CONFIRMATION PREPARATION St. Bonaventure Church 7 th Graders

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1 CONFIRMATION PREPARATION St. Bonaventure Church 7 th Graders COME HOLY SPIRIT, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love. We welcome parents and candidates to the sacrament of Confirmation! As a parish we want to journey with our candidates as they prepare for the sacrament which brings them into full communion with the Church. This journey and preparation deserves our best effort! During the next 2 years, your child s faith journey will be nurtured toward understanding and living their faith. It will be a time of searching, challenging, learning and resolving their faith. Your active support and encouragement will enhance the process. As your child s relationship with Christ and with the parish community grows, they will look to you for example. Weekly mass attendance is very important. Our Church is a worshipping community. Faith and worship are closely linked. Faith brings the community together to worship; and in worship faith is renewed. The Church celebrates Christ s life, death, and resurrection in its liturgy. It proclaims its faith in His presence in the Church, in His Word, in the sacramental celebrations; it gives praise and thanks, asks for the things it needs, and strengthens itself to carry out its commission to be witnesses and to do service. It is VITAL that children see faith development as LIFE-LONG, and that one must strive continuously to grow in faith, throughout adulthood. Our faith journey does not end as long as we are living. What the Church says about Confirmation (adapted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church) Confirmation is the strengthening and fullness of the Holy Spirit received already in Baptism. Confirmation, together with Baptism and Eucharist, are known as the sacraments of Christian Initiation and therefore are a unity. Confirmation calls us to greater participation in the mission of Jesus and the Church. The grace of this sacrament challenges us to be like Christ in all we do and say. Through Confirmation our relationship with God is deepened, and we are incorporated more completely into the Body of Christ. Confirmation obliges us, as true witnesses of Christ, to spread and defend the faith by word and deed. Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark on the soul. Thus, Confirmation is only received once. In the celebration of the sacrament, the bishop extends his hands over all those to be confirmed and invokes the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Sacred Chrism is used for anointing. The conferring of the sacrament of Confirmation is done through the laying on of hands, anointing with Chrism on the forehead, and through the words, Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit. The sign of peace, which concludes the sacrament, reveals and expresses ecclesial communion with the bishop and all the faithful. The Archbishop/Abbot is the ordinary minister of Confirmation. It is appropriate from the very meaning of the sacrament, that he should confer it himself. For this very reason, Confirmation has been separated from Baptism. Because Confirmation invites those who receive it more closely to the Church, and missions them to bear witness to Christ, it is appropriate that it be given by one who has received the fullness of the Sacrament of Orders.

2 SUNDAY MASS ATTENDANCE Candidates should be attending Sunday Mass on a regular basis. They should also be attending holy days of obligation. PARENTAL ROLE Parents are the first and foremost catechists of their children. Your participation in the life of the parish-above all in the Sunday Eucharist, your willingness to serve others, and your dedication to daily prayer demonstrates the authenticity of your profession of faith. Parents are catechists for their children precisely because they are parents, not because they have developed any specialized catechetical skills. The catechesis given by parents with the family precedes, accompanies, and enriches all forms of catechesis. Confirmation preparation: Scotus Scotus will prepare for the sacrament in their Theology classes at Scotus with Mrs. Johnson and Fr. Capadano Mrs. Johnson tracks all 7 th grade Scotus service hours. Questions should be directed to her Fr. Capadano tracks all 8 th grade Scotus service hours. Watch the bulletin for announcements regarding Confirmation students should follow the Scotus handbook regarding service hours Confirmation preparation: Religious Education Religious Education classes are held each Wednesday, from 6:30-8pm at Scotus 7 th grade students will be using a program called Chosen Parents are encouraged to check out Chosen at Classes begin on Wednesday, September 16 th. Watch the bulletin for announcements regarding Confirmation Registration will begin in June you will receive registration information in the mail. Registration is $70 and is due by August 1st Service Hours: Service flows out of our faith. We are called to go and fill the needs and thirsts of others. The gifts of the Spirit are given to us to be used in building God s kingdom on earth. Confirmation candidates, through the exploration and assessment of their gifts, perform acts of service as a way of life. Confirmation service should be of a kind that truly touches the lives of the needy, the lonely, and the hurting people in our midst. Scotus and religious education students are required to complete 30 hours of service before Confirmation Day. Fifteen of those hours were completed during the 7 th grade year, and the remaining 15 hours will be completed during the 8 th grade year. Parents, please use your best judgment in helping and encouraging your child s service work.

3 FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION STUDENTS: 3 hours of service must be completed in the Church category (must be for a Catholic church) 3 hours in the School category 3 hours in the Community category (service may not be done for a for profit organization or business) All forms for hours earned during the summer must be turned in no later than September 23 RD for religious education students. This is the 2 nd night of class for religious education students. We request that parents not sign service hour forms for your child. Students will receive service hour forms from PRE classes. The forms are to be returned either on Wednesday nights during the year or to the parish office. SERVICE HOURS DUE: APRIL 27 TH (Last night of religious education classes) FOR SCOTUS STUDENTS: Please follow the Living the Faith guidelines found in your Parent/Student handbook. You will receive the Living the Faith record forms from school. Living the Faith forms are to be returned TO SCHOOL, not to the parish. SERVICE HOURS DUE: FRIDAY, MAY 13TH QUALIFYING SERVICE ACTIVITIES Students may receive no reimbursement or benefits in return for their service. The service may not be done for a for profit organization or business. The activity may not be part of the student s regular duties or expectations.

4 SERVICE HOUR SUGGESTIONS The following lists are a few examples of different types of service that might ordinarily fall into each of the three categories: Church service may be done for St Bonaventure s, St Isidore s or St Anthony s Church cleaning Parish festival volunteer Ministry at Mass: server, lector, singer, reader, etc. Catholic Charities service Parish office helper St Anthony s fish fry St Isidore s or St Anthony s bazaar Knights of Columbus service Vacation Bible School helper School For Religious Education students: service can be done for any school in Columbus, public or Catholic For Scotus students: service should be done for Scotus or any of the Catholic grade schools in town. Working the concession stand Assisting at school sponsored summer camps Scotus gala Scotus Christmas Craft Boutique alumni phonathon Keeping score for a sporting event Helping with Book Fairs Assisting a teacher before/after school alumni tournaments teacher s or office aide Community (Service done for family members or close family friends will not count) (Service done for a business will not count) Shoveling a neighbor s sidewalk Yard/garden work for the elderly Non-Catholic church help Simon House volunteer Help with community youth sports Clean up during Columbus Days events Visit hospital/nursing homes Paws and Claws Summer lunch program at CMS March for Life 3 hours Simon House Babysitting Pet sitting YMCA AYSO soccer help Senior Center volunteer Help at the Animal Shelter Highway clean up United Way Life Chain National day of Prayer Boy/Girl Scouts help Friends/Family Babysitting for a family friend or cousin without getting paid (siblings don t qualify) Helping a grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin with yard work, house work or shoveling snow Helping someone move

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