Confirmation is God’s final installment in preparing us to go out and be missionary disciples for His Church. What your parents started in you in your baptism is now Confirmed by the Church. Through the Church we all receive a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit to go forth to spread and defend the Catholic faith. Confirmation preparation is about getting ready to accept that challenge. Come and discover with us.
With this in mind our teens are given a year to learn about what the sacrament of Confirmation is, who the Holy Spirit is, to grow in their relationship with Christ and His Church as they discern the reception of this powerful sacrament.
Main Components of Confirmation Formation
- Catechesis
- Pilgrimage
- Retreat
- Service
- Community
- Prayer/Discernment
2022-2023 Confirmation launches Sunday, September 11, 2022 from 6:30-8pm for parents and confirmation candidates in the Church.
MORE ABOUT OUR CONFIRMATION PROCESS…
- Spirit Day: For teens, sponsors, and parents will be on Sunday, January 8 from 6:30-8:30pm and Sunday, August 27 at St Timothy's and live streamed for sponsors who live far away.
- High School Youth Ministry: High school youth ministry is the primary way that our Parish helps to continue to educate and walk alongside our teenagers in the ways of faith. It is a program designed for ALL high schoolers 9-12th grade.
- Mass: Get to Mass every weekend. This is our community. We all need to be fed by the Eucharist each week, especially as we prepare for a new and powerful sacrament.
- Confirmation Sessions: Confirmation specific sessions will be interwoven into regular high school youth ministry on Sundays so be sure to not miss Sunday nights!
- If you miss a session here is the make up work: Week 1 on Saints, Week 2 on Christian Living, Week 3 on Service, Week 4 on Mission, Week 5 on Sharing Faith with Others
Read this to learn how to choose a Confirmation Sponsor
Información muy importante sobre cómo elegir un padrino de confirmación
Sponsor Information Form is due at Youth Ministry on Sunday, November 27. It can be found in your red folder or you can print here from the Handbook.
Sponsors are asked to attend Spirit Day here at St. Timothy on Sunday, Jan. 8th. If your sponsor lives far away they can tune into our live stream on YouTube and then reach you by phone.
A sponsor is someone who will be with you on your life long journey of faith. Think of family members, your godparents, parishioners, your friends parents, teachers, coaches and ask yourself:
- Who models living as a disciple of Christ?
- Who would I feel comfortable talking with about my faith?
- Who could I feel comfortable praying with? Who is praying for me?
A sponsor must be at least 16 years old and a fully initiated, practicing Catholic. That means that this person has received the sacraments of baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation and is currently registered at a Catholic Church and attending Mass regularly. To verify this information each sponsor must send to our Church a sponsor certificate. To obtain this the sponsor needs to call their Parish, speak to the Parish secretary and request a “sponsor certificate” in order to be a sponsor for Confirmation. This certificate should be brought to Spirit Day by the sponsor or mailed to St Tim's by Spirit Night:
Sandy Gordon
St. Timothy Catholic Church
8651 Biggs Ford Rd.
Walkersville, MD 21793
The Sponsor can also fill in this Sponsor Certificate Request Form and email it to their Parish secretary. Their parish secretary should then send the sponsor certificate to St Timothy's as requested in the letter.
If your sponsor is a member of St Timothy’s then no certificate needs to be obtained.
Sponsors are asked to attend a meeting in January, plus the Confirmation Mass and rehearsal.
- Sponsors are invited to attend your pilgrimage experience or participate in service with you.
Video about What Happens at Confirmation.
Read this to learn why service is a component of Confirmation preparation. It's important to read this before completing the google forms below.
¿Por qué servimos? Lea aquí para averiguarlo antes de servir y completar los formularios de Google.
Each teen is asked to complete 3 Service experiences and then share about those experiences in the google forms below. The only way for Marissa to know what you did is if you complete the forms below.
- Service Experience Reflection 1, 2, 3
- Service Follow up
- Teens will be asked about their service component during Spirit Day in April and during their personal interview in May.
