St. Rose Catholic Church Office of Youth Ministry

Transcription

1 St. Rose Catholic Church Office of Youth Ministry A guide for parents and their candidate

2 An efficacious sign of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us through the work of the Holy Spirit. There are 7 in number: Baptism, Reconciliation, Eucharist, Confirmation, Matrimony, Holy Orders & Anointing of the Sick. One of the three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation), it completes the grace of Baptism by a special outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which seal or confirm the baptized in union with Christ and equip them for worship and apostolic life in the Church. To be formally admitted into the Catholic Church. A beginning, not a graduation or an ending. A confirmed, practicing Catholic at least 16 years of age who will journey with the candidate and offer spiritual guidance not only during their time of preparation, but through their whole life. A person preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Can also be known as a confirmand (plural: confirmandi). A name taken of a saintly or venerable Catholic whose life the candidate would like to emulate. 2

3 The Diocese of Sacramento requires that Confirmation Prep be a 2 (consecutive) year process. Here at St. Rose, preparation takes place in the 7 th & 8 th grades. Accommodations will be made for older candidates. Year 1 Program & Policies: Enrolled in and actively attending the Edge program (or Life Teen if candidate is 9 th -12 th grade). 3 excused absences are allowed through the year. Regular (weekly) Mass attendance on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. Involvement in the parish community (get involved in a ministry: altar servers, greeters, lectors, etc.) Learn the basic Catholic prayers (page 7 of this handbook), if you haven t already, and pray them regularly. At the end of Year 1 (most likely early summer), the candidate will participate in an interview with the Coordinator of Youth Ministry to determine their readiness for entering Year 2 of preparation. Year 2 Program & Policies: Registration forms completed and turned in by specified due dates. Enrolled in and actively attending the Edge program (or Life Teen if candidate is 9 th -12 th grade). 3 excused absences are allowed through the year. Enrolled in and actively attending Confirmation Prep classes (11 classes in the Spring). 2 excused absences are allowed, but must be made up. Homework/reading assignments completed by the start of each class. Parents are required to attend the Parent Prep Meeting at the beginning of Year 2. See schedule for date. Regular (weekly) attendance at Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. Involvement in the parish community (get involved in a ministry: altar servers, greeters, lectors, etc.) Attendance at the parish day retreat/group service project. See schedule for date. Participate in 1 other full day service project of your choosing and complete the Service Project Report (found in registration packet). Reports are due by April 30, Attendance at the Diocesan Confirmation conference, Fired Up! See schedule for date. General Policies: Any and all absences must be excused via prior to the start of class. Arrive to all classes/events on time and stay until they are over. Arriving late and/or leaving early will count as an absence. Respect a modest dress code at all classes/events and at Mass. Dress must always be modest and appropriate. We require this out of respect and reverence for the Mass, the community and yourself. Maintain an active prayer life and constant drive to experience your faith in a new way. The prayers listed on pg. 8 of this handbook are to be known by heart by the end of Year 1. We very strongly encourage families to pray together to aid in memorization. Go to Reconciliation at least once a year and before you receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Understand that Confirmation is not a graduation from the Church. It is a full initiation into the Church; it s just the beginning. From there on out, you have a responsibility to not only stay connected to the Church, through regular Mass attendance and participation in the parish, but to serve the Mission of the Church (Matthew 28: 19-20) by evangelizing and building up the Kingdom of God. This is what it is to be confirmed. 3

