Then They Laid Hands on Them and They Received the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:17

St. Patrick Parish Confirmation Preparation Year II

“Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8:17

September 2013

Dear Parents and Confirmation Candidates,

During the upcoming 2013-2014 school year your child will be preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation which will be conferred by the bishop in the Spring. When an individual is confirmed he or she receives a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace, it unites us more firmly to Christ, it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us, it renders our bond with the Church more perfect, and it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ (Catechism 1303).

This packet contains information about the process of preparing your child to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at St Patrick Parish. All the necessary preparations are to be completed as demonstration of one’s readiness to receive the sacrament. Please review this information carefully, contact the Religious Education Office with any questions, and make sure to complete and return all requirements by their due dates.

As parents, you are the primary educators of your children (Catechism 1653). The parish Religious Education Office cannot replace you but it does bear a special responsibility for the preparation of candidates for Confirmation (Catechism 1309). Therefore, your child needs to complete the requirements in order to demonstrate his or her readiness and understanding. We encourage you, along with the sponsor, to be intimately involved with your child as he or she is preparing this year. By doing so, this time of preparation can also renew and strengthen your own faith, thereby enabling us all to better “confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross” (Catechism 1303).

Yours in Christ Jesus,

Karen Meadowcroft Director of Faith Formation

2 Requirements Due Dates

“Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit-his actions, his gifts and his biddings.” (CCC 1309)

Due Today: □ Preparation Policy for Confirmation All parents and candidates for the sacrament of Confirmation are asked to sign a preparation policy (last page of this booklet). By signing this policy you affirm that you will comply with the guidelines set forth as regards Mass attendance, class attendance, a passing grade, etc…

Due by All Saints Day: □ Confirmation Saint Report A one page double-spaced report on the life of the saint whose name you choose as your Confirmation name. Please include in this report your reason for choosing this particular saint, a biography of the saint’s life, and a bibliography with three sources or more. The Religious Education Library has books on saints that you can check out to help you with your report. Do not copy or plagiarize directly from the internet or any other source; rather, take the facts you find and put them in your own words as you would for any other school report

Due December 15th to the Religious Education Office: □ Registration for Sacraments Form This form is your way of indicating your desire to have your child confirmed, and it must be filled out with all the vital information we need in order for your child to receive the sacrament. □ Baptismal Certificate Each candidate must submit a copy of his/her Baptismal Certificate if they were baptized outside of St. Patrick, Yorkville. If baptized outside of the USA, please allow ample time to retrieve a copy of the certificate from the parish of the Baptism. □ Sponsor Certificate of Eligibility Form The candidate is required to select a person to be his or her sponsor. The sponsor must meet the criteria listed on the “Sponsor Eligibility” page in this packet. The sponsor must fill out the Certificate of Eligibility Form and the pastor from his/her parish must sign it.

Due March 15th to the Religious Education Office: □ Confirmation Study guide This study guide is designed to help the students prepare for their Confirmation Exam. Candidates are to study and learn all the material (prayers, terms, definitions, etc.) listed in this packet in order to be prepared to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. □ Service Hour Reports Jesus came "not to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 20:28). These service hours are meant to represent the candidates' intentions of becoming full members of the Church, which is a servant community in imitation of our Lord. Each Class will be developing, implementing and completing an individual class service project.

3 Key Requirements for Confirmation

Religious Education Classes It is imperative that every child involved in a sacramental preparation program attend Religious Education (RE) classes regularly and achieve a final passing grade of 75% or better. The student may not have more than 3 absences per year during Confirmation I or II; excessive absences may result in a delay in the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation.

If your child has NOT been attending religious education for a number of years, a secondary “catch up” class may be necessary. A personal interview with the Director of Religious Education and/or Pastor will be scheduled to ascertain your child’s readiness to begin Confirmation preparation. If, after the personal interview, it is determined that your child does not have the pre-requisite knowledge to begin Confirmation preparation, they will be enrolled in the make-up class.

Mass Attendance Attendance at Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation is a precept of the Church. All parents and candidates will sign the Preparation Policy Agreement, thereby affirming their intention to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation. The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice (Catechism 2182). Missing Sunday Mass, unless for a serious reason such as illness, is a mortal sin. Each candidate will be given a Mass Attendance Form to fill out and return to the DRE each week.

Service Projects Service to others is an important element for candidates preparing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Therefore, each student is required to complete 3 service projects. To assist in completing these hours, some of these will be completed as a class.

Confirmation Name Each candidate must choose a Confirmation name, whether the Baptismal name is kept or a new name is chosen. In choosing a Confirmation name, the candidate must choose a Saint's name. By doing so each candidate has a model for holiness and a patron and intercessor. Candidates should choose a saint of the same gender (female = female saint; male = male saint).

Study Guide – Everything a Confirmed Catholic Should Know This study guide contains all the information about the Catholic Faith that each candidate should know before being confirmed. All the answers for the Study guide and the Confirmation Exam are in this study guide. The front page of the Study Guide lists all the terms and ideas that will be on the Confirmation Exam; concentrate on learning this material and you will do well on the Exam.

