Confirmation Corner
Week 1: September 24 - October 1, 2023
Information for: Confirmation Prep 1 Students and Families
Hello Confirmation Prep 1 Families!
Thank you to everyone who attended our Family meeting on Wednesday! We had a great turn out and it was so nice to be able to get everyone on the same page!
In this newsletter, I want to review the information I shared with you on Wednesday, as well as give you a few resources.
Please remember that our opening Mass will take place at 10 AM on Sunday, all families and mentors are encouraged to attend!
Classes will start on September 27th and run from 7-8 PM. Please make sure your son/daughter is entering the building through door 7. YOUR GROUP WILL BE MEETING UPSTAIRS.
Our textbooks have not arrived yet, but you will be given a CHOSEN book that will be used for both Confirmation prep #1 and Confirmation Prep #2. If you are new to our teen faith formation programs, please see below to order a new Bible for your son/daughter.
I just want to take this time to remind all of you of the various items your child should be doing to prepare for Confirmation.
Along with attending Mass each week, Confirmation students should:
1. Build and Maintain a Relationship with their Confirmation Sponsor
2. Choose a Saint Name
3. Perform 15 hours of Service
4. Attend a Confirmation Retreat
5. Write a letter to the Bishop asking to be Confirmed
6. Attend Reconciliation prior to Confirmation
7. Participate in an interview with Father John
In this newsletter, I will be talking about: Confirmation Sponsors, Choosing a Saint's Name, and Service Hours. Confirmation prep #1 students will be lead through the process of choosing a Saint Name and a Sponsor this year. We will be talking about Confirmation retreats in the coming months as well.
In my next newsletter, I will address the other items on this list. If you have questions, please reach out to me!
Attendance and Absences
To ensure a safe environment for all students
At St. John's we are committed to providing our students with a safe environment. In order to do this we are asking you as parents this year to please email Kristy if your child will NOT be attending Faith Formation on any given night.
Attendance will be take each night, and parents of students who are missing will be called. If you have emailed to excuse your child that evening, you will not receive a phone call.
This is to ensure that all students who are supposed to be on our campus and in our care are in fact where they are supposed to be.
If you know your child will be absence on certain dates, feel free to email ahead of time and the absence will be recorded!
Choosing a Confirmation Sponsor
Part of preparation for Confirmation is selecting a sponsor. Your sponsor should be a practicing Catholic. Think of people you know who fully live out their Catholic faith, who will model the roles of priest, prophet, and king and inspire you with ways to practice these roles too. Don’t forget to consider your baptismal godparents! Because of the connection between Baptism and Confirmation, a godparent often makes a good Confirmation sponsor. Consider discussing your choice with your catechist and your parents. They can help you decide who to ask. You might feel a little nervous when you are ready to ask someone to be your Confirmation sponsor. Remember that this person will most likely feel flattered and honored to be asked.
Since your sponsor will support you in your preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation, choosing your sponsor is an important choice. Select someone whose Catholic faith you admire, who is willing and able to become personally involved in your preparation, and who will model a strong Catholic life for you. Baptism and Confirmation are closely connected, so it is good to consider asking a baptismal godparent to act as Confirmation sponsor.
The Church requires that a Confirmation sponsor be at least 16 years of age, be fully initiated (someone who has received the Sacraments of Christian Initiation), and be a practicing Catholic.
Ideally, Confirmation sponsors act as mentors, inviting young people to greater participation in the life of the community.
A sponsor sees that the person to be confirmed acts as a true witness to Christ, faithfully fulfilling the obligations connected with Confirmation.
A Confirmation sponsor is preferably one of the baptismal sponsors.
A sponsor should be at least 16 years of age and a confirmed Catholic who has received Eucharist and who leads a faith-filled life.
Parents may not be sponsors.
In making their choices, the young people will want to consider these questions:
Who do you respect and trust?
Who do you think could help you as you prepare for Confirmation?
Who do you think could help you as you continue to grow as a Catholic after your Confirmation?
Suggest that the young people discuss this important decision with their parents. Once they have selected sponsors, urge them to stay in close touch with their sponsors during their preparation for Confirmation.
The role of sponsor is so important that the Church has established guidelines for sponsors in The Code of Canon Law, Canons 892 and 893:
A sponsor sees that the person to be confirmed acts as a true witness to Christ, faithfully fulfilling the obligations connected with Confirmation.
A Confirmation sponsor is preferably one of the baptismal sponsors.
A sponsor should be at least 16 years of age and a confirmed Catholic who has received Eucharist and who leads a faith-filled life.
Parents may not be sponsors.
Choosing a sponsor whose witness is empowered by the Spirit is an important part of Confirmation preparation.
