October Session
Candidates & Parents: These sessions are required by the Diocese of Youngstown as part of Confirmation Preparation.
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Welcome
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What are your hopes as you, or your child, prepare
for the Sacrament of Confirmation?
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Breakout Session #1
The Sacrament of Confirmation
Sophia SketchPad ConfirmationWatch the Sophia SketchPad video on Confirmation once through to learn more about the Sacrament of Confirmation: the roots of the sacrament and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Then fill in the blanks to the worksheet below as you watch it through a second time.
Feel free to print out the worksheet
or write your answers on a separate sheet of paper. |
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The video notes that receiving the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation is not a graduation, but rather a call to continue even more passionately the journey of faith. Through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we receive the courage to live out our faith. This means Confirmation is just the beginning of a new chapter in our faith journey. One in which the Holy Spirit will be even more present.
Take some time to talk with your family members (parents and/or siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents) about their own Confirmation and journey of faith:
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Breakout Session #2
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The first three gifts help us to know…
Wisdom • Helps us look upon life as a great and remarkable gift from God • Helps us recognize God’s presence in all people, places, and things • Helps us judge events in our lives according to our belief in God Understanding • Leads us beyond just knowing the beliefs of the Church • Helps us discover God’s plan in our lives • Helps us touch the lives of others through serving them Knowledge • Helps us be sure that God loves us • Calls us to live a life of loving actions wherever we are – at home, at school, on the basketball court, at the mall, with friends • Shows us how the truths of our faith help us know how to live Created by Amy Boyer, a member of the Confirmation Team, for the Class of 2021
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The next two gifts help us choose what is right and good…
Right Judgment (Counsel) • Helps us see right and good things to do among the many choices we make every day • Helps us be a guide to others and ask for guidance when we need it Courage (Fortitude) • Helps us be strong in our beliefs as Christians • Helps us to make the right choice, even when it’s a difficult one • Helps us make our world a better place for all people The last two gifts help us relate well to God and to those around us… Reverence (Piety) • Helps us honor God as our loving Creator, and all people as our brothers and sisters • Encourages us to praise God freely and to grow in faith as we pray Wonder and Awe (Fear of the Lord) • Helps us respect the goodness and majesty of God • Helps us value God’s plan for the world and increases our desire to build up the kingdom of God on earth • Helps us be grateful to God for the gift of life and encourages us to worship God Adapted from Gifted by God Confirmation Retreat Kit
Dayler, David, and Anne Jamieson. Gifted by God: A Confirmation Retreat Kit. Novalis, 2013. |
More Information on ...
Choosing a Confirmation SponsorWhat does the word “sponsor” mean?The word “sponsor” comes from the Latin word spondēre, which means to "give assurance, promise solemnly"
By definition “sponsor” means:
Basic Church requirements to be considered as a sponsor: A Confirmation sponsor must:
A sponsor CANNOT be a parent of the one to be confirmed. Because the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation are so closely connected, Church teaching states that it is “desirable that the godparent at Baptism also be the sponsor at Confirmation”, however the selection of a special sponsor is also permitted.
Things to think about before you ask someone to be your sponsor:
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Choosing a Confirmation NameWhat’s in a name? When you were born, your parents chose your name. They may have chosen your name in honor of a special person in their lives: a grandparent, aunt or uncle, or close friend. They may have chosen your name for the meaning behind it. Perhaps they chose your name because they felt a close connection to a holy man or woman of our faith - one of the saints. Maybe they just really liked your name! Most likely, it was a combination of many factors.
Now it is your turn! Your name gives you an identity; it tells others who you are. Throughout our lives, we will identify ourselves with many names - the name of the mascot of our high school or college; the name of the region of the country we live in; the title of the career we choose.
At your Baptism, you were called by name, and christened to become a child of God. As a part of your preparation to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, you have the privilege and responsibility, just like your parents did when you were born, to choose a name.
Where should I begin to choose a Confirmation name?
There are a variety of books depicting the lives of the saints and a book is a great place to start! Some of the books tell the life story of one saint in particular, and others give a brief story about the lives of numerous saints so you can read about many holy men and women all in one place. You can use the internet to research the saints. You can Google a Saint name, just be sure you check the source (is it Catholic?). Here are a few sites to check out that may be helpful: http://www.catholic.org/saints/ http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/byname.aspx https://lifeteen.com/blog/biggest-best-list-confirmation-saints-guys-girls/ |
Thank you for completing the October Session
for Confirmation Preparation!
Join us next month as we talk about A Community of Faith: Celebrating the Rite of Passage.