Confirmation High School Confirmation is held each spring. 1) What is the Purpose of the Program? The purpose of the Confirmation Preparation Program at St. John Vianney Parish is to provide a spiritually nurturing environment where opportunities for continuing Christian formation and education will lead to growth in faith and self-awareness during a young person’s junior year of high school, with the focus of celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation at the end ofJunior year.  Very simply, this means that we want to create Disciples. We want our young people to learn who Jesus Christ is, where He is in their lives, and what it means to not only know about Jesus, but also what it means to be LIKE Jesus in the world today. We also want to have our young people see themselves as part of the St. John Vianney Catholic Faith Community, and to understand the Catholic Church they are interested in being a part of as a community of believers who are inspired to live the Gospel.  Viewed as a whole, the confirmation prep process was created in light of the fundamental principles outlined in the National Cathechetical Directory as well as the U.S. Bishops’ document on Youth Ministry Renewing the Vision. These principles include: 1) Youth Ministry works to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person. 2) Youth Ministry seeks to draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the faith community. 3) Total catechesis always includes sharing in the faith-life of the community, experiencing individual and liturgical prayer, taking part in Christian service, as well as learning Catholic, Christian doctrine. 4) The entire parish community is responsible for the catechesis of its members. 2) Am I READY to be confirmed??? This is a GOOD question to ask (and don’t be ashamed of asking it!) Saying “Yes” to the commitment of living as a Catholic-Christian today, in a world which has a lot of competing values is no small feat. Some things to consider before undertaking the decision to continue in the Confirmation process: Am I able to meet the requirements of the Confirmation program? (see above). Because attendance at groups, retreat, and participation in service are all essential elements of the Confirmation program at SJV, it is expected that you will be present for these things. If you are unable to demonstrate that participation in the process is a priority for you, you may want to reconsider whether or not this is a good time to make this commitment. REMEMBER, saying “yes” to Confirmation means that you are willing to put your relationship with God, and your yearning to be an integral part of the Catholic community before lots of other things. It is well worth the effort…but as the old adage states, “Nothing good and worthwhile comes without sacrifice.” Readiness for celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation cannot be determined simply by the calendar. The meaning of the rite for those celebrating it and its total impact on their faith-lives will be strongly affected by many developmental factors, besides age. In addition, because Confirmation celebrates the response of the individual to the gift of faith, the primary responsibility for determining when the candidate is ready for the sacrament lies within themselves (eg. Not parents…they made THEIR commitment to bring you up in the Catholic faith at Baptism. Now it’s your turn!) Because confirmation is a sacrament of initiation, this decision is to be made in dialogue with the representatives of the faith community of SJV (this includes, but is not limited to: your sponsor, your advisor, your family and friends, SJV staff, and community of the faithful). If you feel that you would like to discuss this process further, or if you are feeling the need to discern if Confirmation is right for you at this time, please don’t hesitate to call the Director of Youth Ministry at SJV (796-3944). 3) What makes me “eligible” to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation? As an eligible candidate, I am: 1) Baptized, and have a baptismal certificate (copy needs to be turned into the CF office.) 2) Age 16 or older (by the time the rite is celebrated) 3) Interested in becoming fully initiated into the Catholic Church. The official policy for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee states that: “Confirmation should not be received before the candidate has reached age 16 or junior year in high school. This policy sets a minimum age and presupposes that the candidate has been able to participate in a confirmation preparation program.” 4) What about a Confirmation “Name?” The Milwaukee Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission, through the Office of Worship has stated: “The new rite is silent regarding the practice of taking a new name at confirmation. The candidates may retain their baptismal name rather than choose a new one. This is pastorally and liturgically preferred because it manifests better the unity between baptism and confirmation. However, a special name may be chosen if desired.” If a Confirmation name, other than that given at Baptism is chosen, the candidate will be expected to provide a written explanation of why the name was chosen, i.e., given the saint from whom the name was chosen, what virtues, personality traits, etc. demonstrated a living faith and how does the candidate intend to nurture those same traits in his/her life? 5) What about the “Letter of Intent?” Each candidate will write a letter to the bishop requesting to be confirmed. The purpose of the letter is to convey the following: • A statement of the candidate’s willingness to be fully initiated into the Catholic Church. • Highlights of the year of preparation; • How the Church can enable the candidate to grow in their faith; Letters of intent are typically completed about two months prior to celebrating the Sacrament. 