Welcome to Confirmation Preparation

Confirmation Requirements

Enrollment Ceremony: November 3, 2019 Mass Immaculate Conception 9:00 am and St.Patrick’s 11:00 am. Sponsors/Student/Parent must attend

Baptismal Certificate:  A copy of your child’s Baptismal certificate is necessary for recording the reception of your child’s Confirmation.  If your child was baptized at Immaculate Conception Parish or St. Patrick parish a copy is not necessary.

Service Hours: Service is an important element of Catholic living.  Service is action-oriented and can include parish, community and global concerns.  While service is an integral component to the confirmation process, it should be seen as the call of all Catholics and as a life-long commitment.  Therefore, service projects should assist youth in developing an attitude of lifelong service.  Service during immediate preparation for Confirmation consists of a minimum of 25 hours.  For mission trips only direct time of service would constitute as fulfillment of service hours.

Retreat:  A retreat is an effective setting for individuals to strengthen their relationship with God and to experience life in a smaller Catholic community.  A Confirmation retreat gives youth a time and place in which to reflect upon and internalize what they have heard about the Holy Spirit and the Church.  A retreat should have:

• • • A length between a minimum of 8 hours or a maximum of 3 days
  • • The sacrament of Reconciliation is encouraged to be made available while on retreat
  • • Holy Mass (preferably to follow the sacrament of Reconciliation)
  • • Balance of rest, prayer and activity
  • • Prayer experiences such as liturgy of the hours, Eucharistic adoration and benediction, mental prayer, praise and worship, stations of the cross, Lectio Divina, the rosary or the divine mercy chaplet
  • • Catholic presenters in good standing and actively practicing their faith, and without canonical impediments.  Parishes are encouraged to find presenters outside of their local parish or parish cluster
  • • Topics that focus on encountering Christ and the gifts of the Holy Spirit 
  • A location that is off-site so as to give retreatants an opportunity to retreat or get away from the norm  

Letter of Recommendation:  Sponsor must submit a Letter of Recommendation to the Confirmation Leader at the completion of the student/sponsor discussion guide.(Sometime in the Summer)

Letter of Intent:  Since the free will aspect of the sacrament is stressed, candidate(s) are to write a letter to the Bishop requesting to receive the sacrament of Confirmation and give their reasons for the request.  The letter introduces the candidate to the Bishop; therefore it should give their personal feelings concerning the sacrament, the Church, and their faith life.  The letter may include how they have prepared, their choice of sponsor and why and how they plan to share their gifts with the Church.  Candidates should share why they have chosen their confirmation name.  The letters should be type-written and should arrive at the Bishop’s office 2-3 weeks prior to the celebration of Confirmation.  The pastor or confirmation coordinator should gather the letters and send them as a group rather than sending individual letters.  These letters are intended for only the Bishop to read. 

Final Required Celebrations