Due in St. Raphael RE Office on March 19, 2021.

REQUESTING THE SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION

You are free to respond to God’s call to live your faith more deeply – to worship, witness, and serve as a confirmed Catholic Christian. If you wish to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, type a letter of request to the who will be confirming you stating your desire. Follow these guidelines.

Heading: The heading of your letter should read as follows:

Bishop Name of the Bishop (see below based on the date). c/o St. Raphael Religious Education Office

Greeting: Begin your letter with the greeting:

Your Excellency,

Body of the letter:

Paragraph 1: Introduce yourself (state name and last name). Tell something about your family and your background.

Paragraph 2: Request the sacrament. Give several reasons why you would like to be confirmed.

Paragraph 3: Explain how you have prepared for the sacrament. It is important that you tell about specific parts of your preparation: your prayer life; your celebration of the other sacraments; your service to others at home, at St. Raphael and in the broader community; your reason for selecting your saint.

Paragraph 4: Tell how you will continue to carry out your life of service to God and others through the power of the Holy Spirit. Tell how you plan to make your confirmation in the faith real and alive in the future.

Conclusion: Conclude the letter and sign your complete signature. If you email your letter to us, you must first sign the letter, then scan the signed letter and email that to us.

Due in St. Raphael RE Office on March 19, 2021.

Candidates being Confirmed on May 1st 2021, please write the letter to:

Bishop Michael William Fisher

Bishop Michael William Fisher was born on March 3, 1958 in , Maryland. He is the eldest of five children, two sisters and two brothers. As a youth, he played Little League baseball, and wrestled, and was active in the Boy Scouts where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Bishop Fisher recalls always working, starting as an eight-year-old paperboy for The Baltimore Sun. Bishop Fisher attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute high school, and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Accounting at the University of Maryland in 1984.

With his business and accounting degree, Bishop Fisher worked as a comptroller for a psychiatric practice in Bethesda. Feeling compelled to discern a vocation to the priesthood, he entered seminary at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland in 1986. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Washington by Cardinal James A. Hickey at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle on June 23, 1990.

Upon ordination, Bishop Fisher was assigned to Sacred Heart parish, La Plata. He was appointed pastor at Holy Family parish in Hillcrest Heights in 1995 and then pastor at St. John Neumann parish in Gaithersburg in 1999. He was named a Chaplain to His Holiness, a distinction that comes with the title of “Monsignor,” by Pope John Paul II in 2005. Later that year, then- archbishop Theodore McCarrick appointed him Vicar General for the Apostolates, where he oversaw the archdiocesan ministries for education, ethnic ministries, social justice and service, parish life and youth ministry. In 2006 Cardinal appointed him Vicar for Clergy and Secretary for Ministerial Leadership, a position he has held for the last twelve years. In this Due in St. Raphael RE Office on March 19, 2021. role, Bishop Fisher oversees the recruitment, formation and care of the clergy for the archdiocese.

He was named an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington by on June 8, 2018 and ordained to the episcopate on June 29, 2018 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Over his nearly thirty years in priestly ministry Bishop Fisher has served on various boards and committees of the archdiocese, including, College of Consultors, Priest Council, Administrative Board, Priest Retirement Board, Clergy Personnel Board, Deacon Review Board, Deacon Council, Needy Parish Committee, Forward in Faith Committee. He also serves as an Ecclesiastical Counselor to the Centesimus Annus Pro Pontifice Foundation. Much of Bishop Fisher’s ministry has involved the continuing education of priests, particularly in aiding new pastors in their roles and the planning and implementation of ongoing clergy training via convocations and retreats.

Bishop Fisher attributes much of his call to the priesthood to the love and sacrifices of his parents and family, the constant prayers of a grandmother, the encouragement and example of wonderful priests, and a life-long desire to serve and leave this world a better place. Bishop Fisher’s family has roots across Maryland and Washington D.C.: his father was a Baltimorean and his mother was a Washingtonian, and extended family reside throughout the region.

In his spare time Bishop Fisher loves to read and study history, especially American and Church history. He enjoys camping and hiking in the mountains and touring historical sites. He once attempted to plant an orchard on a few acres of land in the North Mountains of West Virginia. Bishop Fisher is a life-long Baltimore Orioles fan, but he will root for the Washington Nationals …when they don’t play the O’s!

Due in St. Raphael RE Office on March 19, 2021.

Candidates being Confirmed on May 8th 2021, please write the letter to:

Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville

Mario E. Dorsonville was born October 31, 1960 in Bogotá, Colombia, the only child of Leonor M. Rodríguez and Carlos J. Dorsonville. He attended the Major Seminary of the Archdiocese of Bogotá, receiving a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in 1981 and a Bachelor’s degree in Sacred Theology in 1985. He was ordained to the priesthood on November 23, 1985 in Bogotá. Following ordination, he served as Associate Pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary parish, Bogotá (1986), Pastor of San Jose de Calasanz parish, Bogotá (1987-1991), Associate Chaplain (1988- 1991) and Professor of Ethics (1990-1991) at the National University of Colombia, Bogotá.

Bishop Dorsonville received a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá in 1991 and a Doctorate in Ministry from The Catholic University of America in 1996. From 1992-1994, while studying at Catholic University, he assisted the Hispanic community on weekends at Good Shepherd and Christ the Redeemer parishes in Arlington, Virginia, and served as a lecturer at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, D.C. He served as Professor of Theology and Catechesis at the Institute for Hispanic Pastoral Studies of Arlington from 1993-1994. He returned to Colombia to serve as Chaplain and Professor of Ethics to the National University of Colombia and Professor of Pastoral Counseling and Catechesis at the Major Seminary of the Archdiocese of Bogotá from 1995-1996.

He served as Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Bethesda, Maryland (1997- 2004) and St. Mark the Evangelist parish in Hyattsville, Maryland (2004). He was a member of the Board of Directors for Carroll Publishing Company from 2001-2004. Due in St. Raphael RE Office on March 19, 2021.

Bishop Dorsonville served as Vice President for Mission of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington (2005-2015) and Director of the Spanish Catholic Center (2005- 2015). He completed an Executive Certificate in Non-Profit Management at in 2009. He served as a mentor for newly ordained priests from 2010-2014 and as Adjunct Spiritual Director for St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C. (2011-2015).

He was named an Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Washington by Pope Francis on March 20, 2015 and ordained to the episcopate on April 20, 2015. He has served as Vicar General and Moderator of Ethnic Ministries for the Archdiocese of Washington since 2015. He has served as a member of the Council of Priests for the Archdiocese of Washington since 2006, and a member of the College of Consultors for the Archdiocese of Washington since 2011. Bishop Dorsonville is a member of the Committee on Catholic Education and is Chairman for the Committee on Migration for the United States Conference of Catholic (USCCB).