Attendance
It is the practice of St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation during the 10th grade year. While in the 9th and 10th grade, regular attendance in religious education classes of the Roman Catholic faith is required. Frequent absence will be considered a serious impediment to the reception of the Sacrament (Canon 528 §1).
Knowledge of Prayers and Precepts by Heart
Roman Catholics believe that prayer is necessary to the relationship between the individual and our Almighty God. The St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish Confirmation program seeks to inspire the student to deepen their own spiritual life. We have long recognized that learning prayer by heart and memorizing the precepts are the foundation of a life in the Spirit for a young person. The program requires the committing to memory of certain Roman Catholic prayers and precepts. For your convenience, these can be found at the end of the booklet. This material is subject to testing over the course of the ministry year.
Sacrament of Reconciliation
The student, with his/her parents, is to take full advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the seasons of Advent and Lent in the two years of preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation. The student is encouraged to attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation shortly before receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Service Projects
The service projects are the organized charitable work of the students of St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish. The work is to give the students the opportunity to be in the wider community and is not meant to be individual works of mercy. The projects are operated under specific guidelines set up and monitored by the instructors of the Confirmation program. The service projects are unique because they require the student to use initiative in an area that the stereotypical teenager ignores. The students work with each other and with adults in their school and faith community as citizens working to build the Kingdom of God. The Confirmation program has set up the projects in such a way that the student personally experiences and has examples of Corporal Works of Mercy.
The regulations of an appropriate service project are:
a. The student chooses an activity that he/she enjoys.
b. The activity must be strictly volunteer; that is, no reward or compensation at all.
c. The student must work directly with an adult in the service work.
d. The student preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation complete a minimum of 30 hours of service during his/her 10th grade year.
e. 1/3 of the service hours are to be done for the family; 1/3 for the parish; 1/3
for a charitable institution or for an institution for which charitable work can be done.
f. The youth do not allow themselves to be taken for granted or treated without dignity.
Sponsor Letter
The student is asked to write a letter to their chosen sponsor for the Sacrament of Confirmation. The purpose of the letter is to encourage introspection on the part of the student, as well as examination and clarity of thought, being adult attributes. The letter will be about the name they have chosen to be known by and their choice of Confirmation sponsor. The letter may be handwritten, but will be superior quality in grammar, syntax and the student’s own academic ability. The student will mail the original and present a copy to the Confirmation leader by December 1st.
Confirmation Sponsor
The choice of a Confirmation sponsor is done in different families in different ways. It is encouraged that the Baptism sponsor (Godparent) be the Confirmation sponsor. The sponsor must be a practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church; if the sponsor is from a parish other than St. Alphonsus Liguori, their pastor must provide a letter of attestation. The letter includes the Pastor’s recommendation that the sponsor is a worthy candidate and is practicing the faith. Parishes and pastors commonly provide these letters – it should be very easy to obtain. This should be received by the Director of Youth Ministry by January 31st.
Certificate of Baptism
The students have likely received the Sacrament of Baptism when they were infants. The certificate of Baptism is an official document of the Church kept at the church of Baptism. A recent copy is to be presented to the Confirmation leader from all the students baptized at parishes other than St. Alphonsus Liguori Parish. Each student should write or call the original parish for a copy of their certificate of Baptism with a raised seal. This ought to be accomplished before January 31st.
Selection of a Confirmation Patron Saint & One-Page Paper
In keeping with the Tradition of the Church regarding the patronage of holy men and women, each student should choose a recognized Saint or Beati of the Church to act as their Confirmation Saint and patron. It is most appropriate that the student use as their Confirmation Saint the name that they were given at their Baptism (if they were named after a saint). This preserves the connection between the two Sacraments.
If a student does not choose their Baptismal name as their Confirmation saint, it should be a saint whose life speaks to them in some way. It could be a saint who a family member is named for, a patron of an activity that the student enjoys, or one who has a life that speaks to the student in a certain way.
Each youth will write a one-page, double-spaced paper on why they chose their Confirmation Saint. This should be received by the Youth Minister no later than March 31st.
Pilgrimages
The students will be given a number of opportunities to travel with their parents, sponsors, and the class to faith experiences. Joining a Jewish Sabbath worship, the Divine Liturgy of the Byzantine Catholic Church and our own St. Mary Cathedral in Lafayette are some of these opportunities.
Confirmation Retreats
Two retreats will be held before the Sacrament is to be administered – one in the fall of the 9th grade year and one immediately prior to the Rite of Confirmation. The days will center on community building activities, prayer experiences and preparation for the Mass of the Holy Spirit.
Mass of Enrollment
The students will participate in a Mass of Enrollment at the beginning of Lent before the Sacrament of Confirmation. The purpose of this ceremony is to allow the student to publicly declare their intention before the gathered parish community. It is after the Mass of Enrollment that the student becomes a Confirmation Candidate.
Interview
An interview will be held for each student preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation by the Pastor or his representative. The interview is to question the students about their responsibilities and readiness, as well as to give the students the opportunity to ask questions of a spiritual nature.
Letter of Request
The final preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation will be marked by the student’s formal letter to His Excellency, the Bishop, requesting the Sacrament for himself/herself. In the letter the student presents him/herself as a mature and responsible person and gives his/her own reasons for seeking the Sacrament. The letter is typed in the fashion of formal correspondence. All letters are sent to the Bishop together for His Excellency to peruse; he does read these. The letter is to be turned in to the Confirmation leader by March 31st.
Etiquette
The Sacrament is celebrated as a Sacrament of Initiation, that is, much the same as Baptism. For the Mass of the Holy Spirit in which the Sacrament of Confirmation is conferred, boys wear slacks, shirt and tie, and sport jacket (optional). Girls have traditionally worn dresses of white or ivory, dresses or skirt and blouse in pastels or muted colors are also appropriate. Modesty is an issue for both boys and girls.
Requirements