CONFIRMATION

1. CONFIRMATION Level 2 Parent Orientation

2. Why do you want the Sacrament of Confirmation for your teen?

3. Email Address: confirmation@saintkateriparish.org Confirmation Website: www.skconfirmation.org (was www.bkconfirmation.org) Confirmation Office Phone Number: 661-296-3180 Ext 7908

4. The Goal for Confirmation Preparation is Discipleship Discipleship means to make a conscious decision to follow Jesus in the midst of His church and to direct one’s life with this always in mind. In other words, our goal is to help the teens served by High School Confirmation develop a personal relationship with Jesus that affects how they live their life on a daily basis.

5. The Confirmation Sacrament is a celebration of our faith in the Holy Spirit. After Baptism, along with the Eucharist, it completes the baptismal graces and fully initiates the baptized as an adult member of God’s adopted family. • High School Confirmation Prep is intended to bring about conversion in the hearts of teens so they see Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life and therefore come to the Sacrament with hearts properly disposed to receive it.

6. Catechesis The Goal of Catechesis is to bring about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. • Saint Kateri High School Confirmation has adopted a new curriculum with this goal in mind • “CHOSEN: Your Journey Toward Confirmation” • www.AscensionPress.com • Video Driven “Plug & Play” • Leader Guide available to check out or view in the Confirmation office • DVD’s available to view in Confirmation office by appointment • Students receive their own CHOSEN resource to keep and use as reference & personal journal for whole 2 year process • Parent and Sponsor Guides from CHOSEN are excellent resources and provide “Conversation Starters” (available for purchase through the Confirmation office)

7. Scripture • Students will each receive a personal copy of the New American Bible at the Play & Pray Retreat in September • Same version of Scripture that is read at mass • Facilitators will guide them during small group time on how to find the readings they will hear at mass in their bible

8. Format 2 Sunday sessions per month Teens meet in the hall at 4pm promptly May be dropped off as early as 3:45pm 4-4:30pm Large group session where catechesis is covered via video, review games and live speakers Small group sessions 4:35-5:15pm Mass 5:30-6:30pm (teens escorted to sanctuary by their facilitator) Parents pick up teen directly from Facilitator in the Sanctuary before or after mass

9. Small Group Structure Remains the Same as Last Year

10. Additional Elements • Play & Pray Retreat on September 7 2:30pm-6:30pm • 2 Retreat Experiences (1 ½ day & 1 Weekend Retreat) • Christian Living • Attendance at Triduum masses during Holy Week • Reconciliation (at Penance Services or weekly offered) • Confirmation Preparation Rites during mass • Life Teen always open on Saturday evenings to teens • Discernment Interview 1 time per year • Sponsors • Parent & Sponsor Formation Sessions

11. Play & Pray Retreat Sept 72:30-6:30pm • Here at Saint Kateri-dropoff in the hall by 2:30 • Snacks will be provided • Mass follows at 5:30pm and families are invited to attend • Goals • reacquaint teens with their small group • Learn about the Holy Spirit • Welcome teens back to Confirmation Prep in a fun way

12. Retreat February 20-22 • Located at The Oaks in Lake Elizabeth www.theoakscamp.org • 1 Retreat Weekend for all Level 2 Candidates • Luggage Dropoff on Thursday, February 19 • Retreat Dropoff on Friday at 5:30 • Teens will be provided with pizza dinner before leaving for retreat • Buses will load by 6:30pm • Confidential Retreat Documents • Buses will return with the teens at St Kateri about 2pm • Wrap Up Session for Teens & Families immediately after about 45 minutes

13. Main Goals for Level 2 Retreat • Teens recognize that Heaven is their home and the Church is always available to be their “home away from home” • Teens recognize that Jesus wants a personal relationship with them • Teens recognize the depth of love that Jesus has for them • Teens recognize Who Jesus is and the effect of His sacrifice • Teens are provided an opportunity to respond to Jesus’ invitation to a personal relationship

14. The goal of Christian Living isto help our teens find a place in the parish where they are valued and they can share their gifts and grow their abilities • No more logging of service hours • Teens are asked to join a St. Kateri ministry • Pick a ministry that fits your teen’s interests, gifts and schedule • Many options will be available-goal is to have a fairly complete list on the website by June 16 • Additional opportunities will be posted & email blasted as they arise • May be a ministry they serve in or a ministry that serves them

