"Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit" Acts 8:17
Saint Patrick Youth
Confirmation Preparation
Because we understand the sacrament as one of a lifetime commitment, we feel that the first step should be making Confirmation preparation a family priority. The diocese requires that Confirmation be celebrated in the high school years and requires that there be a minimum of two-years (four semesters) of formal Catholic education immediately prior to celebrating the Sacrament. The youth of St. Patrick will be eligible to celebrate Confirmation beginning in the spring of their sophomore year provided they have met the two-year prerequisite.
Important Confirmation Preparation Dates:
Sunday SPY Nights is the weekly requirement as well as the following:
Before you complete the Youth Confirmation Preparation program (Confirmation Year 2), the Candidate must complete the following:
Paperwork can be dropped off at the parish office or emailed to confirmation@stpatrickhutto.org
After missing more than one Confirmation sessions without making up the missed sessions, a meeting will be held with the student, parent(s), and the Director of Faith Formation to determine the student's readiness for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
*Confirmation students are expected to attend a retreat both their first and second year, prior to receiving Confirmation. Our retreat will be February 17-18th at Eagle's Wings Retreat Center. More details to follow.
The following is reprinted from the Pastoral Manual for the Diocese of Austin.
Age of Confirmation: The age for the celebration of the sacrament of confirmation will be the early years of high school between fourteen (14) and sixteen (16) years.
The sponsor's function is to take care that the person confirmed behaves as a true witness of Christ and faithfully fulfills the duties inherent in this sacrament.
A sponsor is:
Code of Canon Law # 893 states:
“... that a person who would undertake the office of sponsor must fulfill the conditions mentioned in Can. 874 and that it is desirable that the sponsor chosen be the one who undertook this role at baptism.”
Canon # 874 states:
“ To be admitted to undertake the office of sponsor, a person must:
IN ADDITION, SPONSORS ARE ASKED TO:
As we will be asking sponsors or another adult if they are not available to attend the confirmation sessions, sponsors must be chosen before our first Confirmation session, January 7th, 2024.
The Communion of Saints are the people in heaven who intercede with God on our behalf. Thus, the saints are our patrons in Heaven. In acknowledging the saints, we acknowledge our connection with them through and in Christ and to each other. Teen candidates will be asked to select a Saint to be their patron for Confirmation and will be asked about the saint chosen in their Confirmation interview. Candidates should know the name of the saint they have chosen, their story, and explain why that saint was selected to show they made a thoughtful decision. Reminder, the saint selected must be a fully canonized saint, so look for St. in front of their name (cannot be Bl. or Ven.).
Here are some websites to help in your research:
FYI: Other Christian denominations also have saints but may not be recognized by the Catholic Church. When using the internet be sure the website you are using is Catholic.
OTHER RESOURCES:
● Formed.org - Best described as a “Catholic Netflix” it houses many movies, audio files, interviews, and eBooks which can be downloaded and read on your computer or phone. It can be accessed through an app on your phone, online, and on Roku and AppleTV.
See Movies -> Saints of History, eBooks ->Kids and Teens or Explore the Faith, and the Saint Audio section under Audio. Or search “Saints” in the search bar. See attached Formed document on how you can access this resource through our parish.
● Social media can be used as a tool to learn about the Saints. There are a few Catholics and Catholic businesses who post about Saints on Instagram. Here are a few examples: @mhunterkilmer (Catholic speaker and author, also on Facebook and posts great stories about Saints), @saints.alive.pod, and @_littlesaints.
● Podcasts: The Saint of the Day Podcast by Good Catholic, Catholic Saints by Augustine Institute, Saints Alive Podcast
● Phone Apps: Laudate (see Saint of the Day tab), Online With Saints
● Our St. Patrick Parish Shelf Library - We have a small shelf outside the classroom that has books free to check out. Just make sure to take care of them and return them when you are finished.
The tradition of taking on a new name to show a new rule can be traced back to the Old Testament. When Abram was called to lead his people to believe in the one God, his name was changed from Abram to Abraham, “Father of Many Nations”. Again, in the New Testament, we find Simon’s name changed to Peter, meaning “rock”, because he was to become the rock upon which Jesus founded His Church.
Now that you are about to be confirmed, it is time to choose the name you will take as a sign of your growth in faith.
A name identifies you in a unique way, not just your physical self, but who you are as a person. One of the traditional practices in the Church at the time of Confirmation is choosing a name that will remind you of this sacrament. Your prayerful reflection will help you determine that name. You might want to recommit yourself to your Baptismal name since it expresses the relationship that exists between these two sacraments, especially after you reflect on its meaning and discover some of the people who shared your name in Christian history. You might want to choose the name of a saint who represents the type of Christian you wish to be. It is important to learn as much as you can about your patron saint. After all, you are asking this saint to be your friend and advocate for the rest of your life. Whether you decide to stay with your Baptismal name or pick a new name, take the time to research and explore the root meaning of the name, for as Scripture says, "God calls each of us by name."
● Step 1: Find a list of canonized saints in the Roman Catholic Church by reading a book or doing online research. Saints are people who have lived holy lives and are now in heaven as members of the Church Triumphant. Their life stories provide examples for others on how to overcome spiritual obstacles on Earth. If searching the internet be sure to search on “Catholic saints”. A “Blessed”, not yet canonized a saint, may NOT be used.
● Step 2: Pray to the Holy Spirit and ask Him for help in finding a saint whose life you'd like to imitate. This saint will be bonded with you spiritually, and in essence becomes your heavenly patron who intercedes for you before God.
● Step 3: Narrow your selection to three saints. One of them will be your new Confirmation name. Think about the specific virtues those saints exhibited, such as patience, perfection, diligence, humility, mortification, meekness, obedience, prayer, charity or simplicity. Find a virtue that connects with you. This list should be submitted by March 3rd. Final decision of the saint should be chosen by April 14th.
● Step 4: Consider the one or two special stories told about those saints on your “short list” to help you find a spiritual connection. For example, St. Maximilian Kolbe gave up his life for another person's life in a German concentration camp during World War II, and so showed the virtue of selflessness. St. Francis, a spiritual leader who founded a religious order, led a simple life of poverty and greatly loved animals.
● Step 5: Take your list of saints to a family member or friend who is a practicing Catholic. Talk about the saints’ lives with that person and discuss what attracts you spiritually to these holy people.
● Step 6: Pick your saint to intercede for you!
● Step 7: Before you are confirmed, pray to the saint whose name you have chosen for your Confirmation name. Ask this saint to intercede for you, to help you make the right moral choices, and overall to be a powerful spiritual guide the rest of your life.
Guiding Questions:
You will be asked about your saint in your Confirmation interview. Make sure you can explain a bit about them and why you chose them. If you have any questions, please email confirmation@stpatrickhutto.org.