Church of the Immaculate Conception

  The Roman Catholic Community of Glenville, New York

Confirmation for Teens

Confirmation at the Church of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated in the Spring of each year, typically by teens in their junior year of high school.  In accordance with Diocesan requirements, candidates for confirmation must:

  • be at least 15 years old
  • have completed the prior year's catechetical study
  • engage in an immediate preparation program
  • have a demonstrated commitment to living their baptismal call toward serving others
  • complete a retreat, specifically in preparation for Confirmation

Confirmation preparation at Immaculate Conception includes a variety of events including instructional sessions, community service, ritual and prayer experiences, sponsor and candidate gatherings, attendance and participation in liturgy, a retreat and more.

Each August, teens entering 11th grade, who participated in our Parish program as 10th graders receive a Welcome Letter with the details of the Confirmation Preparation Program and a complete Calendar of all Confirmation Sessions for the year.

Teens that are new to the area, have been away from formal faith formation or attend private school should contact the Youth Ministries office as soon as possible to discuss our program.

 

2020-2021 Confirmation General Information


Program Overview 


Welcome Letter


Printable Calendar


Attendance at all sessions and activities is expected
Calendar
Click to edit table header
Click to edit table header
Click to edit table header
 Date
 Time
 Description
 Location
  September 28th
 7 - 8:00pm
Introductory evening for candidates and parents
Parish Hall 
  - or -
 
 select one date.  Pre-registration is required
 
 October 5th
  7 - 8:00pm
 
Parish Hall
 October 19th
 7 - 8:30pm
 Large Group Session
Parish Hall
 November 16th 
 7 - 8:30pm
 Large Group Session
Parish Hall
 December 14th
 7 - 8:30pm
 Large Group Session (Via Zoom Only)
Parish Hall Optional Zoom Session
 January 9th   Postponed
5pm Mass
until 7:30pm
Commitment Mass followed by Dinner for the Candidates
Church and Parish Hall
January 25th
7-8:30pm
Small Group Session
Parish Center Meeting Rooms
 February 6th  Postponed
 8:00 am - 10:00pm
 Retreat - Please see updated INFO below
Location - TBD - Details will be sent directly to Candidates and Families
 February 22nd
 7 - 8:30pm
 Small Group Session
Parish Center Meeting Rooms
 March 8th
 7-8:30pm
 Small Group Session
Parish Center Meeting Rooms
 March 21st
 7pm - 10pm
 Virtual Confirmation Retreat
 
 March 22nd 
 7-8:30pm
Sponsor and Candidate Evening
Small Group Session instead
Parish Center Meeting Rooms
  Due by end of March
Click to edit text
 Safe Environment Training
  Information sent out via email
 April 10th
 1pm - 6pm
 In-person Confirmation Retreat
 
 April 12th
 7 -8:30pm
Small Group Session
 Parish Center Meeting Rooms
April 26th
  7:00pm
 Confirmation Rehearsal
  Church - for candidates and sponsors
April 27th
  7:00pm
 Sacrament of Confirmation
  Church - arrival time 6 - 6:45pm
  Not occuring due to Covid-19
 
 Lenten Penance Service
Candidates are reminded to make individual arrangements for the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to Confirmation

Confirmation Retreat - UPDATE INFO
Candidates have the option of participating in a virtual or in-person retreat.  Details are below.  Candidates must select their preference by completing this Retreat Selection Form no later than February 28th.

“With Great Power” - Virtual Confirmation Retreat facilitated by NET Ministries  - Print a detailed flyer about the virtual retreat 

Sunday, March 21, 2021 from 7pm – 10pm
This retreat experience is led by a trained NET Ministries Facilitator and will include talks, testimonials, small group discussion, prayer and more. It is a synchronous and interactive format. Candidates will be expected to actively participant and be engaged throughout the retreat.
This retreat will open to candidates from across our Diocese. Candidates that are not from Immaculate Conception should use this online form to register for the virtual retreat.
Platform used is Blue Jeans (additional details will be sent after selecting this option) but can be accessed either via a laptop/desktop or a mobile device. A camera is required.
Participants will need to have a bible, pen, journal and a quiet place to participate in the retreat.


“Finding My Gifts” In-Person Confirmation Retreat facilitated by our Parish Retreat Team
Saturday, April 10, 2021 from 1pm – 6pm (concluding with 5pm Mass)
This retreat experience will be led by Christine Goss and facilitated by peer leaders and our Confirmation team. The retreat experience will include talks, small group discussion, prayer, the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Adoration and conclude with our Saturday Vigil Mass. Due to space concerns, participants will attend Mass in the Parish Center, watching a live stream. Parents and sponsors are encouraged to sign up to attend Mass that evening in the Church.
All Covid-19 protocols will be followed for the duration of the retreat experience.

Sacrament of Reconciliation     (this section updated March 8, 2021)
Candidates are expected to renew their state of grace by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation prior to the Confirmation Mass

Due to Covid-19, our Parish will not be holding a Lenten Penance Service this year, which is typically when Candidates for Confirmation receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Please read details below for alternative options.


