Confirmation Requirements for St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church 2009-2010

I have divided the requirements for confirmation into a couple different categories in order to help keep things clear and simple.  The first category of requirements I like to call the “no brainer” requirements. These are things that Catholics do just by nature of being Catholic.  Any practicing Catholic would probably ask why these are even listed as requirements to begin with since they are things that are expected of us as Roman Catholics.

1. Attend mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.  (Form #1)

The Roman Catholic Church teaches that we have an obligation to attend mass on Sundays and Holy days of obligation.  Catholics who willfully miss mass are in danger of committing mortal sin. However, many people do not understand what “Sunday Obligation” means.  Basically, it means that those who are able to attend mass are obligated to do so.

 In other words, you are obligated to attend mass instead of;

Going to the lake

                                    Hanging out with friends

                                    Doing homework

                                    Playing X box

                                    Going on a date

                                    Sleeping

                                    Don’t feel like it

However, you are not obligated to attend mass if;

You are sick or otherwise physically incapable of attending

                                    You have a family emergency

You are somewhere where you cannot attend mass because it is not offered.

You HAVE to work to provide for your family and you have no other option

Or you are under the age of 18 and your parents don’t want you to

 Also, we often forget that as Catholics we have the sacrament of reconciliation.  This is a good place to go if you have missed mass intentionally.  I certainly don’t want to be the kind of person who refuses to allow a teen to receive confirmation because they missed mass once or twice.  This would mean I am not respecting the power of the sacrament of reconciliation.  However, I also don’t want to have a confirmation program that fails to emphasize the importance of attending Sunday mass.  It is certainly a reasonable possibility that a teen could miss mass, go to confession and still be confirmed. I would never want to be someone who stands in the way of that.  But, I don’t want to give teens an excuse to purposefully miss mass.  At the end of the year, parents will be asked to sign a letter verifying that their son/daughter has attended mass on Sundays and Holy days of obligation.

2. Go to confession during Advent and Lent.

The Catholic Church requires that all Catholics attend confession at least once a year if they are conscience of mortal sin.  However, the Church strongly encourages regular participation in the sacrament of Confession, especially during Advent and Lent or prior to receiving another sacrament such as confirmation or marriage.  Remember that as Catholics we believe that a sacrament is a physical way of receiving God’s grace and like all the sacraments, confession is a gift given by Jesus to the Church.  Confession is a beautiful sacrament.  Prior to Vatican II, it was regular practice for Catholics to attend confession weekly or monthly.  In John chapter 20, verses 20-23, Jesus Christ gave the apostles the authority to forgive and retain sins.  This authority is still with us today as it has been passed down through time from the apostles to the Bishops and Priests.  All confirmands are expected to attend confession prior to receiving the sacrament of confirmation.  They can do this at any of the parish reconciliation services (during Advent or Lent), they can do it any Saturday during regular confession time (4:30-5:30) or they can do it by appointment.

3.  Attend Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday and Good Friday Services.

            These days are not holy days of obligation but they are VERY important services

            in the life of a practicing Catholic.  I have never been able to understand why

            services like Good Friday are so empty.  Why wouldn’t a catholic want to be in

            church on the day Jesus was crucified?  Confirmands are STRONGLY

            encouraged, as are ALL Catholics, to attend these services if they are able.

       4.  Service (Form #2)

In the past we have required a set number of service hours.  We are not going to do that this year because I don’t think that service is something that we can chart based on a set number of hours.  Jesus clearly taught that we are to serve others and when we do so, we are serving Him. All Catholics know that we have a responsibility as Christians to serve those in need. All confirmands will be expected to participate in some kind of service during the year.  It will be up to the students to decide how much or how little they want to do.  The only requirement is that it must be service to the church, community or the needy that is not part of any other program they are part of in school or another organization. A short form will need to be filled out by the confirmand and turned in by April 5^th.

The remaining requirements are things that are part of the confirmation program unique to St. Rose.  There are fewer requirements for confirmation this year than there were last year, but what I do require; I expect to be done well.

1. Attend Sunday night Youth Group

This is non negotiable.  Teens are required to be at Sunday night Youth group.  8^th grade students will attend the “Xtreme” group and high school teens will attend “Life Teen”.  If teens are too busy to be at the Sunday night youth group meetings then they should just wait and get confirmed when they have the time to be there.  I will not be very lenient with absences.  If a teen absolutely has to miss a Sunday night, I will expect a phone call at least 2 days before.  Be advised that make up work will be assigned.  Teens with unexcused absences will not be confirmed.  There will be a sign in sheet at youth group on Sunday nights.  If teens do not sign in, then as far as I’m concerned, they were NOT THERE.  It is up to the teens to take responsibility to remember to sign in at youth group. 

2. Sponsor (Form #3)

All Confirmands will need to choose a sponsor.  Sponsor forms are due by November 1^st.  Sponsors must be practicing Catholics over the age of 16 who have received the sacrament of confirmation.  They cannot be parents but they can be other family members.  The Church recommends, but does not require, the use of Baptismal God Parents.  Sponsors will be required to attend a sponsor meeting in November.

