Amanda Spriegel-Director of Liturgy

Sacrament of Confirmation 2008

8th Grade

Saturday, November 1, 2008

In the New Church

Celebrant: Bishop George Rassas

Ceremonies

School of Religious Education at 9:30 a.m.

St. Patrick School at 1:00 p.m.

“…Confirmed by the gift of the Spirit,

that they may give witness to Christ

by lives built on faith and love…”

General Intercession from the Rite of Confirmation

Dear Parent/s:

Congratulations!  Your teen has chosen to prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation.  You and your teen have been journeying in this adventure of life and faith for quite a stretch.  This is an important part of the road you both are traveling: a chance to stop and view where you have been, where you are and where you are going in your faith lives.  As a parish community, we strive to support you and your family as you share your life and your faith with us.

This guide is a resource, a “trail guide” for your continuing journey.  We offer faith formation sessions for the sacrament of Confirmation that are based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Confirmation celebrates neither the beginning nor the end of Christian initiation for your teen, but rather a gradual and continuing growth into the Eucharistic community.   We are not celebrating a graduation, but growth in the baptismal way of life, which is meant to lead us all into the Eucharistic way of life throughout all our days.  Your teen’s growth into the living body of Christ is not finished by Confirmation-it is only getting started!

We have provided in this packet a list of general guidelines and other important information for you.  We have also included a guide and history on the Sacrament of Confirmation plus a guide in helping your teen choose a sponsor for Confirmation.  We hope that this information is helpful, and please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns that you or your teen might have.

Blessings for the journey!

What is Confirmation?

The Sacrament of Confirmation…

• Welcomes us and deepens our belonging to the faith community
• Deepens our relationship with God, as the Creator, Redeemer and Spirit
• Strengthens us as disciples

A Sacrament is part of the way that God loves us and calls us…

• The Gift within Confirmation is that of strengthening us for discipleship and deepening our belonging to the faith community through the Trinity.

God uses visible signs to communicate invisible love… 

To communicate His love, God uses our senses:  eyes, ears, touch, smell and taste, and all the elements within our world.

• In Confirmation, the symbols we will celebrate include being anointed with oil and the laying on of hands as we remember the water of Baptism and the nourishment of the Eucharist.

God calls and invites: we respond... 

An attitude of openness communicates a “yes” to God’s invitation to a deeper relationship.  This “yes” does not mean we know that we will always be faithful or that we are worthy of the gift.  “Yes” means we are open to be strengthened by God who calls and loves us.

• In Confirmation, we have the opportunity to say “yes” through the various responses in the prayers.

The community witnesses to and celebrates the Sacraments. 

A Sacrament is a powerful sign that God is alive and present in the world.  As Church, we are called to be sacrament, that is, to be God’s hand and healing touch in the world.  At the same time, we celebrate the Sacraments as our most important prayers.  This community that celebrates Sacraments is global, reaching to other faith communities throughout the world and joined in a common bond.  The community is also local as a diocese or archdiocese, as a parish and as a community of faith in families.

• In Confirmation, the community witnesses our celebration and provides a sponsor who represents the love of the community for us.

Confirmation welcomes us as a Sacrament of initiation.

• Confirmation is linked to Baptism and the Eucharist
• Confirmation is part of our initiation into the faith community.
• Confirmation honors the spiritual maturity of the individual.

We are confirmed in the name of God the Creator, the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit.

• Confirmation is part of the welcoming initiative of God the Creator.
• Confirmation unites us more firmly to Christ.
• Confirmation strengthens us with the Holy Spirit.

Confirmation strengthens us for discipleship, mission and witness to our faith.

• Confirmation empowers us to be a witness for our faith.
• Confirmation links us to the ministry of Christ and mission of the Church.
• Confirmation initiates us into the adventure of discipleship.
• Preparation for Confirmation is a time of conversion, which includes celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Confirmation is a celebration of the community of faith.

• Confirmation joins us to the ministering community.
• Confirmation is received by individuals and celebrated by the community.
• Preparation awakens a sense of belonging to the universal Church and local parish.
• Preparation includes choosing a sponsor who represents the wider faith community.
• Preparation provides an opportunity to partner with families as communities of faith.

Helping Your Teen Choose a Sponsor

Your teen’s sponsor is a special person chosen by them to represent the faith community at the Rite of Confirmation.  This person also sponsors the confirmand for full membership in our community.