4 You re preparing to be confirmed! You may not know it yet, but that is a very exciting thing! Over the course of the next two years, we will continue to build upon the foundation of faith given to you at Baptism and strengthened by the Eucharist, and prepare you to become fully initiated into the Catholic Church. Being a fully initiated, confirmed Catholic comes with some serious responsibilities, so to help prepare you for that, there are some requirements on your end. Be sure to review the Program and Policies on pg. 3 of this handbook for those details. Be open to God s will for your life! We know some of you don t want anything to do with these classes or church in general, but God has a plan for your life and saying yes to him will lead you on an adventure greater than you could ever imagine. So, open your heart and give it a shot! You ve got nothing to lose, and everything to gain! We re excited to start this process with you and are praying for you already! See you soon! As a parent, you are the primary catechist of your child. The home is ordinarily the first place a child experiences God and faith, and at Baptism, a parent promises to raise their child in the faith and get that child to heaven. As if being a parent weren t difficult enough, right? Parish programs exist to aid parents in doing just that, and this Confirmation program aims to make the preparation process a team effort. Your role and example in the process (and throughout your child s life) draws from the promises you made to raise your child in the faith at their Baptism: teach your child in word and action to love God and neighbor and to serve as Jesus did bring your child to Mass each week and on Holy Days of Obligation pray for and with your child enroll your child in religious education classes (in a parish program or parish school) throughout their formative years (K-12 th grade) Important things to know: You are required to attend the Parent Prep Meeting at the beginning of Year 2. See schedule for date. Your child will have reading assignments before and after each class. It is vital to the program that the assignments are completed. Please work with your child to make sure the reading is done. Confirmation is not a graduation from religious education; it is the beginning of your child s life as a fully initiated member of the Catholic Church. Your responsibility to get your child to heaven does not end here and our 9 th -12 th grade program exists to continue helping you keep your promise to Christ and the Church and to form your child. Please always remember, we are on your side. This program has strict policies and high expectations because we want your child to fulfill their role as a called disciple of Christ and get to heaven as much as you do. If, at any time, you have questions or concerns, please contact us. 4

5 All candidates are required to select one Confirmation Sponsor. The Sponsor represents the larger Christian Community in the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is the role of the Sponsor to assist the parents in enabling the candidates to live a full Christian life and to carry out faithfully the commitments of the sacraments. To act as a Sponsor, a person must: be at least 16 years of age be a Catholic who has received all of the Sacraments of Initiation be living a life in accord with the Catholic faith and consistent with the role being undertaken, including weekly Mass attendance and regular reception of the Sacraments be in good standing with the Catholic Church, to include being married in the Church, if married not be under any impediment of Canon Law have the intention of fulfilling the role in a serious and conscientious manner not be the father or mother of the candidate The responsibilities of the Sponsor are as follows: be willing to share his or her faith with the candidate assist the parents in their role as primary catechist check in regularly with their candidate to see how classes are going and what they re learning pray for and with their candidate attend the Confirmation rehearsal and Mass The Confirmation Sponsor needs to take the Sponsor Certification (in the registration packet) to his or her parish and have it filled out and stamped with the church seal. This process must be done by all Sponsors, including the ones who attend St. Rose. The Sponsor Certification is due by January 22,

6 The tradition of selecting a saint s name for Confirmation grew out of a pre-vatican II practice that asked the candidates to select a saint s name to be invoked during the Rite of Confirmation. These saints are chosen to serve as patrons and models for those being confirmed. Candidates should choose a patron saint, not because of the attractiveness of the name, but because of the attractiveness of the Christian life the saint led, and fill out the Saint Report form found in the registration packet. Candidates can choose to use their Baptismal/given name, if they were named for a saint or venerable person, but they still need to do the research on the saint and complete the report. Some online resources to research saints: The Saint Report is due January 22, The concept of service is not just a Confirmation project, but necessary to the life of the Church and expected of everyone who professes to be Catholic Christians. Candidates are required to participate in 2 full day service projects. One will be done as a group at the day retreat and the other will be the candidate s responsibility to plan and participate in. Service projects are those opportunities that candidates participate in outside the home and should go beyond their day to day responsibilities. It is hoped that they would engage in these opportunities enthusiastically and in good faith. Some suggestions are: Homeless shelter Food bank or soup kitchen Hospital/nursing home Clothing/food drive After the individual service project, the candidates should complete the Service Project Report found in the registration packet. Reports are due by April 30,

7 Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Oh, my God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against you whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with all your help, to do penance, to sin no more and to avoid whatever leads me to sin. Amen. *There are many versions of this prayer. If you ve memorized a different version, that s ok! I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men, and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. 7