Candidates who are attending the in-person retreat will have an opportunity during the retreat experience to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (although not required to during the retreat).  If you choose not to go to Confession on the retreat you will need to make individual arrangements.


Candidates who are participating in the virtual confirmation retreat will need to make individual arrangements to go to Confession prior to Confirmation.  


Extended opportunities to receive the Sacrament are scheduled on Saturday, March 13 and March 20 from 9am - 12noon in the church.  Regularly scheduled time for Confessions are Saturdays from 4 - 4:45pm in the Rectory.  If possible, please try to make a Saturday time work in your schedule, but if you can not do so - you may contact the Parish Office to schedule an appointment.

Required Paperwork and Forms
for those preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation

Due dates are indicated after each form.  Hard copies of each can be found in your candidate red folder.  If you need another copy you can print each form by clicking the name.  You have the option of completing the Sponsor Selection form electronically.


Covenant (due January 4, 2021)

Sponsor Selection (due January 9, 2021)         If you would like you can complete the Sponsor form electronically 

Candidate Information (due March 8, 2021)

Letter to Fr Jerry (due April 12, 2021)

Mission Service/Parish Morning of Service Reflection (due upon completion but no later than April 6, 2021)

Ministry Service Reflection (due upon completion but no later than April 6, 2021)


Community Service Expectations
for those preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation ****Updated March 15, 2021 ****

Each candidate is expected to continue a demonstrated commitment to living as a disciple of Christ by completing community service through both Ministry and Mission.  Mission Service meets the needs of those in the greater community, while Ministry Service meets the needs of our own Parish.

There is no minimum number of hours required, rather, we ask candidates to make a commitment and fulfill that commitment.  Candidates then complete and submit 2 service reports - 1 based on their Mission Service opportunity and 1 based on their Ministry Service opportunity.
Due to the lack of ministry service opportunities that have been available within our Parish Community due to Covid-19, we are waiving the Ministry Service requirement for this year.  Candidates who have volunteered within our parish are invited to still complete and turn in their ministry service report as we do track areas of interest for youth volunteers.  Mission service is still expected.  If you did not participate in the Morning of Service, any community service that you have completed will suffice.  If you need ideas, please contact the YM office.

To deepen the bonds of community within our Parish and specifically among the Confirmation candidates, it is our tradition that ALL CONFIRMATION CANDIDATES have a shared Mission Service experience that we organize/coordinate.


For 2020-2021, ALL CONFIRMATION CANDIDATES will be participating in our PARISH MORNING OF SERVICE .  Due to the restrictions of Covid-19, our Morning of Service will be organized a bit differently this year.  There are a variety of opportunities to choose from.   Families are encouraged to volunteer together!  Candidates that select an off-site project must be accompanied by an adult.  Confirmation candidates are responsible to select from the offered projects and be sure to SIGN UP.  All sign-ups will be done online.  SIGN UP HERE.

If you participated in the Morning of Service (MOS), please be sure to complete and return your Mission Service Reflection based on that experience.  If you did not participate in the Fall MOS, you can substitute any other community based service for this experience.

Ministry Service will be selected individually by each candidate, but must directly benefit our Parish Community by volunteering with an existing Parish Ministry Group.  A list of suggestions will be distributed in September at our informational session.  If you need suggestions, please reach out to our office and we will match you with a ministry group that fits with your strengths and interests.  It is our hope, that this interaction will lead to continued Ministry involvement post-Confirmation.  Due to the ongoing restrictions of Covid-19, we have been able to offer very few ministry based service opportunities this year and therefore we have waived this requirement.

Candidates are asked to prayerfully reflect on their service experiences and complete one service report (which can be printed to the left) for your Mission Service and one for your Ministry Service.  It is recommended that you complete and turn in your service reports as soon as possible after completing the service opportunity,  The absolute deadline for submission of service reports is April 12th.  MISSION SERVICE REPORTS are still expected and should be turned in no later than April 12th

CONFIRMATION READINESS CONVERSATIONS  **** UPDATED March 23, 2021****

One on one conversations for candidates preparing to receive the Sacrament in Spring of 2021 will be scheduled between March 29, 2021 and April 19, 2021.  Candidates will have the option of selecting dates/times that are convenient and conversations will be held both remotely (via Zoom) or in-person, at the candidate's choice.


Please click here to select a date/time. 


Be prepared to discuss these questions during your conversation: 

1.  What does being confirmed mean to you?  Why do you want to receive the Sacrament?

2.  How have you grown in your faith in the past year?

3.  Who is your confirmation sponsor and how do they best represent their Catholic faith identity?

4.  Who is your confirmation Saint and what qualities do you hope to emulate from their lives as you continue on your faith journey?

5.  How do you plan to continue to deepen your faith after Confirmation?

Candidates will also have the opportunity to ask questions that they may have.