PREPARING FOR CONFIRMATION AT HOLY FAMILY
Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit!
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Teens celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation at Holy Family
To confirm means to affirm, make definite, ratify, approve, validate, and recommend.
In the sacrament of Confirmation, God marks us with an indelible seal. The seal of the Holy Spirit signifies our enrollment in God’s service. With this gift, God affirms our essential goodness and reaffirms our role as partners in the great work of salvation.
“I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last” John 15:16b
This deeply personal affirmation of who we are, (and whose we are), is given to instill in us a longing for a deeper and more intimate connection with the Lord; a sincere desire to belong to Christ and the community Christ raises up to build the Kingdom of God, the Church.
In response to God’s trust in us, the sacrament of Confirmation also celebrates our public commitment to become compelling witnesses of the gospel, sharing with all the good news of God’s great love. This divine seal is a public endorsement by our God through the community of faith (the Church) of the truth and authenticity of our experiences of God’s presence within and among us, completing the work done on our behalf at Baptism.
See the documents below for details about our Confirmation Preparation Process.
STEPS IN THE PREPARATION PROCESS FOR CONFIRMATION AT HOLY FAMILY FOR 2022-2023
- Regular attendance at weekend liturgy – Celebrating the Eucharist is at the heart of our lives as Catholics and essential when preparing to receive a sacrament.
- Two years of formal religious education are required prior to receiving the sacrament. This is an Archdiocesan Policy. To fulfill this step teens are asked to
- Participate in our Teen Faith’s Flame Program – teens can join an in-person small group facilitated by a Catechist and Peer Ministers or complete the online program. Please register by August 30, 2022. The first small group meeting will be held on September 11, 2022.
- Teens attending a Catholic High School, are welcome to join a FLAME small group, but are not required to so.
- Teens wishing to be Confirmed must be baptized Catholics. This is required by Canon Law.
- Please submit a copy of your teen’s Baptismal Certificate to the Parish Office, by August 30, 2022.
- If you were Baptized at Holy Family all we need is the month and year the Baptism took place.
- If your teen was baptized in another parish, please contact that parish and obtain a copy of their baptismal certificate.
- Those wishing to be confirmed must be a registered parishioner in a Catholic parish (Archdiocesan Policy) Please have this step completed by August 30, 2022.
- If you are registered at a parish other than Holy Family, we will need a letter verifying that fact from your home parish.
- Registering at Holy Family is a simple two-step process. For more information, contact Sue Geegan, sgeegan@holyfamilyparish.org.
- Parent-Teen Presentations – The confirmation candidate and at least one parent will attend two presentations during each year of preparation.
- During 2022-23 both FLAME I and FLAME II candidates and at least one of their parents are asked to attend the following sessions. Sponsors are welcome but not required to attend.
- First year candidates and their parents will meet Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022 – 5:15-6:45pm
- Second year candidates will meet Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023 – 5:15-6:45pm
- Participation in The Rite of Welcoming by all First Year Confirmation Candidates, their families and the Confirmation Sponsor (if available). Sunday, Oct 23; at the 11:00 am Mass
- Participation in the Second Scrutiny by ALL Confirmation Candidates, their families and the Confirmation Sponsor (if available). Sunday, Mar 19; 11:00 am Mass
- Each confirmation candidate is asked to engage in 20 hours of community service, per year.
- Confirmation candidates are asked to participate in a retreat each year of their preparation. In-person and digital formats are available.
- Second Year Candidate Retreat, October 15-16, 2022 – Woodstock, IL
There is no online format for this retreat. - First Year Candidate Retreat, January 14-15, 2023 – Woodstock, IL
There is an online format for this retreat.
Catholic High School Students – Participation by teens in retreats offered by their Catholic High School will
fulfill this step. Teens must document their participation by completing the simple Retreat Participation
Form (available Holy Family’s website).
Juniors and Seniors attending Public Schools are asked to attend one (1) of the Kairos Retreats
- November 11-14, 2022 – Woodstock, IL
- February 17-20, 2023 – Woodstock, IL
- Attendance at one of the Pizza with the Pastor sessions (once during Year II – Dates to Announced)
- Sponsor-Candidate Activities Confirmation candidates and their Sponsors are asked to complete five
(5) short activities over the two-year preparation process, two (2) in Year I and three (3) in Year II.
These are available on line.
STEPS IN THE PREPARATION PROCESS FOR CONFIRMATION FOR TEENS ATTENDING CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLS AT HOLY FAMILY 2022-2023
*Catholic High School Students are asked to register for the Confirmation Program by August 30, 2022
- Two years of formal religious education are required prior to receiving the sacrament. This is an Archdiocesan Policy.
- Teens attending a Catholic High School, are welcome to join a FLAME small group, but are not required to so.
- Regular attendance at weekend liturgy – Celebrating the Eucharist is at the heart of our lives as Catholics and essential when preparing to receive a sacrament
- Teens wishing to be Confirmed must be Baptized Catholics. This is required by Canon Law.
- Please submit a copy of your teen’s Baptismal Certificate to the Parish Office, by August 30, 2022
- If you were baptized at Holy Family all we will need is the month the baptism took place
- If you were baptized in another parish please contact their parish office and obtain a copy of their baptismal certificate.
- Those wishing to be confirmed must be a registered parishioner in a Catholic parish (Archdiocesan Policy) Please have this step completed by August 30, 2022.
- Registering at Holy Family is a simple two-step process. For more information, contact Sue Geegan, sgeegan@holyfamilyparish.org.
- Parent-Teen Presentations – During 2022-23 both FLAME I and FLAME II candidates and at least one
of their parents are asked to attend the following presentations. Sponsors are welcome but not required to attend.
- First year candidates and their parents will meet Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022 – 5:15-6:45pm
- Second year candidates will meet Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023 – 5:15-6:45pm
- Participation in The Rite of Welcoming by all First Year Confirmation Candidates, their families and the Confirmation
Sponsor (if available). Sunday, Oct 23; at the 11:00 am Mass
- Participation in the Second Scrutiny by ALL Confirmation Candidates, their families and the Confirmation Sponsor (if
available). Sunday, Mar 19; 11:00 am Mass
- Each confirmation candidate is asked to engage in 20 hours of community service, per year.
- Confirmation candidates are asked to participate in a retreat each year of their preparation. Participation by teens in retreats offered by their Catholic High School fulfills this step. Teens must document their participation by completing the simple Retreat Participation Form
If a Catholic High School teen would like to participate in Holy Family’s Confirmation retreats they are welcome to do so.
- Second Year Candidate Retreat, October 15-16, 2022 – Woodstock, IL
There is no online format for this retreat
- First Year Candidate Retreat, January 14-15, 2023 – Woodstock, IL
There is an online format for this retreat.
- Confirmation candidates and their Sponsors are asked to complete five (5) Sponsor-Candidate
Activities over the two-year preparation process. Contact Maureen Cochran for the online link at mcochran@holyfamilyparish.org.
- Two (2) FLAME I Sponsor-Candidate Activities
- Three (3) FLAME II Sponsor-Candidate Activities
Confirmation Preparation for Public High School Juniors and Seniors Who Have Not Been Confirmed
If you were not Confirmed as a sophomore and are not enrolled in the FLAME program but are interested in being Confirmed, please contact the Teen Faith office. We require that we discuss options with all families before they can be enrolled in this special Confirmation option.
We ask junior and seniors to do the following:
- Regularly attend liturgy – Celebrating the Eucharist is at the heart of our lives as Catholics and essential when preparing to receive a sacrament.
- Teens wishing to be Confirmed must be baptized Catholics. This is required by Canon Law. Please submit a copy of your teen’s Baptismal Certificate to the Parish Office, by August 30, 2022.
- If you were baptized in a parish other than Holy Family contact that parish and obtain a copy of their baptismal certificate.
- Those wishing to be confirmed must be a registered parishioner in a Catholic parish (Archdiocesan Policy)
- Parent-Teen Presentation – Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023 – 5:15-6:45pm
The candidate and at least one of his/her parents are asked to attend the presentation. Sponsors are welcome but not required to attend.
- Participation in The Rite of Welcoming by the candidate, his/her family and the Confirmation Sponsor (if available). Sunday, Oct 23; at the 11:00 am Mass
- Participation in the Second Scrutiny by the Confirmation Candidates, his/her family and the Confirmation Sponsor (if available). Sunday, Mar 19; 11:00 am Mass
- The confirmation candidate is asked to engage in 20 hours of community service.
- Attend a Kairos This year Holy Family will be offering this retreat on
- November 11-14, 2022 – Woodstock, IL
- February 17-20, 2023 – Woodstock, IL
If the teen has been on a high school “Quest” retreat before, that would qualify as well.
- Attend a Pizza with the Pastor (a discussion with Father Terry about Confirmation in a small group setting. 2022-2023 dates to be announced).
- In the absence of receiving formal religious education since their First Communion, we
may ask the candidate to do one (1) of the following,
- Attend Kairos 4th Day Meetings
- Meet with the Youth Minister, Patty McCarthy four times in the course of the year.
- Attend Faith on Fire Meetings
- Complete all the necessary Confirmation Forms. These are located on the parish website.
- Complete Sponsor-Candidate Activities – The candidate and his/her Sponsor are asked to complete three (3) short activities. These are available on line.
Key Dates for 2022-2023
Confirmation Prep Dates Cheat sheet
PROOF OF PARISH REGISTRATION – Those wishing to be confirmed must be a registered parishioner in a Catholic parish (Archdiocesan Policy). Please have this step completed by August 30, 2022. For instructions on how to register at Holy Family or how to document registration in another Catholic Parish, see the Steps in the Preparation Process for Confirmation at Holy Family.
BAPTISMAL CERTIFICATE SUBMISSION – August 30, 2022 – (all candidates)
RITE OF WELCOME – Sunday, Oct 23, 2022 at the 11:00 am Mass
First Year Candidates and Public High School Juniors and Seniors seeking Confirmation.
SPONSOR INFORMATION WORKSHEET due date
Those being confirmed Spring, 2023 please submit your worksheet by September 25, 2022.
Those being confirmed Spring, 2024, please submit your worksheet by Jan 16, 2023
FLAME II RETREAT – Oct. 15-16, 2022, in Woodstock, IL
PARENT-TEEN PRESENTATIONS
First year candidates and their parents will meet Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022 – 5:15-6:45pm
Second year candidates, Public High School Juniors, and Seniors seeking Confirmation will meet
Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023 – 5:15-6:45pm
FLAME I RETREAT – Jan. 14-15, 2023, in Woodstock, IL
LETTER OF INTENT TO PASTOR – Sun Feb 19, 2023 (Only for those being confirmed Spring 2023)
CELEBRATION OF THE SECOND SCRUTINY – Sunday, Mar 19, 2023, 11:00 am Mass (all candidates)
CONFIRMATION NAME WORKSHEETS are due on March 26, 2023 (only second year candidates)
SERVICE LOGS – Due Sun April 16, 2023 (all candidates)
CONFIRMATION LITURGY RSVP – due Sunday, April 16, 2023 (Only for those being confirmed Spring 2023)
CONFIRMATION REHEARSAL – Thursday, April 27, 2023
CELEBRATION OF CONFIRMATION – Sunday, April 30, 2023 2:00PM
For teens that have made the decision to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation, the components of Celebrating the Spirit are
- Baptismal Certificate on file with Ministry office
- Two years of FLAME classes (FLAME 1 and 2)
- Twenty hours of community service during each year of FLAME
- FLAME 1 Retreat
- FLAME 2 Retreat
- Pizza with Pastor (once during the second year of FLAME)