Confirmation preparation is a two-year process that begins for students in their seventh-grade year. They study the life of Jesus and how that relates to living their lives (morality), as well as learning about the Church as Sacrament and what Confirmation will mean for their lives. In particular, the Works of Mercy and Beatitudes are covered both in class and through the commitment each student makes to perform community and church service. Students are also required to meet Spiritual Formation Requirements. All students are expected to attend seventh and eighth grade Religious Education classes to receive the sacrament of Confirmation unless they are enrolled in a Catholic school or home-schooled based on an approved Catholic curriculum.
1. Involvement of the Parents
Parents are expected to take an active role in preparing their son/daughter for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Parents are encouraged to share their own faith experiences with the candidate.
The role of a parent in the Confirmation program includes:
- Participation in all meetings held for parents.
- Presence at the major liturgical celebrations of the Confirmation program.
- Nurturing of the candidate in his/her spiritual development by sharing conversations about Church, faith, morality.
- Praying with the candidate, and assuring that they attend Mass weekly.
2. Sponsors
The candidate or family of the candidate chooses the sponsor. The sponsor may be the baptismal godparent. This shows the unity between the two sacraments. In accord with the revised code of Cannon Law, parents may not act as sponsors.
The sponsor may be either male or female for any candidate and should satisfy these requirements:
- He/she is sufficiently mature for this role and is age 16 years or older.
- He/she belongs to the Catholic Church and has been initiated in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.
- He/she is not prohibited by Canon Law from exercising the role of sponsor.
The role of a sponsor is better fulfilled when the sponsor can:
- Be available to the candidate during the various phases of preparation for Confirmation.
- Help the candidate integrate the values of a Catholic into his/her daily life.
- Encourage the candidate’s growth in faith.
- Assist the candidate in performing some kind of service to the community, family, and/or parish.
3. Christian Name
This time of preparation for Confirmation is a good time to search out the meaning of the name received at Baptism. Many people are named for saints who gave witness to God’s reign in the world. The saints tried to bear good fruit for the Church, so students should read about the life of their patron saint
To show the close relationship of Confirmation to Baptism, students may wish to use their Baptismal name as the name they give to the Bishop to address them in the Confirmation rite. If a student chooses to take a new name, it should be the name of a recognized saint of the Church or a name of Christian meaning. To help students choose a Christian name, they are required to do a report on a saint in the first year of preparation.