At Baptism, the Church community shares the responsibility for the development and the safeguarding of the grace given to your teen.  So too are we challenged to safeguard the grace given at Confirmation.  The sponsor will journey with your teen throughout the preparation for Confirmation, while supporting and nurturing their faith.

The Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation are intimately connected.  Because of this, the Church encourages candidates for Confirmation to choose one of their baptismal godparents as sponsor.  At Baptism the godparents were witnesses, and celebrated your son or daughter being welcomed into a spiritual family.  The presence of godparents ritualized and symbolized the presence of the community and their promise to support the newly baptized in a life of faith.  A number of years later, your teen is now preparing for Confirmation and they are taking a journey of spiritual remembering-knowing and recognizing the presence of a God who has been, who is, and who always will be in their lives.  This is a gift given at Baptism, celebrated at Eucharist, and now revisited in its completeness at Confirmation.

The sacred ground in your son’s or daughter’s lives is marked by the footsteps of loving community-parents, godparents, nurturers of faith, and challengers to discipleship.  It seems fitting that those who held them as an infant through the pouring forth of sacred water and the sealing with blessed oil should once again stand up as reminders to them and their community of the richness of belonging to the Body of Christ.  However, if  they have developed a close and nurturing relationship with another person, they may certainly choose that person as a sponsor. 

The following are some guidelines for choosing a Confirmation Sponsor that you should use to discuss this important decision with your teen:

• Has the person been close and supportive to you?
• Does the person live near enough to support and guide you?
• Is this person willing and able to be a sponsor and to take an active role in your life?
• Is this person a baptized Catholic who has received the Eucharist and has been confirmed?
• Is this person free to participate in the Sacraments of the Catholic Church?
• Is this person a practicing Catholic who has participated in the Eucharistic celebration every Sunday?
• Does the person live a good Catholic life?
• Is the person at least 16 years of age?

Frequently asked questions in regards to sponsors:

• Who should I ask?

The Church encourages having one or both of your godparents to sponsor you at Confirmation.  However, this is not a requirement.

• Must my sponsor be of the same gender?

No, the important issue is that the person you choose be a person of faith.

• May I have more than one sponsor?

Yes, you may have more than one sponsor.  Please indicate all sponsor names on the Confirmation Information Sheet.

• Can I have someone who is not Catholic be my sponsor?

No, your sponsor must be a practicing Catholic.  However, if you would like to ask that person to be an “official witness” to your Confirmation we can certainly do that, but you are required to have a Catholic Sponsor who is listed in the Sacramental Register. 

• The person I would like to ask to be my sponsor lives far away and cannot attend the Mass, what do I do?

You can still choose that person as your “official sponsor” and have someone else stand in for them.

The function of a Sponsor:

The two following statements from the Rite of Confirmation illuminate the Sponsor’s function:

• As a rule there should be a Sponsor for each Confirmation candidate.  The sponsors present the candidates to the Bishop for the anointing, and later help them to fulfill their baptismal promises faithfully under the influence of the Holy Spirit whom they have received.
• Pastors will see that the sponsors, chosen by the candidates or their families, are spiritually qualified to take on this responsibility and have these qualities:
• sufficient maturity to fulfill their functions:
• membership in the Catholic Church and their own reception of Christian initiation through Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist;
• freedom from any impediment of church law to their fulfilling the office of sponsor.

Confirmation, November 1, 2008:

Ceremony A:  School of Religious Education @ 9:30 a.m.

Ceremony B:  St. Patrick School @ 1:00 p.m.

Confirmation Rehearsal:

All rehearsals will be held in the New Church.  The rehearsal schedule is as follows:

              St. Patrick School

7:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the New Church, Tuesday, October 28, 2008

School of Religious Education

8:00 – 9:00 p.m. in the New Church, Tuesday, October 28, 2008

*****Please note:  We will start and end rehearsal on time.  Please be on time!  Confirmation rehearsal is mandatory for both the candidate and parent/sponsor.  Please note that if the sponsor cannot attend the rehearsal, a parent or another adult may substitute.  As your teen arrives, they should stop at the table in the Narthex and pick up their nametag.  Please check your nametag carefully.  If there are any mistakes, please make the necessary any corrections directly on the nametag and bring it up to Mandy Spriegel at the end of the rehearsal.