- Teens will also share what they did in their Google classroom reflection forms. Marissa would love to see pictures of you serving too!
Go to stimothys.org/lifeteen for several service opportunities being provided through Youth Ministry.
How and Why We Pick a Saint Name for Confirmation
Saint Name Form due February 6, 2022
When you are Confirmed by the Bishop he will Confirm you by the name you choose.
Because the sacrament of Confirmation is a completion of your Baptism the Church asks that you first consider taking on your Baptismal name (either your first or middle name) as your Confirmation name.
Step 1: Research your first and middle name and ask your parents why they named you what they chose. If either of these names are significant to you then no need to pick a “new” name.
Step 2: If you are not named after a saint or you have another saint in mind that you really want to take on as your Confirmation name then go for it. Just don’t pick a name because it sounds cool or because it will give you cool initials ( I almost picked Olivia just so my initials would be MNOP – dumb, I know).
Step 3: Research, pray, talk to your parents, sponsors, CFF, and yms about saints. Click on the link at the top of this page for a list of online resources.
Step 4: Tell your small group leader what saint you chose by the last small group meeting on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Then complete the saint portion of your google classroom. Do not simply copy and paste answers off of websites. Marissa will just ask you to do it again (this time by hand).
Resources:
Following Confirmation our young people are called to fully participate in every area of Church life. This can only be done, if like the adults, our teens complete safe environment training which is called “Worthy of the Call.” This training equips young people to be peer ministers, leaders in their parish and responsible mentors for children. If your teen has not yet completed Worthy of the Call training he or she needs to attend one this year.
*Please note that any service projects that entails working with children requires that the confirmation candidate receive Worthy of the Call training before serving.
This mandatory training will be held at Youth Ministry on Sunday, December 4 from 6:30-8pm. The training is not considered complete until the Volunteer Application has been received and processed. You have a paper copy in your red folder.
- Back from the Dead @ Mother Seton Shrine. Here is the sign up genius for you to request tickets if you want to attend with Marissa's organized trip on October 15. Or you can get tickets on your own if you are attending on a different night - note that you will miss the teaching on picking a saint name for Confirmation if you don't attend with us. So look for a YouTube video on that.
If you would prefer to go on a pilgrimage as a family below are several options
- Visit Grotto of Lourdes at Mt St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg. Attend Mass and confession.
- Visit the Mother Seton Shrine. Take a tour, attend Mass and confession.
- Visit the Basilica in Baltimore. Attend Mass and confession
- Visit the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in DC. Attend Mass and confession.
- Visit the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC If you come up with another place you’d like to go feel free to run the idea past Marissa if you’d like.
Están invitados todos los candidatos de la Confirmación, sus padres y los padrinos a convocarse con los muertos en la noche del viernes, el 15 de octubre, en el Santuario Seton (Seton Shrine). Los participantes tendrán la experiencia de una caminata interactiva de un cementerio que concluirá con unos momentos de reflexión y oración adentro de la Basílica del Santuario Seton. Es una experiencia muy poderosa e importante para nuestros candidatos de la Confirmación, especialmente porque ellos van a aprender como seleccionar a un nombre de santo para su propia Confirmación.
Empacar: Participantes deben vestirse para estar afuera en el aire libre y deben traer una comida de bolsa para cenar. Se puede traer dinero también para la tienda de novedades (Shrine Gift Shop) o para encender una vela.
El Costo: El Santuario Seton solicita una donación de $5 por persona. Se puede pagar por sus boletos aquí o hay que entregar a Marissa el efectivo exacto o preciso en la noche del evento. Al inscribirse aquí, la responsabilidad a pagar es suya, si asiste o no asiste. Nuestra iglesia no puede recibir un reembolso por boletos no utilizados. Esto es un encuentro que requiere boletos. Si conseguimos mas que 50 inscripciones, las demás personas tendrán que conseguir sus propios boletos aparte. Si no se puede asistir en esta hora y en esta fecha, por favor compre boletos para asistir de su propia cuenta en otra fecha conveniente. Se puede reservar boletos aquí.
