Confirmation Information Evening for Parents & Confirmandi - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

Confirmation Information Evening for Parents & Confirmandi Monday 18th November 2019

St Bedes Catholic Middle School (Academy)

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

Aims:

To understand the Sacrament of Confirmation and the journey of preparation to receive the Sacrament

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

We gather today as a community of faith in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. We welcome especially the young people who are preparing for Confirmation and those members of their families who will support them on that journey. As members of this faith community, we too, will support and pray for them as they prepare to celebrate this sacrament. We ask God’s blessing on all who are gathered here and pray that our time of preparation for Confirmation may be filled with grace. We begin with a prayer to the Holy Spirit as we meet together this evening:

Opening Prayer:

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

• Confirmation is one of the

seven Sacraments of the Church.

• It is the third of the three

Sacraments of Initiation into the Church which are necessary for people to become full members of the

• Church. The other two

Sacraments of initiation are the Sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist.

Full members of the Church

Eucharist

The Importance of Confirmation -1

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

• Confirmation completes what

Baptism begins.

• The Sacrament of

Confirmation is NOT a rite of

• passage. It IS an essential

step to be completed.

• At the child’s Baptism, the

Catholic parent(s) agreed to present their child forward for Reconciliation, the Eucharist AND Confirmation when the time came.

Full members of the Church

Eucharist

The Importance of Confirmation - 2

What is the Sacrament of Confirmation?

 1285

Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation,” whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of 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. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.”

Taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

Receiving the Sacrament

This Academic Year, the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation will be available to Pupils in Year 7 and any Pupils in Year 8 who for whatever reason were unable to make their Confirmation last year.

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

Special Holy Gifts and Fruits.

• Through Confirmation the Seven Gifts of the Holy

Spirit are received: wisdom and understanding, counsel and fortitude, knowledge and piety and fear of the Lord. These gifts can help a person to live as a follower of Christ.

• Through receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit it is

hoped that the Candidate will through their thoughts, words and actions bear the Twelve Fruits

• f the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience,

Kindness, Goodness, Longsuffering, Mildness, Faith, Modesty, Self-Control, Chastity.

• It is a means by which the Candidate publically

professes their faith and shows their commitment to becoming a full member of the Church.

PARISH COMMUNITY LOCAL CATHOLIC CHURCH/ ACTIVE AND WORSHIPPING IDEAL SACRAMENTAL PREPARATION MODEL

The three-legged stool of the three Key elements needed for a successful Confirmation Sacramental Programme. These are;

• Family
• Parish
• Catholic School

In the beginning……..

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

From the Catechism:

• 2685. “The Christian family is the first place of

education in prayer. Based on the sacrament of marriage, the family is the ‘domestic church’ where God’s children learn to pray ‘as the Church’, and to persevere in prayer. For young children in particular, daily family prayer is the first witness of the church’s living memory as awakened patiently by the Holy Spirit.”

Taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

First steps on the journey…..

Some questions to ask yourself before we go any further……… Confirmandi:

• As a young person to be Confirmed, what can I do to show my

commitment?

• What promises will I make on my Enrolment?
• What gifts of the Holy Spirit would I most like to receive? Why?
• What fruits of the Holy Spirit would I most like to receive? Why?
• What special Saint’s name have I chosen? Why?
• How may your Family/Parish/School help you further?

Parents and Sponsors:

• As a parent/family how will I help my child?
• As a Sponsor how will I support the candidate?

The Journey….What happens now?

 You decide with your family!  Confirmation Enrolment Form to be completed – return to your own Parish by

deadline of 10th January 2020. Hand in to the Presbytery at OLMC or St Peter’s or hand in with your letter of application on Friday 10th January 2020 in School at the special Confirmation Preparation Mass at 2.15pm in STB School Hall. Copies are online of the Enrolment Form.

 Each Candidate is also asked to write a letter of application to the Parish

Priest briefly saying why he or she now feels ready to prepare for Confirmation and how they intend to live out their faith commitment. This is to be handed in with your Enrolment Form. A template is available on the school Website and on the Parish Websites. Hand in with the Form!

 Sacramental Programme dates. (These will be available on our school website and

the Parish Website after this meeting and they will be available again at the end of this meeting.)

 Confirmation Enrolment Ceremony –  Certificate of Commitment to be presented and Enrolment onto the

Programme made- There will be special Masses: OLMC: January 11th 2020

 (Sat 5pm); January 12thth 2020 (Sunday 11.15am);  St Peter’s Bromsgrove: January 12th 2020(Sunday 10.30am)

• Attendance at the scheduled Sacramental Programme Preparation sessions after

school x7 sessions in total.

• These will begin on Monday 20th January 2020.

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

• My Confirmation Sponsor – A practising Catholic over age 18 and who has been

Confirmed themselves –

• Why a Special Name? - Catherine, Anthony, etcetera. A special Saints project will be

expected to be completed by the end of the formal Sacramental Programme. This deadline is 18th May 2020. With this, you will be expected to create a project about the Patron Saint you have chosen. Your Saint should be someone whose life and faith have inspired you and who you feel will be the best model and guide for your life beyond your reception of the Sacrament. Please ask your Patron Saint to pray for you and help you as you begin a new step in your life of faith.

• A Retreat is being planned at Harvington Hall for all St Bede’s Pupils ONLY, in June
• 2020. Attendance is voluntary but it will form a vital part in the latter stages
• f the Sacramental Preparation so STB pupils are encouraged to attend and

take part in this special day.