Confirmation Exam Answers for all the questions on the Confirmation Exam are in the Study Guide. The Confirmation Exam will be during the Spring of Year II.

Confirmation Retreat All Confirmation candidates are required to attend a one day retreat prior to receiving Confirmation. The retreat dates for this year are as follows: March 1, 2014, 10am to 6pm. 4

The Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation To receive all the graces and fruits of the Sacrament of Confirmation an individual must be in the state of grace. Therefore, prior to Confirmation, all candidates “should receive the sacrament of Penance in order to be cleansed for the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Catechism 1310). Reception of Confirmation in the state of mortal sin is itself a mortal sin.

Confirmation Practice There will be a mandatory practice session prior to the Confirmation Mass. The practice is designed to acquaint the candidates with the structure of the Confirmation Liturgy. The practice focuses on the candidates' procession into the Church, music and responses, and the students' participation in the liturgy. The candidate's sponsor and/or parent are required to attend the practice session. The date and time for the practice session will be determined later.

Confirmation Mass Confirmation will be conferred in the spring of their Junior Year (the date will be announced when the Diocese notifies us). There shall be no picture taking during the Confirmation ceremony. The bishop will be available for pictures at the reception. A professional photographer is on hand to take photos of each candidate as they are confirmed and a group picture will be taken immediately after the Mass. Copies of all photos will be available in the Parish Center immediately after Mass.

Dress Code for the Confirmation Mass The young men are required to wear dress pants, dress shoes (no sneakers), a button-down shirt with a collar and a tie. A jacket is optional. The young ladies are required to wear modest dress clothes, such as a dress or skirt, and dress shoes. This dress code applies to sponsors and proxies as well.

Concerning body piercing: The young men should not wear earrings. Young women may wear ear piercings. No other facial piercings should be worn.

5 Forms for Confirmation

The following pages contain the information and forms you will need during Year II of Confirmation preparation.

6 Saints’ Report

Scripture search: 1 Timothy 2:1-3, and James 5:16. Review these passages and write down what they say in your own words. ______

Take some time to wisely choose a saint to intercede for you through life.

Where to find information:  There are books and videos available to give examples of canonized saints through the Diocese.  Your school and public libraries usually have information on many canonized saints.  The Internet has lots of listings to search. Just go to your search engine and type in Catholic Saints.

My Patron Saint (this is your outline, please type up a 1-2 page report on this saint)

Saint name you have chosen and are they a patron of anything?

______

When and where did this person live?______

What about this person made you want to choose him/her?______

What can you learn from this person about how to live your life? ______

7 Service Guidelines

For by the Sacrament of Confirmation, “the baptized are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obligated to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.” CCC 1285)

A sense of service is no easy attitude to develop today. An attitude of service means putting self in last place. For followers, or disciples, of Jesus Christ, service to others is not an option-it is a necessity. This Confirmation program requires time spent in the service of others. Complete and report on projects in the following areas:

ONE - Civic Community Project

1. Needs to be approved by the Director of RE or Small Group leader. 2. Some Ideas: a. Work stocking shelves for the food pantry b. Help at community events such as city clean up, etc. c. Feed my Starving Children (December 28, 2013 or January 4, 2014 or March 8, 2014). Contact: Lisa McGill or Karen Meadowcroft

ONE - Church Project:

1. Donut Sunday 2. Church Clean-Up Days 3. Santa Breakfast – sorting gifts, clean-up 4. Adoration once a month from October to April 5. 2nd Grade Retreat Help 6. Sunday Liturgy: Server, Lector, Choir Member, Usher, Greeter (choose one October 27, December 8, January 5, February 16)

ONE – Family Project. The family is the Domestic Church, therefore, service should begin here. No Payment of any kind is given. This can be service to any relative: grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.

1. Seasonal lawncare/snow removal 2. Major cleaning projects i.e. spring cleaning 3. Babysitting so parents can have a “night out”

8 Confirmation Service Project Report (Return this completed form to the Director of Faith Formation Upon completion of your Service Project)

Remember: All service hours must be completed by March 15th.

Nbr of Hours: _____

Student Name: ______

Name of Project Completed: ______

Date/Time Project Began: ______

Date/Time Project Ended: ______

Include the following information in your reflection after the project is completed: Why I chose to do this project? Describe the project you completed. Who benefitted from the service? How did you feel about the project you performed? How did the project help you build the Church? How has this project helped you prepare for Confirmation? What did this experience teach you about yourself? How did a Corporal or Spiritual work of mercy apply to this project? How did you experience God through this project?

Student Signature: ______Date: ______

Supervisor’s Signature/Title: ______

Supervisor’s Phone Nbr or Email: ______

9 Mass Attendance Record (Please hand in to your small group leader at next class)

Date Attended: ______Name of Priest Celebrating: ______

What was the Gospel (Book Chapter:Verse): ______

What do you remember about the Homily:

How are these readings relevant in your life today?