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Informational
Sessions for Parents on
Confirmation
Youth who will be entering 10th
grade in the Fall of 2010 MUST enroll in this year's 10th
grade Level I Confirmation Preparation sessions if they wish to be
admitted to the Immediate Preparation Sessions during their 11th
grade. This year's 11th grade youth who aspire to prepare
for Confirmation should have participated in a parish-based faith
formation program since their 8th grade year.
Confirmation Session Schedule for 2010/2011
Orientation for Level II Confirmation
Candidates and their Sponsors will be held on Sunday September
26, 2010
at 3:15 pm in the Church.
Revised
Confirmation Program 2010/2011
In
the Fall of 2006, St. Clement's initiated a revised Confirmation
preparation program . This revision was the result of in-put
received from parents during a series of "Town Hall"
meetings in the Fall of 2005 on the subject of Faith Formation at
St Clement's and also as a result of our internal evaluation on
the strengths and weaknesses of the parish's existing preparation
program. The Faith Formation Leadership in collaboration
with our pastor felt that a more substantial program with better
content was sorely needed.
As a result of these
consultations, the revised program now includes for all home
schooled, Catholic and public high school candidates a two year
preparation based on the program, Confirmed In A
Faithful Community (ST. Mary's Press). This
program includes study and reflection
sessions beginning in September. These sessions constitute
one component of a
comprehensive immediate preparation program. The other three
components are: prayer/discernment, a Christian service project
undertaken by the entire Confirmation class, and other periodic
community building experiences in conjunction with our parish
Youth Ministry program.
Beginning in September 2008, 10th grade youth, whether attending
public or Catholic schools, who desire to be confirmed in their
11th year, are asked to participate in the two year process.
Youth
who attend a Catholic school are expected to attend all the
catechetical sessions. This policy change for Catholic school
youth is based on our awareness that not all Catholic high school religion courses focus on the Sacrament of Confirmation and the
commitment it calls forth to live one's Catholic faith
publicly. Further, preparation is not strictly an "academic"
undertaking, but a comprehensive preparation as described in
this document. This preparation for a Sacrament of Initiation is
properly undertaken within a parish rather than a school
setting. Therefore, parents are asked to keep in mind that
sacraments are celebrated as a
parish community
and the school community is not a "parish family."
Catholic school youths are
also expected to participate
in the parish Confirmation retreat experience, the Christian
service project and other community building activities. Please continue reading below about our philosophy, our program
and requirements.
Preparing
for Confirmation at St. Clement's
Sacraments
as Gifts of the Redeemer
St. Clement’s Parish approaches
Confirmation from two important perspectives.
The first is that every sacrament is a gift
of the Risen Christ to his Church. These sacred gifts require
something of us as a Community of Faith and as individuals called
to be disciples of the Lord Jesus.
We show our respect for the integrity of the
sacrament by making sure the individual has an understanding of
its meaning and importance in the Christian life. (In the case of
infant baptism the church prepares the parents who act in the name
of their child).
St. Clement’s affirms the sacred character
of the
seven sacraments
in keeping with the teachings and tradition of the Catholic Church.
This affirmation
embraces our respect for the universal and diocesan norms for
reception of the sacraments.
St. Clement’s Parish also approaches the
Sacrament of Confirmation from the perspective of
the individual. The seriousness involved in any
sacrament calls the individual and the local Community of Faith to discern together the
candidate’s readiness for the Sacrament. This discernment – or
spiritual decision-making process - recognizes that sacraments are
not given because one is at a “certain age” or in a
“specific grade.”
Our
Parish Program
As
mentioned above,
St. Clement’s Parish provides a two year
spiritual preparation program for the reception of the Sacrament
of Confirmation. Through the parish’s Faith Formation
program the candidate desiring Confirmation agrees to enter into a
special process so as to thoughtfully prepare for the gift of the
Holy Spirit celebrated in the Sacrament of Confirmation.
This presupposes a readiness and a willingness on the part
of the candidate to
commit to the preparatory process that concludes with the celebration of the Sacrament, usually in
the Spring.
The
comprehensive program has four dimensions: catechesis (study
and reflection); prayer and discernment; Christian
service; community building. Each dimension is
important in preparing for this final Sacrament of Christian
Initiation.
Our
catechetical sessions (classes) for the second year candidates
(called, immediate preparation) meet at the parish center on
Sunday evenings from 6:15 t0 7:30pm. Candidates have the
opportunity to celebrate Eucharist at the parish's Sunday
afternoon
liturgy at 5:00 PM.
In keeping with parish policy and Safe Environments for
our youth; all
learning sessions are held on campus and not in private homes.