Confirmation Information Sheet-

We have designed a comprehensive form in hopes of gathering all the information necessary to ensure that the day goes as smoothly as possible.  Give us your best guess for seating totals and contact us with changes, as it gets closer to the actual date.  If you will need any special seating, please let us know.  Parents who are trained Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors at St. Pat’s are encouraged to be ministers for their candidate’s ceremony.  Please indicate your interest on the back of the Confirmation Information Sheet.

Please Note:  We cannot process your teen’s Confirmation paperwork until we have a copy of their Baptismal Certificate and the Confirmation Information Sheet on file in the office.  

Confirmation Name Selection:

The favorite choice of the Catholic Church is to use the saint’s name given at Baptism as a Confirmation name to emphasize the connection between the two Sacraments.  If the baptismal name is not that of a saint, you should choose a saint name for Confirmation.

It is a Catholic custom to add, in Confirmation, a new name to those we already possess; or rather to place ourselves under the patronage of a … patron saint.  It is almost as though, in awe of the new dignity to which we are raised-that of apostles of witnesses to Christ-we realize our need of powerful friends in heaven.  And so we add another patron saint to those we already have.  It is by this new name that the bishop addresses us as he places his hand upon our head and calls down upon us the Holy Spirit who can, if we let Him, transform our lives.  Your teen may enjoy taking on a name different than the name given at baptism because it is a name they have chosen.  For example if your son or daughter demonstrates a particular talent such as music, they might consider Saint Cecilia, (patron saint of musicians), or a teen that would like a career as a lawyer might choose Saint Thomas Moore, (the patron saint of lawyers).

Certificate Name:  

Each teen will receive a certificate on Confirmation Day that states that they have received the rite and were confirmed.  Please specify how your teen’s name is read.  Traditionally, first, middle and last names are used.  Very few times in our lives as parents, do we hear the full name we gave our children.   As Catholics we believe that we are called by name and that our individual story of spirit and humanity is tied to this name by which we are known.  Names are incredibly special and sacred.

Certificate Corrections:

As is the case with all human endeavors, we do make mistakes.  If there is a mistake on your certificate, we will re-print it for you after Confirmation day.  Please indicate in pencil/pen on the certificate any changes that need to be made.  Drop the certificate off at the office (under the door if we are not there) and we will be more than happy to produce a new certificate.

SAINT WEB SITES

www.catholic.org

click the saints link in the top left corner

www.cin.org

scroll down looking in the blue bar at left to click the saints link

www.catholic-forum.com

look in the red bar at left to click the patron saints index link

http://www.shc.edu/theolibrary/saints.htm

www.catholic-pages.com

click truth link; then scroll down to click saint link

and don’t miss the jokes through the smile link

www.domestic-church.com

look center right in the yellow bar at top to click the saints link

OTHER GREAT SITES TO VISIT

United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB)

www.usccb.org

Archdiocese of Chicago Homepage

www.archchicago.org

Office for Divine Worship

www.odw.org

Mundelein Seminary

www.usml.edu

The Vatican

www.vatican.va

benedictxvi@vatican.va

My parish’s homepage address:

www.stpatrickwadsworth.org

My pastor’s name and email address:

Fr. Patrick Cecil: pcecil@stpatrickwadsworth.org

FAQ’s

Things to know about Confirmation

Ceremony A: School of Religious Education, Saturday, November 1, 2008 at 9:30 a.m.

Ceremony B: Saint Patrick’s School, Saturday, November 1, 2008 at 1:00 p.m.

How long is the Confirmation Mass’?

• Normally the entire ceremony lasts 2 hours. 

Clothing

• Each Confirmand will be wearing a peel-and-stick nametag.
• Young Ladies should have their shoulders covered.
• Young Men and Ladies: Good ‘Sunday Best’ clothing is requested.  No jeans, sneakers, bare midriffs, low rise slacks, mini skirts or any other revealing clothing. 
• Young Men: Suits are not necessary, but a shirt and tie are requested with a good pair of slacks.  A sport coat is good, but not necessary.  Young men generally get taller, exponentially, during the 8th grade year.  November is sometimes too early to be able to buy graduation clothing….and Confirmation suit at the same time.  Dress nicely but not so you ‘break the bank’ right before Christmas and Graduation!
• Young Ladies may wear slacks, but they should not be khakis, jeans or chinos.
• Please do not wear shoes that you can’t walk in….you will be in pain and may embarrass yourself by performing unintended gymnastic’s moves….

