CONFIRMATION ORIENTATION
Wednesday, September 20,2023 7:00pm
CONFIRMATION RETREAT
Friday, October 27 - Sunday October 29, 2023. Register HERE by October 12th
CONFIRMATION MASS
Rehearsal | Friday, April 19, 2024 5:45pm
Mass | Friday, April 19, 2024 | 7:00pm
Bishop Jeffrey Haines will preside
at the Mass. Reception to follow.
Welcome to Lumen Christi’s Confirmation Sacramental Preparation Program! We are so delighted that you are choosing to pursue your call as Catholics to lifelong formation. Our Confirmation program consists of 3 years of formation in 9th-11th grade, with 11th grade being the year of specific Sacramental Prep.
The expectations for Confirmation year are to attend the Confirmation Orientation, attend formation nights and the Confirmation retreat, attend Sunday Mass every week, choose a sponsor and Confirmation name, meet with a leader one-on-one at the beginning and end of the year, participate in service opportunities, turn in several forms provided at the fitting times, and overall show a willingness to engage in discussion and prayer. See details below!
FORMATION
Students preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation will be gathering on select Sunday evenings, 6-7:30pm, September through April. During this year of preparation, our desire is for students to grow in a personal commitment to Christ within the context of the whole Faith Community, the Church. Christ has said, “It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you, and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain.” (John 15:16) Confirmation is not the “Sacrament of Graduation”, but Christ’s choosing of individual souls to be His lifelong disciples, sharing in His mission through the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
The theme for Confirmation preparation is, fittingly, Mission. Within their small groups, students will come to a deeper understanding of the Great Mission of Jesus, the Apostles, the Church, and the Saints, and how they too will share in this Mission as Confirmed Catholics. Students will engage in discussion on these key points, form strong bonds with sponsors and peers, attend a retreat, hear witnesses, and enter into deep personal prayer.
EXPECTATIONS
Students and parents are asked to attend a Confirmation Orientation on September 20th, 2023 at 7pm.
Students are expected to consistently attend formation sessions. However, we know there are many demands in their lives and things come up. If a student misses more than two sessions, they will be given make-up materials so as not to miss the important content that progresses through the year. Students may also be asked to meet with the youth minister or volunteer leader to go over sessions they've missed.
These Sunday evening sessions would not be effective without giving your family the opportunity to participate in the liturgy of the Eucharist. Our expectation is that each student attends Mass every Sunday.
During the fall semester, juniors will all complete a 15-30 minute Confirmation interview which will allow for our ministers to gain an insight into where students are in their faith, allow students to ask questions that can then be addressed in class and on retreat, and provide an opportunity for our youth minister and team of volunteers to connect with and give additional support to students on their Confirmation journey. A follow-up interview in the spring semester the month before Confirmation will be an opportunity to check in with each student, their experience of formation, their desire for Confirmation, address any lingering questions or struggles, and hear their intentions for life going forward.
In the spring semester, students will choose their Confirmation name and complete a Candidate Questionnaire that is sent to the Bishop who will Confirm them.
RETREAT
Students are expected to be on our Confirmation retreat October 27-29, 2023. Sign up for the retreat HERE. by October 12. If a student cannot make our Confirmation retreat, they must attend another approved Confirmation retreat. Our retreats aim to offer a unique opportunity to have time away to encounter the Lord through deeper conversations and prayer, form lasting bonds with their peers, and deeply root themselves in life with the Holy Spirit.
SPONSOR
Students should ask a significant Catholic role model in their life to be their sponsor, and have the sponsor form turned in no later than October 15, 2023. See the "Choosing a Sponsor" tab for more information.
SERVICE
Finally, our formation program would not be a complete picture of Catholic identity without an element of service to our parish and neighboring community. We ask that students focus less on "hours" and more on opportunities to serve your neighbor, keeping in mind the Corporal & Spiritual Works of Mercy and Catholic Social Teaching. We ask students to participate in 10-12 opportunities of service in the year, at least 5 of which serve with or for Lumen Christi Parish. A service form is provided for students to keep track of and reflect on their service. Details and opportunities will be shared throughout the year, but it is the responsibility of the individual to set up his/her own opportunities to serve.
Please know that our mission is to serve the needs of the community, so we are here to serve you. If you have any questions, or would like to speak to us more about our program, please contact us.
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Upon Confirmation into the Catholic Faith, our hope is that students have learned and experienced what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in the following ways: