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"Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace” for “by the sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized are more perfectly bound to the church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit…” [Cf. Roman Ritual, Rite of Confirmation].
At Our Lady of Lourdes we have three levels of Confirmation preparation:
Confirmation I:
9th grade year, or first year attending High School Faith Formation/Youth Nites. The youth spend this year exploring their faith and getting ready for immediate Confirmation preparation the following year. Candidates are expected to attend 80% of Youth Nights in order to move on to Confirmation II. In a typical semester, this means youth are allowed to miss no more than 2 Youth Nites.
Confirmation II:
10th grade year, or second year attending High School Faith Formation/Youth Nites. Candidates spend this year in immediate preparation for the Sacrament. The Sacrament of Confirmation “involves God sealing the relationship introduced at Baptism with the strength needed to live out the calling to build God’s Kingdom as a disciple of Jesus within the Body of Christ” [Diocesan Confirmation Guidelines, 5]. With parents and sponsors serving as the beginning foundation for Confirmation, preparation is achieved with full and active participation in the following areas:
Sunday Liturgies
Retreats (Kick-off and Weekend Retreats)Confirmation Sessions (7)
Youth Nites
Service Projects
Community Conferences/Retreats
Liturgical Rituals
Holy Week Services
Teens in 10th grade or older are invited to participate in Confirmation II if they have attended 80% of the previous year’s Youth Nights and have been baptized, celebrated First Reconciliation and First Eucharist. Through Confirmation preparation, candidates have the personal responsibility to choose to complete initiation into the faith life of the Church by meeting all necessary guidelines to receive the Sacrament. Candidates typically receive the Sacrament of Confirmation the fall of their 11th-grade year. The text we use throughout Confirmation Preparation is Receiving the Gift of the Spirit by Pflaum Publishing.
Confirmation III:
Post Confirmation, 11th - 12th grade years, or 3rd/4th year attending High School Faith Formation/Youth Nites. Receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation is not the end – it’s the beginning! The Confirmed youth spend these two years in leadership roles while growing deeper in faith. During these two years, youth can be a leader by helping with Confirmation I and II, Children’s Faith Formation, Youth Nites, music ministry, hospitality ministers, lectors, Eucharistic ministers and more.
Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation together constitute the sacraments of Christian initiation. Our hope is that this Confirmation process will aid our youth in accepting the call to be active members of the Catholic community and to live as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Please contact Raquel Hinojosa rhinojosa@ololchurch.org or 409-925-3579 ext 208 for more information.