6) Sponsors: What is their role? What do we need to know? By the time each candidate begins the year of the Confirmation process, he/she must have a sponsor chosen and the appropriate form (see enclosed form) turned into the Christian Formation office. This will be included in your official file for review prior to celebrating the Sacrament. Sponsors are to be chosen in accordance with Archdiocesan guidelines and the Revised code of Canon Law. Accordingly, the support of the entire community is focused in the sponsor chosen by the candidate to be confirmed. The introduction to the Rite of Confirmation states: Ordinarily, there should be a sponsor for each of those to be confirmed. The sponsor presents the candidate to the minister for the anointing, and will later help the candidate to fulfill the baptismal promises faithfully under the influence of the Holy Spirit (RC, #5) The introduction also states that the godparents at baptism can be the sponsors at Confirmation. In this way, the relationship between Baptism and Confirmation is retained. The sponsor need not be the same gender as the confirmation candidate. A sponsor must fulfill the following qualifications: • Is at least 16 years of age and is sufficiently mature for the role; • Has been fully initiated into the Catholic Church, having celebrated the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist; • Is an active, practicing Catholic who is not prohibited by church law from exercising the role of sponsor. In addition, the sponsor enhances the confirmand’s preparation when he/she is someone who: • Can truly support the candidate on his/her journey of self-discovery…to learn about and believe in Jesus Christ through embracing the Catholic tradition, while living out those beliefs in daily life. • Is willing to encourage the candidate to listen for and respond to God’s unique call in his/her life. • Is willing and able to challenge the candidate if necessary…with gentleness and compassion. • Is willing to pray with the confirmand • Demonstrates growth in faith through ongoing prayer, reflection, and study. • Is committed to having actual contact with the candidate on a regular basis. The sponsor should to be able to attend the candidate/sponsor day of reflection (or parent if the sponsor is logistically unable), and meet with the candidate at least twice prior to the date of Confirmation. 7) Okay, what about “Service projects?” What is required? Confirmation readiness includes an awareness and understanding that one’s relationship with God is somehow woven into our relationships with others. Jesus showed us by his life that it is in giving to others that we receive the grace and wisdom of God. In addition, by stating “yes” to God’s call, we are also making a commitment to reach out to the wider community. Therefore, the service requirement of confirmation is incredibly important. What does this mean? • Each candidate is required to participate in 20 hours of service for the confirmation year. • Authentic involvement can happen either individually or with a group (see service options booklet) • Each candidate is required to turn in a “Service Log Summary” form. This will be entered into your file, which will be reviewed for completion prior to celebrating Confirmation. (NOTE: Because service hours are a requirement for the program, these will not be waived. ) The following are acceptable forms of service: o Participation in any of the opportunities listed in the Summer Service Series offered by the Quad Parishes and the Service Opportunities booklet (both are located in your folder). o Participation in a work camp experience within the 2008-2009 school year, prior to the date of Confirmation. o Involvement in liturgical ministries through St. John Vianney Parish (see Director of Youth Ministry for details) o Assisting with teaching in the younger grades of the Christian Formation program o Assisting with the Children’s Liturgy of the Word @ SJV. o Helping with meal programs, soup kitchens, or homeless shelters are great! o Helping out at a nursing home (playing bingo, talking w/ residents, etc.) o The Waukesha Volunteer Center also has a very comprehensive list of potential volunteer activities (see phone book). The following forms of service are NOT acceptable: o Selling concessions at a sporting event that you need to participate in anyway for your team. o Cutting your parents/ grandparent’s lawn (you should be doing that anyway! ☺) o Anything that you are just doing to “get it done”. This should be an experience which stretches you outside of your comfort zone…at least a little bit! NOTE: Do NOT wait until the last minute to complete your service activity. Try to plan ahead and schedule it early on. The CF office will need a SIGNED copy of your record of service hours by March 1, 2009.