life as a Catholic.

The responsibility is on the parents to ensure that their child, God’s child,

understands the importance and blessing that Mass is for us.



CONFIRMATION CLASS ATTENDANCE

WHAT IS “SUBSTANTIAL ATTENDANCE”:

• Confirmation class is held weekly. These classes are planned so that

the candidate receives basic instruction from the confirmation teacher.

Confirmation class is intended to assist the parents in their efforts to

catechize their child and help the parents prepare the candidate for

confirmation.

• “Substantial” means that the student with the parent’s assistance,

makes every effort to attend as many classes as possible. Of course

absences for illness, school sponsored events or a family emergency is

understandable. Homework, studying for tests and other school work

responsibilities are not a reason to miss class. Please plan ahead!

• If a class is missed, it is expected that the student and parent will

review all information and complete the workbook exercises prior to the

next class.



COMMUNITY SERVICE & PARISH EVENTS

WHY COMMUNITY SERVICE WORK IS NECESSARY:

• Throughout Scripture we are called to love our neighbor and stand up for

justice as well as peace. Since service and justice are so important to

who we are as Catholic Christians, performing service work is essential

to our lives. Therefore, we ask that each candidate takes his/her service

projects seriously and as a priority.

• It is important to keep in mind that service to others isn’t something that

we do “to check it off our list”. Rather service is something we do

because we know that the presence of Jesus is in all persons and in all of

God’s creation. We literally serve Jesus!

HOW MUCH TIME IS NEEDED TO BE COMPLETED AND BY WHEN:

• Candidates are asked to perform 8 hours of service work and attend 3

parish events in the upcoming months.

o Within those 8 hours of service, candidates need to perform some of

the hours for the greater community that we live in and some of the

hours for the Sacred Heart of Mary parish community of which we

are a part.

o Candidates can choose to attend any 3 parish events. These events

can be found on our parish website, www.SacredHeartofMary.org,

on the homepage calendar. As specific parish events occur, you

can also find details under “Gather” on the website.

• Candidates are asked to complete their 8 hours of service work and

attend their 3 parish events by April 1, 2017. The Reflection journals

for both the service work and the parish events should be completed and

provided to the teacher by April 8, 2017.

http://www.sacredheartofmary.org/



CONFIRMATION RETREAT

Confirmation Retreat Opportunities:

• There are 4 retreat options for candidates to participate in:

o NET Retreat

▪ January 2017 (date TBD)

o Mountain Madness (middle school students only)

▪ February 17-19, 2017

o Holy Week Retreat

▪ April 14-15, 2017

o Steubenville of the Rockies Youth Conference (high school

students only)

▪ June 23-25, 2017

Registration for Retreats:

When registration for a retreat opens, it will be online on the parish website,

www.SacredHeartofMary.org. I will also send out email reminders that registration

is open. Space is limited for each retreat. Timely registration is of the essence.




CONFIRMATION LETTER OF INTENT

WHAT IS THE CONFIRMATION LETTER OF INTENT:

• Each candidate is asked to compose a letter at the end of the

Confirmation preparation journey to state their intent of wanting to be

confirmed in the Catholic Church. Within the letter, Confirmation

candidates should write what it is they have done to prepare for the

sacrament, why they want to receive the sacrament of Confirmation, and

what it is they are planning to do once they are confirmed to continue to

grow in their faith.

THE BASIC DETAILS:

• Candidates will address their letter to Fr. Cliff McMillan. The purpose

of the letter is to express their desire to be confirmed in the Catholic

Church.

• The Confirmation Letter of Intent will be due by March 15, 2017



CONFIRMATION SAINT PRESENTATION

WHAT IS THE CONFIRMATION SAINT PRESENTATION:

• Each candidate is asked to prepare a short presentation about their

chosen Saint. For Confirmation, each student will choose a Saint of

which they will have their name as their Confirmation name (i.e. Saint

Teresa of Calcutta). Each student should give thoughtful consideration

in choosing their saint. A chosen Saint should be a person who the

student finds interesting and even inspirational. Someone to pray to and

to follow.

THE BASIC DETAILS:

• The Saint presentation needs 6 basic components:

o Name of the Saint

o Color photo of the Saint (nothing fancy - print from your

computer)

o Feast date

o Interesting information about the Saint’s life

o What they are the patron Saint of

o Why they chose their Saint and what lesson did they learn about

the Saint that they can follow.

• The Saint presentations will be January and February. Students will be

assigned the date of their presentation.



CONFIRMATION REHEARSAL

Process of Scheduling the Confirmation Rehearsal Date:

• Once the Diocese assigns us our Confirmation date, we then schedule the

date for the Confirmation Rehearsal.

• Our goal is to have the Confirmation rehearsal the Saturday prior to

Confirmation (the day before). If Confirmation is on a Saturday, the

confirmation rehearsal will be that same morning.