• Ongoing – daily prayer, attendance at weekly Mass, providing service to others, going

to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Service and

• utreach to those less fortunate in our Parishes and communities. Why not help

with the work of the SVP or Children’s Liturgy? Perhaps join the Mini Vinnies?

The Journey….What happens now?... Continued.

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

CHAPTER IV. SPONSORS

• Can. 872 Insofar as possible, a person to be baptised is to

be given a sponsor who assists an adult in Christian initiation or together with the parents presents an infant for baptism. A sponsor also helps the baptized person to lead a Christian life in keeping with baptism and to fulfill faithfully the obligations inherent in it.

• Can. 873 There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor or one of each.
• Can. 874 §1. To be permitted to take on the function of sponsor a person must:

1/ be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the person who takes their place,

• r in their absence by the pastor or minister and have

the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function; 2/ have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the diocesan bishop has established another age, or the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause; 3/ be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on; 4/ not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared; 5/ not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized. §2. A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism. Source: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/71.HTM

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

Sacramental Preparation Sessions:

These will be held in St Bede’s School on Monday evenings from 5.30-6.30pm for pupils who belong to the Parish of Mount Carmel and in St Peter’s Community Centre Bromsgrove for those pupils from St Peter’s from 6.15-7.15pm. These sessions are for PUPILS ONLY. Parents DO NOT attend. You will each receive a copy of Confirmed in the Faith and this is at a cost of a suggested donation of £5 per book to be paid at the start of the Preparation Sessions. Each of the six sessions need to be attended and all chapters of the workbook are to be completed in between sessions. It would be helpful if each candidate owned their own Catholic Bible to assist with their studies. Homework SHOULD NOT be handed to Father before/after Mass on Saturday/Sunday. It should be handed in as part of the scheduled sessions in school/St Peter’s Parish Centre. These preparation sessions will begin on Monday 20th January 2020 All dates of sessions will be posted onto the School Website and any updates will be available via text/email.

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

Receiving the Sacrament:

The Sacrament of Confirmation will be conferred on you in your own Parish church at either Our Lady of Mount Carmel or St Peter’s Bromsgrove. Conferring of the Sacrament will take place in the Parishes of OLMC & St Peter’s Bromsgrove in June 2020. OLMC Monday, 15th June 7pm and St Peter’s Bromsgrove, Tuesday 16th June 7pm Our Lady of Mount Carmel St Peter’s Bromsgrove

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

Again, here’s the Catechism: Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit—in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities

• f Christian life. Read CCC 1309

You are ready with greater spiritual maturity and intelligence to embrace the challenges of life that you will face with humility and dignity in the likeness of Christ. The Sacrament of Confirmation is rooted in the event of Pentecost: the day upon which the disciples were sent the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus before He died (John 14:15, 14:26, 15:26) and before He ascended into Heaven (Luke 24:49, Acts 1: 4-5, 1:8). It was through the power of the gifts of the Holy Spirit received at Pentecost that the disciples were able to leave the Upper Room and go out into the streets of Jerusalem to proclaim the Good News (Acts 2:1-42).

A reminder why…..

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

So, in sum, here is what needs to be done soon and before 10th January!

• Regular Mass attendance on a weekly basis if possible and personal prayer and

preparation for enrolment onto the Sacramental Programme by the Candidate.

• Enrolment Form to be completed and handed in by 1oth January 2020.

In the first instance to: OLMC Parish Office FAO Fr Tony Rohan or Fr Jason Mahoney

• r St Peter’s Presbytery Bromsgrove FAO Msgr Graham Wilkinson.
• r at the Special Confirmation Preparation Mass in school on 10th January 2020
• Application Letter written personally by the Candidate to be handed in with the

Enrolment Form and handed in by 10th January too! This can be handwritten or typed up.

• A patron Saint is to be chosen preferably BEFORE attending the Sacramental

Preparation Sessions in School or at St Peter’s Centre starting on 20th January. A project is to be completed alongside each of the sessions about the Candidate’s chosen Saint. Why they have chosen them and how their choice of Saint will help them in their Confirmation preparation, receiving the Sacrament itself and in their faith life journey.

 First and foremost, The Holy Spirit! Remember to pray regularly as part of your

• ngoing preparation and invite the Lord into your journey. He will guide and

strengthen you as you take this important step in faith.

 Your Parents/Carers/Family members -Regular Mass attendance weekly is ideal.  Your Sponsors.  Parish Communities – OLMC Redditch - Fr Jason and Mrs Hardcastle

St Peters Bromsgrove– Mgr. Graham & Miss Downes

 School – Mr Roberts & Mr Payton

Lay Chaplain – Miss Downes

 You! As a Confirmand you are responsible for the completion of your workbook,

special Patron Saint project and fulfilling the promises that you have made on your

• Enrolment. You are also responsible with support from your family for the daily

practise of your faith and regular attendance at Mass.

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

Who helps us on our journey?

St Bedes Catholic Middle School (Academy)

Any Questions……

Thank you for coming this evening. Final Blessing

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)

St Bedes Catholic Middle School (Academy)

Sacramental Programme Dates 2020- Reminder

Preparation Sessions are at St Bede’s School Mondays 5.30-6.30pm OLMC pupils Parish Centre Mondays 6.15pm-7.15pm St Peter’s Bromsgrove pupils (pupils only – not parents/family) Session 1: 20th January 2020 Session 2: 3rd February 2020 Session 3: 24th February 2020 Session 4: 9th March 2020 Session 5: 23rd March 2020 Session 6: 20th April 2020 Session 7: 18th May 2020 (Extra Bonus Session)

St Bede’s Catholic Middle School (Academy)