The day of Confirmation

• All Confirmandi and their Sponsors should report to the New Church with their family.
• Pick up your nametag on the table in the Narthex.
• Families would be well served to plan to arrive before the ceremony and take family photos.  Please feel free to take pictures in any part of the church until 15 minutes before the ceremony begins.  As Confirmation is in early November, you may get some nice Christmas photos of the family, all dressed up!  Remember the steps going to the second floor make a great set of ‘risers’ for group photos.
• Your pew will be reserved by the placing of your Confirmation Certificate (has your young person’s name on it), Sponsor Card and worship aids on it. 
• The Seating Charts of the pew assignments will also be available by talking to an usher or checking the large seating chart in the Narthex.

What do I do with myself during the Rite of Confirmation?

• The world is a hard place and our young people need every moment of our prayer to make it through these challenging and tough years.  The time during the conferral of the Rite of Confirmation is a perfect time for this prayer.

• This long period of time is great for meditating, praying the rosary, reading the Bible, singing with the choir, you get the drift.
• If you have young children with you, remember to pack books, coloring books, quiet games and silent toys.  For older children (grades 3-6) a gameboy tuned to silence can be a worthy item as can ‘required’ reading for school.  The conferral of the rite usually lasts an hour and the Mass an additional hour.
• The point here is to have quiet while the bishop is confirming.
• This is not a time to visit with family, talk about the party following the ceremony…getting your furs out of storage (yes, I have heard this conversation…),  If you are a true extravert (and I feel your pain), write notes!
• Be aware that the videographer will be ‘mic’ed’ and your conversations may be recorded.

Nametags

• Nametags for Confirmandi will contain their Confirmation Saint Name, and full given name.
• On Confirmation Day, nametags will be on the table in the Narthex of the New Church.
• Mistakes noticed at the Confirmation Rehearsal will be corrected before the Ceremony. 
• Write the corrections on the nametag and give it to Mrs. Spriegel before you leave the church after the rehearsal.

Photography

• Please feel free to take photos until 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony.  During the ceremony and Mass, please do not leave your pew to take photos. 
• The Bishop will be coming to your pew.  You may take photos from your seat.  Please no flash during the conferral of the Rite of Confirmation.  Remember that bishops do, on average, 2-4 Confirmations per weekend…if you multiple that times flashes per ceremony, they take quite a ‘toll’ on these gentlemen. 
• Bishop Rassas will be available after the ceremony, in the Boehm Center, for photos.  Bishops are always very generous with their time in this regard.  You may use flash for this.
• It is not proper to take flash photos during a Mass (unless you have permission of the celebrant ahead of time…and it would be Mandy that you should talk to before this Mass). 
• Remember to have your picture taken with Fr. Pat and everyone else also!!!
• Remember that when you act as a ‘photographer’, you are not a participant in an event, you become an observer. 
• Parents should remember that during the celebration of Confirmation within Mass, their confirmand is deserving of their complete attention.

Certificates/Sponsor Cards/Documentation

• Every ministry comprised of human beings tries their very best in preparing documents for Sacramental events.
• If we have made a mistake and/or you would like a document corrected, please mark the correction on the document and hand it to us after the ceremony; drop it by the rectory after the ceremony, mail it to us at the Rectory.
• We will be happy to make corrections.
• WE WILL NOT TAKE CORRECTIONS VERBALLY.
• WE WILL NOT TAKE THIS ‘ROUND’ OF CORRECTIONS VIA EMAIL.
• We cannot take corrected materials prior to a ceremony on the day of the event.  There are just too many last minute details to handle.

Who handles what:

Catechetics of Confirmandi:  St. Patrick School and School of Religious Education

Paperwork gathering for Confirmation: Mrs. Spriegel, Jane Tyskling (notification to parishes of Baptism)

Certificates and Sponsor Cards, Seating Charts, Worship Aids: Mrs. Mandy Spriegel

Music for Confirmation: Mrs. Bernie Oberdick

Details of the Confirmation Ceremony: Mrs. Mandy Spriegel

Nametags: Mrs. Mandy Spriegel

It is our joy and desire that you and your family have a wonderful day as you witness this huge step in the journey to adulthood of your teen.

If there is anything sacramentally related that we can do for you, to make your day better, please let us know.

Father Pat Cecil, Pastor

Mrs. Marcella Bosnak, Principal St. Patrick School

Mr. Dennis Brown, Pastoral Associate, DRE

Mrs. Amanda Spriegel, Director of Liturgy