15. One Example of Christian Living: • Jr. High Edge Peer Leader: • Commitment: Either 1st Session (Oct 13 – Dec 21) or 2nd Session Jan 12-March 23) • Training Dates: Sept 26 or Jan 5 • Description of duties: Peer leaders will be assigned to a group of students with an adult facilitator. They will be participating in group activities such as icebreakers games, skits and promoting discussion within the group by sharing, encouraging jr high students to participate. Peer leaders are to lead by example with enthusiasm and their love for Christ. May also use their gifts by sharing their faith in large group catechetical talks or music if they feel called to do so • # of available spots: 15 per session (30 total spots)

16. Other Possible Examples:(we are working on making them happen!) • Music Ministry • Life Teen Bible Study • Respect Life Ministry • Family Ministry • Religious Ed Classroom Assistant • Little Church Classroom Assistant • Children’s Ministry of the Word during 10:30 mass • Altar Serving • Ushering • Special Liturgy Preparation • Hospitality

17. Triduum Masses during Holy Week • Beautiful masses with great significance to our faith • Only happen 1 time per year • Attend with a parent • April 2 7-8:30pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper with washing of the feet • April 3 at 1pm or 7:30 pm Good Friday including Veneration of the Cross

18. Reconciliation • Teens will be encouraged to attend often throughout Level 2 • Participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once during the 2nd Level of Confirmation Preparation is necessary • Assists the heart to be properly disposed to receive the Sacrament • Teens may attend Reconciliation during an Advent Penance Service, Lenten Penance Service or any of the Confession times offered weekly at local parishes

19. High School Confirmation Rites • 1st Time offered at Saint Kateri as part of High School Confirmation • Rite of Enrollment during Sunday 5:30pm mass after Confirmation session on November 9 • Sponsor presence requested as they are part of the rite • A parent may stand in for a sponsor for Rites only, not the Confirmation ceremony • Opportunity for public commitment to Confirmation Journey • Opportunity to connect candidates to the wider parish community and for the parish community to show their loving support

20. Discernment Interviews • Designed to help confirmandi in the Confirmation preparation process to discern where they are in their relationship with Jesus and their readiness to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation • Scheduled in 20 minute intervals on March 17, 18 & 19 • Occur earlier this year • Last 2 Confirmation Sunday Sessions are geared toward teens that have decided they are ready to receive the Sacrament

21. Confirmation Saint • Teens encouraged to find a saint that inspires them personally • Teens are to complete a report about their saint over the summer between Level 1 and Level 2 • Teens will receive instructions for the report at their discernment interview • Teens will be able to declare a Confirmation Saint Name • A special handout will be given at the Confirmation Mass with a sentence by each teen sharing how their patron saint inspires them

22. Choosing a Sponsor • The best sponsor is someone that is truly excited about their Catholic faith and wants to share it with your teen • Must be 18 years old and a Confirmed, practicing Catholic • May be male or female • May not be a parent • Eligible to receive the Sacraments and expected to receive Holy Communion at the Mass of Confirmation • Sponsors are asked to commit to being in regular contact (weekly ideal) with their candidate so they can share their faith, answer questions and discuss the Confirmation journey. Text, skype, email, snail mail, social media, phone calls, etc are all valid avenues • Sponsors are asked to commit to attending 3 Parent & Sponsor Formation Sessions • Sponsor guides from CHOSEN are available for purchase through the Confirmation office • Must have Sponsor name and contact info to register for Level 2

23. Life Teen • The most prolific youth ministry in the Catholic Church • Life Teen is separate from Confirmation but open to all Confirmandi • Teens can bring their friends, all high school students are welcome • Participation in Life Teen is highly encouraged • Leads teens closer to Christ by participating in lively youth masses and offering a fun, teen-centered community in which to grow in faith • Saint Kateri Youth Mass is every Saturday at 5:30pm • Following the Youth Mass, Life Teen ministers and CORE members lead “Life Nights” that start with a yummy dinner • Life Nights Themes are either faith-building, social or deal with current teen issues • Is a drop in program, after registering for the first night of attendance teens are welcome to come as often or as little as works for them • 2 Inspiring retreats offered each year, one in the summer & one in the winter • Current 8th graders are eligible to attend Life Teen Retreat this July • Check out their website for more info: www.bkym.org or the Life Teen International site www.lifeteen.com