3. Saint Name and report. (Form #4)

Confirmands will choose a saint name for confirmation.  They will need to answer the questions on the saint report form and turn it in by February 1^st.

4. Letter to the Bishop

Confirmands will write a letter to the bishop expressing their desire to be confirmed.  The will be done on a Sunday night in the spring during youth group.

5. Retreats.

There will be two mandatory confirmation retreats. Both will be after the first of the year.  They are listed on the calendar.  Attendance at these retreats is mandatory.

6. Test

Students will have to pass a test which covers basic Catholic/Christian teachings.  A study guide is included in this packet.  The test will be given in the spring.  I STRONGLY encourage parents to begin reviewing this information with their teen so that they are prepared.  All of the information on the test will be covered in youth group but it never hurts to be over prepared. I also challenge parents to come in and take the test as well. We can all use refreshers from time to time. The test is mostly multiple choice and matching with a few short answer questions.

7. Prayers

Students will need to know the standard Catholic/Christian prayers.  These include the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and the Apostles Creed.  We will be using these prayers at all the youth nights so teens will be familiar with them.

8.  Interview with Priest

All confirmands will be interviewed by Fr. James.  These will be done on test day in the spring. 

9. Gospel Worksheet. (Form #5)

All confirmands will need to complete a Gospel worksheet.  These will be given out at the beginning of the year and are due March 1^st.  I STRONGLY encourage families to do these together as a family.  We could all benefit from spending some time together as a family going through one of the Gospels.

10. Baptismal Certificate

If you want to be confirmed we must have a copy of your baptismal certificate no later than November 1^st.  If we don’t have it by November 1^st, YOU WILL NOT BE CONFIRMED.

11. Stations of the Cross

Teens will need to attend one Stations of the Cross during Lent. They are held every Friday afternoon during Lent.

12. Reading assignments

Teens will have a set number of pages to read from their confirmation text prior to class each month.  This allows the teacher to spend less time “lecturing” and more time “discussing”.  As parents, I am counting on your to help your son or daughter remember to do their reading assignments.  The assignments are listed on the confirmation checklist.

13. Confirmation Checklist (Form #6)

This is a tool to help you keep track of what needs to be done each month. Please initial the items as they are completed. I will call for this to be turned in prior to the confirmation mass.    

My goal in all of this is to provide the teens with as many “catholic” experiences as possible during their confirmation year.  I am always open to suggestions on how to make the confirmation experience better.  If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to call me in the Church office.

If you have any questions or need to get a hold of me for any reason, please feel free to contact me at any of the following numbers.

Church 893-1843

Home 893-7094

Cell 208-410-9302

Pete Espil

Comprehensive Time Line with meeting dates and deadlines

August

30^th- Confirmation info meeting 12:00-2:00PM in Jo Call

September

6^th- Confirmation info meeting 12:00-2:00PM in Jo Call

13^th-Youth Group Begins

20^th-youth group

27^th- youth group

October

11^th –Youth Group

18th – Youth Group

25^th –Youth Group

November

Baptism Certificates are due!!!!! By November 1st

Sponsor forms are Due!!!! (Form #3)by November 1st

1^st- Youth Group

3^rd- MANDATORY SPONSOR MEETING 7:00pm JO CALL ROOM!

8^th-Youth Group

15^th-Youth Group

22^nd-Youth Group

December

6^th- Youth Group

8^th- Holy Day of Obligation “Immaculate Conception”

13^th- Youth Group

20^TH- Youth group

25^th –Holy Day of obligation “Christmas”

January

1^st Holy Day of obligation “Mary Mother of God”

9^th- MANDATORY confirmation Retreat 10:00AM-4:00PM JO Call Room

10^th- Youth Group

17^th- Youth Group

24^th- Youth Group

31^st –Youth Group

February

St. Reports are Due!!!!!! (Form #4) by February 21^st!

21^st- Youth Group

28^th –Youth Group                

March

Gospel worksheets due!!!!! (Form #5) by March 7^th

Service Project form due (Form #2) by March 7th

7^th-youth group

14^th- youth group

20^th-Test and interviews 9:00AM to 11:00AM in Jo Call Room

21^st- youth group

28^th-youth group

April

Mass attendance sheet signed and turned in!!!!!! (Form #1) by April 11^th!!

1^st-Holy Thursday

2^nd-Good Friday

4^th- Easter Sunday

10^th-MANDATORY CONFIRMATION RETREAT 12:00PM-3:00PM in Jo Call Room

18^th- Youth Group

25^th- Youth group (Last youth group for middle school)

May

2^nd- Last Youth group for High school

Students are expected to read certain pages from their Catechisms prior to confirmation classes.  Below are the dates that the youth will meet with confirmation teachers and the pages they need to have read prior to class.  Parents, please help make sure this happens.