The Sacrament of Confirmation is a Sacrament of Initiation, by which Confirmandi “are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 1285)
Summary: Confirmation Prep is a voluntary ministry for extended learning of the sacraments, specifically Confirmation itself; meant for 8th grade parishioners and for any high school parishioners that have not received the sacrament and wish to. We meet once a month on a Thursday from 5:30pm-8:30pm and is accompanied by a weekend retreat in the spring. The format is similar to EDGE where we begin in prayer, have dinner, and work into the lesson of the day followed by a small group activity and discussion and then free social time to strengthen community. Each month’s lesson is structured with a theme which are as follows:
- Who you are to God; The dignity and purpose He created you with and the understanding of the value of the gifts and flaws He gave you to achieve that purpose.
- The Trinity, Our Faith (Through the lense of the Nicaean Creed), and God’s involvement in out Lives through the Holy Spirit.
- A deep analysis of the Seven Sacraments and how they bring us closer to Christ.
- The Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit and how they are observed and used in our lives.
- What it means to be a Saint and the lives they lived.
- Prayer; the different types, their power, and uses.
- Sacred Scripture; how the Lord speaks to us and how Scripture can guide us through life
- SIN, Reconciliation, and living a Holy Life.
- Works of Mercy and Evangelization.
In this Ministry the Students learn who they are, who God is, how He interacts in our lives, how that translates into their future and the interactions they will have in the outside world, and the tools and lifestyle to live a Holy life. The Idea is to have them grow as a group to lean on and learn from each other when they step into the outside world and to intentionally keep Christ in their every day as they grow; understand how God is with us in all we do through his Most Holy Spirit and to tithe ourselves to that principle. The underlying mission of this ministry is to help young people achieve their final sacrament of initiation in a conscious and fulfilling manner to promote confidence in themselves and their Faith through their committed relationship to Christ and Eachother. Our retreat in the spring is a two day and night stay at the Bethany Center where we revisit all the ideas we learned throughout the year in a tangible way through activities that broaden their understanding of Faith and reality, parables and stories of people living these ideas, and group talks and discussions. We also have the opportunity for reconciliation and to share Mass together as a group, as well as lots of time to grow those intimate and deep faith filled friendships that will Hopefully serve them as they grow into the future.
Patron Saints:
- St. John Paul II
- St. Jude
- Our Lady of Guadelupe
Key Principles:
- Understand the Nuances of our Faith.
- Put in place the pillars of our Faith to set a foundation for the Students spiritual growth.
- Solidify an understanding of ones self and the purpose of our creation, the balance of using our gifts and talents to help those who struggle in those areas and being vulnerable enough to accept our flaws in the same way and accept help through others gifts and talents.
- Understanding how the Holy Spirit interacts in our daily lives and how to use the Gifts given to us at our Confirmation; realizing that through patience we can see how those Gifts evolve into the Fruits of the spirit that our Souls desire.
- A general understanding of our Soul, how it is marked on by Christ, Led by the Holy Spirit and how to be mindful of the condition of our Soul and how to care for it.
- Practical understanding of what SIN is, how it affects the Soul, how to avoid SIN and how to reconcile it. The importance of the Sacraments especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist.
- Nurturing their individual relationship with Christ and giving the Students tools to keep that relationship healthy through prayer, scripture, Good works, and community.
- Understanding what a saintly life looks like and how to live a Holy life.
- Knowing how the Saints work through our lives and how their example can keep us focused on our relationship with Christ.
Goals for the Future:
- Add an on property service project (to promote tithing to their parish) and an off property service project. (to promote works of Mercy)
- Develop an equivalent to how our OCIA candidates are presented to the parish’s congregation at a series of Sunday Masses.
- Have a time for intentional Adoration at least once through the year. .
For more information, please contact Robbie Shafer at the Cathedral Office at 727-347-9702 or rshafer@cathedralofstjude.org.