Contemporary theology sees confirmation as a completion of Baptism, a sealing with the Spirit to enable the Christian to witness to his Faith in a mature way.
This sacrament endows the recipients “with special strength” and obliging them “to spread and defend the Faith both by word and by deed" as true witnesses of Christ.
The usual minister is the bishop who will speak the name of the confirmand and say “be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” while anointing with holy chrism, the royal and priestly oil.
St Bonaventure instituted a two-year course of preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. Those in grade 9 are referred to as “Inquirers” and those in grade 10 as “Candidates.” St Bonaventure wants to do all we can to encourage your son/daughter to take part of the community and prayer experience in our parish. Most of us would never move beyond our comfort zone and try anything new without a little prodding from others.
Confirmation is not graduation from faith formation; rather it is an intentional effort made by a candidate of the sacrament to learn more about and have experiences of the faith to which one professes to belong. It is the beginning of living ones’ faith.
Class Attendance:
Inquirers (grade 9) and Candidates (grade 10) are required to attend the Faith Formation classes on Wednesday nights. Inquirers and Candidates are expected to call the Faith Formation Office at 952-854-4753 if they are going to miss a class. Mass attendance is very important. While you are preparing for Confirmation you will learn more about your faith. However, it is important to not only learn about your faith but to also practice your faith. Please find a way to get to mass regularly. We would encourage all of you to check out the Lifeline mass which takes place at the NET Center on the first Saturday of each month. Here, along with other teens and young adults from the Archdiocese, you will sing, pray and celebrate your faith like never before.
Service Opportunities:
Inquirers and Candidates shall perform service in the following 3 areas: home, church and community.
Inquirers must perform a minimum of 5 hours of service in the church, 5 hours in the home and 5 hours in the community. Service opportunities should be a minimum of 1 hour each.
Candidatesmust perform a minimum of 10 hours of service in the church, 10 hours in the home and 10 hours in the community. The service opportunities should be a minimum of 2 hours each.
Service should be completed by Sunday, April 15th. Each service opportunity the Inquirer/Candidate participates in, should be documented by one of the service opportunity forms available in the confirmation booklet. These must be signed off by an adult who has witnessed the service.
Some opportunities for service in the Church:
Date specific service opportunities
V Serving at the Senior Christmas luncheon on Saturday, December 1st (11:00am - 2:00pm)
V Helping with Supper with St. Nick on Saturday, December 1st (4:00 - 8:00pm)
V Helping decorate the church for Christmas on Sunday, December 23rd (11:00am - 3:00pm)
V Helping with Reconciliation Learning Stations on Sunday, January 6th (11:00am - 4:00pm)
V “Undoing” Christmas decorations in the Church on January 6th (11:00am - 3:00pm)
V Helping with the First Reconciliation reception on Tuesday, January 29th (6:00pm-8:00pm)
V Setting up for St. Valentines Dance on Friday, February 9th (3:00 - 5:00pm)
V Serving dinner at the St. Valentines Dance on Saturday, February 9th (5:00 - 8:00pm)
V Decorating the Church for Lent on Tuesday, February 12th (6:00 - 8:00pm)
V Serving at the Ash Wednesday Soup Supper on Wednesday, February 13th (5:00 - 7:00pm)
V Helping with Stations of the Cross (Friday evenings during Lent)
V Helping with the Lenten Fish Dinner on Friday, February 22nd (4:00 - 8:00pm)
V Helping with First Communion Learning Stations on Sunday, March 10th (11:00am - 4:00pm)
V Helping with the Lenten Fish Dinner on Friday, March 22nd (4:00 - 8:00pm)
V Decorating the Church for Easter on Saturday, March 30th (10:00am - 2:00pm)
Please be aware that sometimes the dates listed above may change, therefore, call prior to the event listed and verify the date and to see if volunteers are still needed.
Ongoing service opportunities
V Student Teaching Preschool (Sunday morning)
V Student Teaching Elementary Faith Formation classes (Wednesdays 6:00pm)
V Assisting with Celebrate the Word (Sunday mornings)
V Helping with St. Vincent DePaul food shelf on Tuesday/Thursday (11:00am - 1:00pm)
V Altar Server--training required (Saturday 4:30pm, Sunday 8:00am/10:00am)
V Singing in the Choir (Sunday mornings)
Examples of service in the Community are the following:
¨ Visiting a Nursing Home
¨ Volunteering at a Food Shelter/Second Harvest/Bridging
¨ Helping an elderly neighbor
¨ Helping a neighbor
¨ Helping with community clean up days
¨ Volunteering at Feed My Starving Children
Retreat:
A retreat is an opportunity to move away from the distractions of our ordinary lives and spend some time in quiet solitude. Retreats are designed to introduce you more fully to your faith and give you time to connect with your inner self and then with your peers and prayer community which support and pray for you. Both Inquirers and Candidates are required to attend a retreat.
A retreat for the Inquirers and Candidates was held October 26th-28th at Camp Castaway in Detroit Lakes, MN.
If you were unable to attend the retreat listed above it is your responsibility to find an appropriate, alternative retreat experience. Please check with Gary for more information about this. There are numerous retreat opportunities throughout the Archdiocese but be warned retreats fill up well in advance and run an entire weekend. Do not wait until the last minute to try to find an appropriate retreat experience.
Sponsor:
Candidates are to choose a Sponsor. The requirements for Sponsors are: The Sponsor is a practicing and confirmed Catholic that is at least 18 years old. Parents cannot be sponsors to their own children. The recommended person to be a Sponsor is a Godparent, as Confirmation continues the promises made at Baptism.
Candidate/Parent/Sponsor Meetings:
These meetings are an important part of the preparation for Confirmation. Candidates should have their sponsor selected prior to the January 27, 2012 meeting date. TheCandidate, parents and sponsor should all attend this important meeting.
Service Opportunity Paper:
Candidates are to write a one-page paper on the service that they performed. The paper is to contain a description of the service performed and why as a Christian Catholic it is important to be of service to others. It is due on March 17th. This paper should be typed – not handwritten.
Saint Report:
Candidates are to write a one-page paper about the Saint’s name they have chosen as their Confirmation name. This should contain information about the Saint and why they chose this name as their Confirmation name. It is due on March 17th. This paper should be typed – not handwritten. This needs to be in paper form, not information photocopied from a book or printed from the Internet.
Letter to Fr. Richard:
Candidates will write a letter to Fr. Richard, telling him why they want to be confirmed. It is due on March 17th This should be typed – not handwritten.
Interview:
Candidates will participate in an Interview on March 17th. At this time, the Service Opportunity Paper, Saint Report and Letter to Fr. Richard should be completed and turned in.