24. Confirmation Preparation is a Family Journey • Parents asked to commit to attending 3 Parent & Sponsor formations • Parent and family members’ attitudes greatly affect their teen’s experience • Confirmation Preparation Level 2 provides the time and space for teens to explore and understand how life as a disciple is lived so they can respond to Jesus’ call personally. • This invitation and opportunity to make faith in Jesus and His Church their own will only be effective if your teen is supported by you prayerfully, vocally and physically • Momentum, frequent participation, is crucial to growth in faith and understanding therefore regular attendance needs to be a family priority

25. Parent & Sponsor Formation • 4:15-5:15pm in the Sanctuary 3 times during the year during your teens’ Confirmation session • September 21, November 9 and February 8 • Covers some of the same topics Level 1 teens are exploring • Videos from CHOSEN curriculum will be used (you will see some of the videos your teens will see!) • Designed to encourage conversations & interaction with your teen as well as inspire parents & sponsors • If unable to attend all three, attendance at a Level 2 Parent & Sponsor Formation Session is requested or attending another parish wide formation opportunity. Check page 7 labeled “FORMATION” in the Saint Kateri bulletin for parish wide opportunities • Parents will be asked to sign a covenant committing to Formation attendance as part of registration process • Sponsors will be asked to sign a covenant committing to Formation attendance and frequent contact with their candidate at the November 9 session (same day as Rite of Promise)

26. The Confirmation Program Needs Volunteers How can you help? • Become a facilitator-this ministry will not happen without facilitators • Office Help (days, weekends or evenings) • Set Up before sessions • Audio Visual help during sessions • We provide training. All we need are willing hearts to commit their time! Please email us confirmation@saintkateriparish.org if you are interested.

27. Registration • Opens April 30, 2014 • Cost is $300.00 – all materials and level 1 retreat costs are included in registration fee • Payable by check to “St. Kateri Church”

28. Registration cont’d Items needed to gather BEFORE starting the online registration process • Sponsor’s name and email • Emergency Contact information • Health Insurance Information • Print out a copy of the Level 2 Schedule and make sure our scheduled meet times will work for your family(available on the registration page at www.skconfirmation.org)

29. How to register • Go to our website • www.skconfirmation.org • Click on REGISTRATION • Click on the link for Level 2 • Enter registration access code SKCL2 (code is case sensitive, be sure to use all capital letters) • Enter registration information as prompted • Print out all materials as prompted and mail them to Saint Kateri Confirmation office along with full payment • You will receive an email confirming submission of registration once paper work and payment has been processed your registration is complete.

30. Frequently Asked Questions • Why has the Confirmation Prep schedule changed from 1 meeting per month to 2? The meeting frequency has changed for a few reasons. We have found that meeting once per month makes it very difficult to actually foster discipleship in teens. An important part of the process is the building a sense of community and trust within the small group. Only meeting once a month makes that challenging. Small groups are frequently spending a good deal of time just re-establishing community (and remembering names!) when they have not seen each other for 4 weeks or more. Secondly, the catechetical content we cover is comprehensive. Putting a lot of information into a 2 ½ hour segment makes it difficult for teens to comprehend and digest it all. Our hope is that smaller bits of time and smaller chunks of catechesis will allow for better absorption and understanding of the material.

31. FAQ’s Cont’d • Why has the Confirmation meeting start time been changed? We have made the start time later for two reasons. The first is to allow other activities that may conflict to have time to be completed in hopes to make regular Confirmation attendance more convenient for our teens. The second is to make weekly attendance at mass more convenient. We know that it was challenging for families to schedule mass attendance and Confirmation meetings in the same weekend. Weekly attendance at mass is a requirement of the Archdiocese as part of Confirmation preparation. We are so grateful and excited to be able to coordinate our meetings with mass. We hope that having a 5:30pm mass on Sundays will be a blessing to all families at our parish. • Are there any more home meetings? Facilitators do have the choice of providing home meeting experiences if they want and are able. They are no longer required to cover specific aspects of the curriculum, but have the freedom to host holiday parties, family potlucks or one time sessions covering a special part of our faith heritage not covered in the curriculum that they feel particularly called to share.