The decision to enter into this process and
to request Confirmation, therefore, must be the individual’s and
made without undue pressure from anyone. At the same time because
sacraments belong to the Catholic Community of Faith and not just
to an individual, the candidate’s decision is also made in
consultation with other significant adults, such as one’s
parents, pastor, and/or Faith Formation leaders who have been
involved in the preparation process.
All individuals who fulfill the basic
requirements set forth by Canon and Diocesan Law and feel they are
ready to make a public commitment to Jesus Christ and receive the
power and grace of the Spirit are asked to present themselves to
the Church to prepare for the Sacrament.
The Requirements:
v In order to approach the Church for the
Sacrament of Confirmation, diocesan policy requires that a
candidate be baptized, in at least 10th grade, and not
younger than 15 years of age. (NB:
Because St. Clement's is a large parish we limit our candidates to
youth in the 11th & 12th grades.
We ask for proof of baptism when this information is not
already on file in our office).
v Candidates currently attending a Catholic or public high school or
being home schooled must be active in a parish faith
formation program prior to coming forward for Confirmation. At St.
Clement’s, candidates from Catholic, public school or being home schooled
who desire to participate in the immediate preparation component
(usually 11th grade) must have participated in our Level I (or,
10th grade) Confirmation preparation program.
11th grade youth who wish to be confirmed in their 12th year must
complete the Level I preparation component.
v All candidates are required to participate in
a Confirmation retreat experience either sponsored by St.
Clement’s Parish or another that is approved by the parish’s
Faith Formation Leaders.
v Sacraments
are celebrated in a parish community rather than a school
community. At
St. Clement's, Catholic school youth who desire the Sacrament of
Confirmation are required to participate in the following aspects
of our program: prayer/Confirmation retreat experiences, a parish
service project, and other community building activities.
v It
is expected that all candidates attend weekend Mass on a regular
basis. Candidates will be asked to sign a pledge card stating they
commit to attending Sunday mass weekly.
v All candidates and their parents or sponsors
are required to
participate in the 4 preparatory rituals offered either at St.
Clement’s or at a neighboring parish.
v Additionally, in conformity with the
Catechism of the Catholic Church, candidates are asked to be in a
state of grace prior to receiving the Sacrament.
Therefore, just prior to the celebration of Confirmation a
Communal Celebration of Reconciliation with opportunity for
private Confession is provided.
It is expected that candidates with a sponsor or parent
will participate at least in the Communal Reconciliation aspect.
Celebrating private confession at this time remains a personal
matter.
v If
a candidate is absent for more than 25%
of the preparation sessions in Level I or Level II the candidate
and a parent will be asked to meet with the program director to
evaluate his/her candidacy for Confirmation at this time.
Likewise, this applies to the candidate's participation in the
required retreat, prayer rituals and class service project.
What is a Confirmation sponsor?
A sponsor, chosen by the candidate, is a
person of faith, who will accompany the candidate on his/her
spiritual journey. Therefore, the Confirmation sponsor must be a
Catholic in good standing and is
asked to
submit to us a "Good Standing"
form completed by one of the following;
the Pastor/Parish Life Director of the Catholic parish where
the sponsor worships regularly or,
if the proposed sponsor is currently a college student, from the Catholic Campus Minister or
Priest Chaplain of the
college/university.
The "Good Standing" form is available in the Faith Formation
Office and is mailed directly to the candidate who is
responsible for passing it on to their chosen sponsor.
Additionally, the sponsor:
· can be the same person as your Baptismal Godparent, but may NOT
be the candidate's
parents.
· must be at least 16 years of age who has already been Confirmed in the Catholic
Church.
Because
our program involves active reflection sessions between the
sponsor and the candidate and attendance at various prayer
services it is highly preferred that the sponsor lives locally.
The sponsor should also be someone who feels comfortable sharing
and talking about spiritual matters.
About a Confirmation name:
You are welcome to use this opportunity to choose a Confirmation
name in honor of a saint or Christian hero, or a Christian virtue
or ideal (such as ‘Faith’, ‘Hope’, ‘
Mercia
’). The name can be
in English or Latin or another language (‘Maria’ or
‘Mario’ are examples). Since the Confirmation candidate is
completing his/her Sacraments of Christian Initiation, begun at
Baptism, it is appropriate to use one’s Baptismal name at the
Confirmation celebration.
The
Date For Confirmation
The date for Confirmation is set by the Bishop's office.
The parish is invited to submit dates, but the final decision is
determined by the bishop.
Fr. Neil Neil
Draves-Arpaia, Director
of Whole Community Catechesis
(518) 587-3611 ext 15 or
email: padre1 @ scpny.org
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