Confirmation

CONTACT: RE Director, Janine Paweski (ext. 235)
RE Secretary, Judy Munro (ext. 234)

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on May 10, 2012 at 7 PM. There will be a Confirmation Enrollment meeting for candidates, sponsors and parents on October 26, 2011 at 7 PM in the church.

CONFIRMATION PREPARATION

Those students who wish to be Confirmed are invited to enroll in the Confirmation Preparation Program. Following are the requirements for the program:

• Application
• Service Hours
• Confirmation Name / Saint Report
• Sponsor
• Candidate Letter
• Chastity and Vocation Presentations
• Retreat

APPLICATION

An application for the Sacrament of Confirmation. You are required an application form and bring it to the Confirmation Orientation. There is a $25 Sacrament fee which must be submitted with the application. This fee will go towards speaker sessions, extra materials and the retreat. If your child was not baptized at St. Michael a copy of your child’s baptismal certificate must also be submitted with the application. The baptismal certificate will be returned to you.

SERVICE HOURS

Each candidate is required to use his or her gifts and talents to help those in need. It is not enough to know one’s faith. Putting that faith into practice is also important. All candidates are required to complete service hours in giving witness to their faith.

As you think of where you may want to share your time and talents, also think of which works of mercy you will be fulfilling. The community can be your neighborhood or in another city. The point is to reach out in different aspects and not do all your service in just one area. Spiritual Works of Mercy will be counted for service hours.

ST. MICHAEL SCHOOL STUDENTS: A total of 8 hours or more of service is required per quarter. Additional hours earned per quarter will be counted for extra credit. At least two hours of service must be completed for the parish and at least two hours of service must be for the community for the year. Candidates are required to perform one hour of service and attend one hour of spiritual enrichment with their sponsor. A service log must be completed for each activity. Service logs will be collected at the end of each quarter. Please refer to the yellow sheet in red folder given to each candidate.

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION STUDENTS A total of 20 hours of service is required for the year. At least two hours of service must be completed for the parish and at least two hours of service must be for the community for the year. Candidates are required to perform one hour of service and attend one hour of spiritual enrichment with their sponsor. All service must be completed by TBD. A service log must be completed for each activity. Please refer to the yellow sheet in red folder given to each candidate.

SERVICE HOURS OPPORTUNITIES

CONFIRMATION NAME / SAINT REPORT

Each candidate will be responsible for choosing a Confirmation name and writing a detailed report on the life of the Saint whose name was chosen. Ideally, the candidate should choose his or her present baptismal name if it is the name of a recognized saint. It demonstrates a continual growth from Baptism through Confirmation. Choosing a new name would symbolize a new beginning and a connection with that particular saint. The name should represent the direction you feel your faith life is going, or would represent a strength or attribute you feel you need. A Saint’s name should not be chosen because of the attractiveness of the name, but because of the attractiveness of the Christian life that the person led. A rubric and other details on the report will be given in religion class.

Saint Paper Due: Religious Ed students on December 5, 2011, School students on December 5, 2011.

CONFIRMATION SPONSOR

Ideally, candidates should first consider a Godparent as their sponsor because of the connection between the two sacraments. It is in Baptism that we first receive the Holy Spirit into our souls. It is in Confirmation that we gradually come to accept for ourselves the faith which was given to us at Baptism. Confirmation is the last Sacrament of Initiation in which we become full members of the Catholic Church. It is only appropriate then, that the Baptismal Godparent play a significant role in the Sacrament of Confirmation as well.

If the Baptismal Godparent is not the ideal choice for you, selection of a grandparent, aunt, uncle, brother, or sister may be a good choice.

Confirmation sponsors must be fully initiated practicing Catholics in good standing in the church (i.e., people who do not participate regularly in the Eucharist or who are living in marriages not recognized by the Church may not be qualified to function as sponsors. Parent may not be sponsors, as it is the parents' role to raise their child in the faith and the sponsors role to assist in this endeavor (Cannon Law #874).

Please prayerfully consider your choice.

Sponsors are required to perform one hour of service and attend one hour of spiritual enrichment with the candidate

CANDIDATE LETTER

One of the ways candidates will be assessed in the preparation of the Sacrament will be through a formal letter written to our pastor, Father William Tindall. The purpose of the letter is for the candidate to convey his/her knowledge of and desire to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Place the typed, signed letter in an envelope marked "To: Fr. Bill, From: candidate name".

Letter due: The letter is due on April 23, 2012.

CHASTITY AND VOCATION PRESENTATIONS

How teens will live out their faith beyond 8th grade and Confirmation is a very important aspect of the Confirmation program. Given the proper tools, students have a much better chance of success in dealing with peer pressure and the so-called norms of society. Remaining chaste till marriage or throughout another chosen vocation is a pressure most everyone will face. Having strong moral values and knowing what the Catholic Church teaches can help.

Chasity Presentation: The chasity presentation is November 13, 2011 at 7 PM. Same gender parent and/or sponsor required.

RETREAT

Each candidate is expected to attend a Confirmation retreat. The retreat is scheduled for Wednesday, May 2, 2012 from 9:15 AM - 2:30 PM. The cost of the retreat is included in the Sacrament fee. The Confirmation retreat, for all 8th grade students only, will be held at the Felician Motherhouse located on Schoolcraft between Newburgh and Levan Roads. Lunch will be provided. Nice attire is required. No jeans, T-shirts, shorts or dresses or skirts (girls wear slacks). Tennis shoes must be a nice/neat pair. Bring the red Confirmation folder with a pen or pencil. Students may bring a water bottle (optional).

DROP OFF: Go in the I-96 service drive entrance. Enter off Schoolcraft and let students off at the chapel straight ahead. The entrance will be marked.

FOR PICK UP: Parents wait in the Montessori parking lot (located to the right of the driveway leading from Newburgh Road).