32. FAQ’s cont’d • What if we are attending mass as a family earlier in the weekend, does my teen have to stay for mass? No. A parent may retrieve their teen from their facilitator in the sanctuary before mass. We hope you will choose to attend the Sunday 5:30 mass when your teen does, but we also strongly encourage attendance at the 5:30pm Saturday Youth Mass (with Life Teen available after!) We are thrilled to offer lots of options for mass attendance here at Saint Kateri. • Why has the format of the class session structured differently? Our new curriculum is very video driven so the videos need to be played in a large group setting. Our new format allows 1 time and place for large group catechesis and then a smaller, more intimate setting for small groups to discuss and “break open” the catechetical content they heard. • Will every lesson be on video? No, when we are covering an aspect of the faith that can be taught better by a live person than the video we will do so. We do have some very charismatic, faith filled disciples here at our parish that our teens would benefit from knowing and we want to provide that opportunity to them.

33. FAQ’s cont’d • What if I am unable to afford the $300 registration fee right now? We do have payment and reduced fee options. Please email the office at confirmation@saintkateriparish.org to request an fee reduction application. • What if my teen misses a session? Can they make it up? Not really. There will not be a make up lesson provided. The teens’ CHOSEN resource does have a summary of the main points covered during each lesson. There is really no way to replicate the small group discussion experience, which is where we anticipate the most transformative experiences during Sunday meetings. However, the CHOSEN videos are very engaging. If your teen misses a session, we hope to offer a way for the videos segments to be viewed at a later time. As of right now, we have not established a format in which to provide this. • What if we discontinue during the year, do we get a refund? If the Confirmation office is notified at least 2 weekw before the retreat, we can refund $200. 2/3rds of the registration fee goes directly to retreat costs. The rest go to material costs that are expended or budgeted for based on the number of enrolleesat the close of registration

34. FAQ’s cont’d • How many sessions can my teen miss and still remain in the program? This question would need to be answered on a case by case basis. Humans get sick, grandmas turn 100 and teams earn their way to national championships. In other words, there are certain events in life that are unavoidable or so special that one must not miss them. When important events like these conflict with a meeting time, we ask that you just let your teen’s facilitator know. If a teen misses a session and we have not heard from them, we will follow up to make sure all is well. If a teen misses more than that, we will also follow up and try to help your family discern if the Confirmation preparation we are offering is going to be able to meet the needs of your family. If your teen will be committing to something during the 2014-15 year that will frequently conflict with the scheduled meetings, we ask you to consider completing the Confirmation Prep at a parish whose schedule better fits your family needs. If you have a unique situation that cannot be solved by attending another program, please feel free to speak with us in person so we can find a solution together.

35. FAQ’s cont’d • What if my teen has to miss part or all of the retreat? Teens need to attend the whole retreat. Arriving late, leaving early or missing a portion diminishes the experience for your teen and the others in their small group. If you already know your teen will not be able to attend the retreat or might need to leave early, please let us know right away. We may have to ask you to reconsider registering for Level 2 this year. Sometimes you are able to find a place for your teen at another parishes’ retreat but this is not guaranteed. Also, we do adapt and change the content of our Level 2 retreat based on the specific needs of the teens that will be attending I,t so attendance at a different retreat would definitely diminish their experience. Additionally, there is no way to replicate their small group. • What if my teen has special needs? If your teen has special needs, please be sure to indicate it on the registration form. Additionally, please call, email or speak to us in person to bring your teen’s needs to our attention.We do adapt to the needs of the individual teen and the more communication that can happen between the Confirmation team and parents, the better we can serve them.

36. FAQ’S cont’d • What sort of formation or experience do you require of the facilitators and peer leaders? All of our facilitators and peer leaders are volunteers. All adult volunteers are fingerprinted and Virtus trained. We are very excited to share that we are now able to provide more in-depth training experiences for our facilitators and peer leaders over this spring and summer in leading small groups and helping others along in their discipleship journey that is geared specifically toward helping teenagers. We will also meet with our facilitators and peer leaders once a month during the school year to touch base on how their small group sessions are going and provide additional formation.

37. Thank you for attending Have a blessed evening