The Sacraments of Initiation are Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. We are baptized; we become children of God; we are a new creation and are born anew with the light of Christ coming into our lives. We are strengthened by the Sacrament of Confirmation and receive spiritual nourishment of eternal life through Eucharist. Baptism brings a person into the faith of the Catholic Church. Confirmation is an active part of the initiation process. Each candidate takes the faith that was freely given to them at their Baptism and makes that faith their own. The preparation process invites one to look at what the Catholic Church treasures, to review its teachings, and take ownership to go out and live the Christo-centric life.

Prerequisite:

Each ninth grade student must have satisfactorily passed a Faith Formation program and its requirements in addition to consistent Mass attendance and living a Catholic Christian life.

The following guidelines placed by the Archdiocese of Newark include the following indicators of one’s readiness to celebrate Confirmation:

• The person’s recognition that he/she is a unique individual with various gifts to offer
• A willingness to share his/her gifts with the community
• An adequate grasp of the content of the Catholic Faith experience
• The young person’s free request for the sacrament, giving his/her reasons
• The appreciation of the empowering assistance of the Holy Spirit in the life of the individual and of the community.

The Confirmation program is designed as time for the child to meet with his/her peers and share faith experiences while demonstrating service to their community. After attending retreats, preparatory sessions, prayer and discernment, the celebration of the Sacrament takes place towards the end of the 9th grade. This program is designed to help the student understand and participate more actively in the Church. Parental support and encouragement is necessary.

A junior high school student who wishes to be considered for the Confirmation program will commit and continue his/her studies in Catholic doctrine, building on knowledge acquired in their experiences in Religious Education from grades 1 through 8.

This is exemplified by:

• Worshiping along with our faith community at Sunday Mass
• Participating in Community service projects (Minimum number of hours- 25)
• Taking time for prayer
• Demonstrating respect toward self, parents and teachers and others
• Being diligent in learning more about his/her faith and regular attendance at all scheduled Confirmation sessions!

All dates for important meetings and events for Confirmation will be listed in the Confirmation Handbook.

Parents, catechists and the whole parish community together form a partnership in preparation of all St. John’s children for Sacraments of Initiation. Together we can form a supportive and nourishing partnership to help our children realize their faith potential.