Again, your son/daughter will be guided in this process by their mentors, so there is no need to rush this step, or worry about finding someone right now. It is, however, good to have this information in your back pocket as your teen starts their journey toward Confirmation.
Choosing a Saint Name
What’s in a name? When you were born, your parents chose your name. They may have chosen your name in honor of a special person in their lives: a grandparent, aunt, or uncle. They may have chosen your name for the meaning behind it. Perhaps they chose your name because they felt a close connection to a holy man or woman of our faith - one of the saints. Maybe they just really liked your name! Most likely, it was a combination of many factors. Your name gives you an identity; it tells others who you are.
Throughout our lives, we will identify ourselves with many names- the name of the mascot of our school, the name of the region of the country we live in, and the title of the career we choose. At your Baptism, you were called by name and christened to become a child of God. You entered into the Catholic community by name. Now it is your turn! As a part of your Confirmation preparation, you are given the opportunity to choose the name of a Saint with whose life and gifts you can identify.
At the Rite of Confirmation, the Bishop will call you by the Saint name you have chosen. The Saints are our spiritual guides, our companions on life’s journey. Their Experiences show us the path we are to take in our own lives. The title of Saint tells us that the person lived a holy life, is in heaven, and is to be honored by the universal church. Patron Saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over areas of life. These areas can include occupations, illness, countries, sports, causes -- anything that is important to us. For example, Francis of Assisi loved nature and so he is the patron saint of ecologists. Francis de Sales was a writer and so he is a patron of journalists and writers.
REMEMBER: Do not choose a name just for the name itself-choose for the story behind the saint and how that saint can help you as you go forward in life.
Where should I begin to choose a Confirmation name? There are a variety of books depicting the lives of the saints and a book is a good place to start! Our Church library located in the room downstairs of the office has lots of good books to page through. The following sites are great resources that I have found helpful:
http://saints.sqpn.com/ - A good site to begin looking for a Saint, other sites give more detailed information.
http://www.catholic.org/saints/ - This site has very detailed information.
http://www.catholic-saints.info/ - Very understandable stories about the Saints
http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/byname.aspx - Very understandable stories about the Saints
Like everything you are doing, it is very important this is well thought out and researched.
The Bishop may be asking you questions and talking to you about your saint the night of your Confirmation. Thus, you want to know your saint and know them quite well. Please do not procrastinate on this. Take some time and do a good job on it.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you choose the best Saint for your life now and in the future.
Service Hours
15 Hours of Service for your Family, Parish and Community
Your son/daughter is digging deeper into their preparation for Confirmation!
One piece of the preparation for Confirmation is Service. St. John's recommends 15 hours of service to others prior to Confirmation. Service to others allows God to show us what He can do through us by using our gifts and talents. 9th graders will serve their families, parish, and community during this formative year.
Service can be done with friends, family, and your Faith Formation classmates. I will continue to share service project opportunities.
In order to track their service, please bookmark this form: https://forms.gle/TzkapwfTKiC7jgfHA
Students should fill out this form EACH time they complete a service project. All prior services done starting in September through today can be logged as well.
Students should complete their service hours before November's Confirmation date.
All services should be unpaid (not accepting money or gifts), performed with a humble heart, and accomplished to the best ability. Service should be done in the following three places: at home, at church, and in the community. Please try to spend 5 hours serving in each category.
Let me know if you have any questions about service, or need help finding places to serve.
Here are some ideas to get you started!
At Home
Help parents, grandparents, and siblings with special projects
Babysit for free
Shopping, cleaning, snow removal or yard work for elderly or shut-in family members or neighbors
Tutor/mentor a younger family member or neighbor (extra reading, music practice, teaching a skill)
At Church
Help at Mass- Youth Choir, Instrumentalist, Lector, Usher, Altar Server, Children’s Liturgy of the Word Lead/Assist,
Vacation Bible School Crew Member or Leader Youth Activities
Men’s Club Fish Fry during Lent;
Lead Stations of the Cross
Volunteer to serve meals
In the Community
Reach- organize and collect items to donate, make a meal for 20-30 people https://www.lssmn.org/services/youth-homelessness/mankato/the-reach
Echo Food Shelf- collect food & paper products, donate, and serve at Echo https://www.echofoodshelf.org/currentvolunteer-opportunities
Calvary Cemetery- clean up
Birth Right and Options for Women/Mankato- baby bottle campaign, organize a donation drive, help with their fundraisers
Celebrate Me Week Camp counselor, or any camps where you serve/help as a volunteer
Backpack Food Program; SCMNFR- preparing food- look for them on Facebook
If you come across a great opportunity, don't hesitate to share it with me! I love hearing about new and exciting service opportunities!