Updated: July 2022
"Accipe signaculum doni Spiritus Sancti"
[Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit]
(CCC 1300; Cf. Paul VI, apostolic constitution, Divinae consortium naturae, 663).
See the detailed timeline at the end of the following narrative.
Confirmation Rehearsal will be Wednesday, September 14th in Parish Hall from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. Both Confirmandi and their Sponsors are to attend.
The Fall Mass of Confirmation (TBD) at 7:00PM
Sacrament Preparation:
Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation in the St. Catherine of Siena Religious Education program occurs over the course of all eight elementary years. Students are required to attend classes for at least the seventh and eighth-grade years prior to Confirmation. Students must show mastery of material taught through the 6th-grade curriculum before eligibility to enter into the 7th-grade program. Students at St. Catherine of Siena parish are typically confirmed in the fall of the 9th-grade year.
If a student receives ongoing catechesis in a Catholic school program, Confirmation may occur in the fall of the 8th or the 9th-grade year.
If your child has missed a sacrament, please contact us. We are happy to accommodate him or her, according to individual needs. If one or both parents have not received a sacrament or would like to learn more about the Catholic Faith, we are happy to help, also.
Confirmation Requirements:
Students enrolled in the religious education program who will enter high school in the fall of 2022 and have completed their formal (7th and 8th grade) catechesis are candidates for the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the fall of that year.
Students enrolled in a Catholic school entering either 8th or 9th grade in the fall of 2022 are candidates for the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the fall of that year.
Required Confirmation Paperwork:
If paperwork is not received by the very firm due date, Confirmation will be delayed until the following fall.
Required Confirmation paperwork due for all candidates (will not be accepted past the due date):
- Confirmation Data Form
- Baptismal Certificate
- St. Catherine of Siena Sponsor Form
- Confirmation Sponsor Interview Form
- Confirmation Sponsor Eligibility Certificate
Requirements for Confirmation usually completed in the 7th Grade Year:
- (Practice) cumulative exam based on basic Catholic catechism to be given in the spring of both the 7th and 8th-grade years.
- Copies of a brief study guide "Preparation for Confirmation" with catechism questions have been prepared by Bishop Burbidge's office and are here.
- A summer service project based on the Works of Mercy, with a one-paragraph written summary statement (to be completed in the summers following the 7th and 8th-grade years). Paragraphs are emailed to the Director of Religious Education in September. Diocesan guidelines suggest that at least 20 hours of service should be performed altogether.
- Attendance at the Mass of Confirmation at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church (at the beginning of the seventh or eighth-grade year), and help with hosting the reception held immediately afterward. The Confirmation candidate's own Confirmation Mass should not be the first one witnessed. If a Confirmation student is unable to attend this Confirmation Mass, the requirement must be fulfilled at another parish.
Requirements for Confirmation usually completed in the 8th Grade Year:
- Saint Report due April 29th, 2023.
- Mastery of material (prior to Confirmation) on a cumulative exam based on basic Catholic catechism to be given in the spring of both the 7th and 8th-grade years. Eighth-grade students who do not show mastery of material should study further and re-take the exam over the summer, prior to the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
- Copies of a brief study guide "Preparation for Confirmation" with catechism questions have been prepared by Bishop Burbidge's office. Copies are available here
- Summer service project based on the Works of Mercy, with a written summary statement (both in the summers following the 7th and 8th-grade years), due in September to be sent electronically to the Director of Religious Education. Diocesan guidelines suggest that at least 20 hours of service should be performed altogether.
- Interview with Confirmation sponsor and report write-up due at the first Confirmation seminar class. Details here.
- Scheduled individual interview with Father Pokorsky (Interviews will be scheduled in August and September 2023)
- Attendance by confirmandi and sponsor (or someone taking the place of the sponsor) at a rehearsal on September 14, 2023
Detailed timeline: Confirmation registration and paperwork deadlines
The use of "courtesy" refers to your attitude in assisting CCD office personnel in processing the necessary paperwork. The absolute deadlines are important -- on Father Pokorsky's part -- to express his courtesy to the administrative staff.
March 1: Courtesy registration deadline Confirmation in the fall of 2023: Fill out the Confirmation data form: https://membership.faithdirect.net/events/confirmationdata
Begin to process Sponsor data form: https://membership.faithdirect.net/events/sponsordata
Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 9:00am - Administration of Confirmation test (see study guide: http://saintcatherineschurch.org/images/Religious_Ed/ConfQuestions.1.31.19.pdf)
April 29, 2022: Patron Saint Report due in CCD office (by email or by hard-copy)
May 16: Absolute registration deadline Confirmation in the fall of 2023: Fill out the Confirmation data form: https://membership.faithdirect.net/events/details/5296
Begin to process Sponsor data form: https://membership.faithdirect.net/events/details/5297
September 1, 2023: Confirmation Sponsor Eligibility Certificate due. Please note: These forms take time to complete because they must be signed by the sponsor's Parish Priest and returned to the Religious Education Office. Confirmation Sponsor Eligibility Certificate.
September 5, 2023: Absolute deadline (two weeks before Confirmation and very tight for administrative purposes) for Sponsor data form. (Miss this date and your son or daughter will be Confirmed next year.) https://membership.faithdirect.net/events/details/5297