• Sponsors are required to attend the Confirmation rehearsal so please plan

appropriately.

Who Needs To Attend The Rehearsal: • The Confirmation rehearsal will be held for candidates and their

sponsors. It is very important for both the candidates and their sponsor to

attend the rehearsal. A parent may stand in for the sponsor, only if the

sponsor is absolutely unable to attend the rehearsal. The parent or

sponsor must notify Lisa Oliver well in advance of the rehearsal if this is

the case.

What Will Happen At The Rehearsal: • The rehearsal will include: a reflection for candidates and sponsors, Rite

of Confirmation rehearsal, and confession for candidates. Sponsors may

also go to confession after all candidates have gone. We will be walking

through the Rite of Confirmation in order to familiarize the candidates

and sponsors with the roles they will play on the day of Confirmation.



HOW TO CHOOSE A CONFIRMATION SPONSOR

The Confirmation sponsor must be chosen and the sponsor information form turned in by

December 1, 2016. The Eligibility certificate must then be turned in by January 24, 2017.

What Is A Sponsor:

• A sponsor is a person who encourages, assists, and walks the faith journey with a

Confirmation candidate to help them embrace, fall in love, and actively practice the

Catholic faith before and after Confirmation.

• The sponsor also presents the Candidate to the Bishop at the celebration of

Confirmation.

Who Can Be A Sponsor:

• Being a sponsor is a huge role and not just an honor or fancy name. The sponsor

must be an active, practicing Catholic who can be a role model for the Confirmation

Candidate. The ideal situation would be to choose one of your godparents from your

Baptism, providing that they meet all the guidelines. However, if your godparent is

someone you can’t choose to be your sponsor, then you want to ask someone who

you see as an example of a committed, practicing Catholic.

• If the sponsor cannot be at the Confirmation ceremony (i.e. they live in New York),

then a proxy will need to stand in for the sponsor. The proxy needs to meet all the

same requirements as the sponsor.

• The Catholic Church (per canon law) requires that a sponsor:

- May be either a man or woman. (Sponsor doesn’t have to be the same sex as

candidate.)

- May not be the parent of the candidate.

- Is a person who regularly comes to Sunday Mass & celebrates the sacraments.

- Must be at least 16 years old.

- If married, the marriage must be recognized by the Catholic church.

- Must be a fully initiated Roman Catholic (Baptized, has made First

Communion, and Confirmed).



CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

Process of Scheduling A Date:

• Requested dates are submitted by Sacred Heart of Mary to the

Archdiocese in July.

• We then wait until the Archdiocese gives us our official date along with

the celebrant’s name (confirmation is not always performed by the

Archbishop).

• The requested dates for 2017 are as follows:

o April 22, 5:00 p.m. (rehearsal will be held the same morning)

o April 23, 11:00 a.m.

o April 30, 11:00 a.m.

o June 11, 11:00 a.m.

Celebration of Sacrament Date Notification:

• As soon as we receive information about our assigned date of

Confirmation, an email will be sent out notifying parents, candidates,

and sponsor of this date. Ensure that all contact forms are turned in to

avoid miscommunication due to missing email addresses (especially for

sponsors).

• This email will let the candidates and sponsors know what time they

need to meet in the Saint Bernard Hall to sign in, review duties, and

meet with the confirmation celebrant.

o The email will also contain information regarding the rehearsal.



DRESS CODE FOR THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

Ladies:

• Modest top with skirt or dress pants or modest dress

• Dress Shoes (please no flip-flops)

• Skirt/ dress must be below your fingertips or longer

o Tops/dresses must have sleeves- no strapless or spaghetti straps

please! If you have a sleeveless shirt or dress, you will need to

wear something over it to cover your shoulders such as a jacket,

sweater or shawl.

If you are unsure if an outfit is appropriate, either send Lisa

Oliver a picture of it or simply choose a different outfit.

Gentlemen:

• Dress pants

• Dress shirt with collar (tie preferred)

• Dress shoes

• No jeans, low riding pants, tennis shoes or t-shirts.

o If you are unsure if an outfit is appropriate, either send Lisa Oliver

a picture of it or simply choose a different outfit.

**We want to see you wearing your Sunday best!**



FORMS

Deadlines:

Candidate Information Form – October 25, 2016

Sponsor Information Form – December 1, 2016

Sponsor Eligibility Certificate – January 24, 2017

Saint Presentation – February 28, 2017

Confirmation Letter of Intent – March 15, 2017

Service & Parish Event Reflections – April 8, 2017

Please review all the provided forms and return them by their

designated due date or earlier! All forms are available online,

www.SacredHeartofMary.org, under the Sacraments tab for

Confirmation.

Thanks so much!


confirmation parent information packet · information packet 2016-2017 sacred heart of mary...

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