La Hora: Nos reunimos en St. Timothy a las 4:45 pm. Asistimos juntos la misa a las 5:00 pm. Después de la misa cenamos juntos y luego nos vamos al Santuario Seton. Los jóvenes (las familias) son responsables para su propia transportación. Mas tarde legaremos de nuevo al estacionamiento de St. Timothy entre las 9-9:30 pm.
The Confirmation retreat is Friday, November 11-Sunday November 13, 2022 at Camp Round Meadow.
Important Information like what to pack, times and location Click here
Retreat Permission Form & Teen Expectations - sign and turn in by November 6. Also located in the Handbook.
Cost $60. Pay by cash, check made out to St Timothy Roman Catholic Church or online.
If you have a dire conflict be sure to let Marissa know. Your teen will still need to attend a retreat.
This program is condensed. . . Meaning there is a lot of information to be given to your child in a short amount of time. If you know in advance of a conflict , please inform Marissa so that make-up work can be created. If a teen misses a class unexpectedly he/she is expected to ask Marissa for make up arrangements.
Also attendance is expected at High School Youth Ministry.
All teens who have not received 1st Reconciliation need to contact Marissa and be enrolled in Teen Sacramental preparation. Most teens will participate in this sacrament while on retreat.
All teens will talk about their Confirmation experience with a youth minister on an "Emmaus Walk"
Here's info in English and Spanish about the event plus the Study Guide!
Teens will be expected to answer fully and completely any of the questions covered on the study guide. If they are unable they will be asked to continue to study and then re-interview.
Write a letter to Bishop Lewandowski.
Bishop Lewandowski wrote you a letter and he would like you to write back.
Read his letter carefully to see the questions he wants you to answer in your letter. It only needs to be a few paragraphs.
Please type a letter to Bishop Lewandowski and email it to Marissa at mpaoletti@stimothys.org and she will print it out for you and sent it to the Bishop or you can fill out this google form to submit your letter. Ms Jane and Deacon Rob can also help you write your letter at Youth Ministry on Sunday, April 23.
It should be written like a letter:
- Beginning with, Dear Your Excellency or Dear Bishop Lewandowski,
- Ending with Sincerely, Your Name
- In the body of the letter you can tell him about any of the following: (choose several)
- What is your family like and what are your main interests and activities?
- Of the different things you have done to prepare for Confirmation (classes, retreats, service projects, talks with your sponsor, prayer, etc.) what has made the greatest impact on you?
- What gift of the Spirit do you most look forward to receiving and why?
- What are some practical ways you can be a faithful follower of Jesus after you are confirmed and how will you be a witness to Jesus in word and deed, especially among your peers?
- As you think about your future, do you ever talk to God about it? Have you ever considered serving God and the Church as a priest, deacon or religious sister or brother?
You may write the letters in English or Spanish.
Please, please proofread them. Use proper capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
And don’t stress. He’s your Bishop. He will be thrilled to read about your faith journey.
Confirmation Mass will be Sunday, September 10, 2023. at 2:30 and at 4pm. There will be two masses this day, one in English and the other in Spanish.
Rehearsal for the Mass TBA.
Rehearsals are for the candidate and their sponsor. If their sponsor wont be able to make it, then a parent can stand in for the rehearsal.
Girls: Can wear either a dress, a skirt with a blouse, or a dressy pant suit. All skirts and dresses should be at least knee length. You do not have to wear white. If your top has spaghetti straps or is off the shoulder you may wear a sweater to cover your shoulders. The idea is to look beautiful and modest.
Boys: Button down dress shirt, tie, dress slacks, dress shoes, a suit coat if you have one (no need to buy one just for this occasion). Full suits are also fine. Please do not wear tennis shoes, t-shirts, hats or jeans.