Confirmation Preparation

To all grade seven and eight students who attend St. Margaret Church and their parents:

Congratulations, students! You are old enough to prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation. it’s time to decide if you are ready to receive this final sacrament of initiation into our Catholic faith.

We take a Home-School-Parish approach to Sacramental Preparation. Cooperation among parents, parish and school is essential in sacramental preparation and celebrations, the details of the preparation programs are shared and communicated to all.

Parents, you are your child’s first, and most important, educator. When it comes to passing on your faith, the role of the school and the parish is to support the teachings learned and lived at home. At home, you teach your child values such as love, respect, honesty, and forgiveness. You encourage faith practices such as grace before meals, family/individual prayer, and regular participation in mass. Through your actions, you model these values and faith practices in your daily life.

Confirmation Celebration will take place on May 18th, 2024
Celebrant: Fr. Roselle Azares

Sacramental Preparation
Sacraments are acts of Jesus, in union with the members of His body: the Church. The Church is responsible for determining the specifics of sacramental preparation and celebration. There are two types of preparation for sacraments: initial and immediate. 

Initial preparation is assisted by our Catholic schools, where the school encourages:

• Daily living of a Catholic lifestyle appropriate to one’s age and spiritual development
• Christian discipleship modelled by teachers and staff by word and example
• Understanding the importance of Sunday Eucharist and its connection to the sacraments

Immediate preparation is done by the parish and the families. It encompasses:

• Sunday worship and encouraging families’ involvement in parish life
• Developing a specific sacramental catechesis on the sacrament being anticipated – this year we are using an excellent program called Decision Point by Matthew Kelly.
• Immediate preparation of the candidates for Confirmation is the responsibility of the parents and the parish where the family regularly worship together

Outline of St. Margaret’s Parish, Midland Immediate Preparation Program for the Celebration of Confirmation.

With the grace of God, we pray that you will have the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation May 18th, 2024. It marks your decision to live a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Confirmation opens up new challenges to us in our journey of faith. We are challenged to deepen our understanding of the Gospel message and to measure the issues of our world against that message.

Registration:
Registration forms and a scanned or photocopy of your child’s Baptismal Certificate, Sponsor Registration Form and Sponsor Baptismal Certificate are due January 25th, 2024
A fillable Pdf registration form is available on St. Margaret’s Parish website (below)

Enrolment Ceremony (choose one):
Saturday, January 27th, 2024 - 5:00pm
Sunday, January 28th, 11:30am

This year’s Confirmation program – Decision Point
This sacramental preparation program is one that kids and parents will both enjoy. Confirmation candidates will watch video clips by Matthew Kelly, answer some questions in a workbook which will prepare them to interact on Google Meet with our facilitator, parishioner and Catholic educator, Paula Butineau, who is a teacher with the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board and a lector at the 9:00 am Mass on Sundays.

Virtual Confirmation Preparation Sessions (60 minutes max) will take place on Monday's at 4:30pm on Google Classroom.

The Monday meetings will be Google Meets that the candidates can join through their Google Classroom, just as they did when school was virtual. The meetings will be approximately 30-45 minutes. It is required that the children attend all meetings and participate in group discussions.

Confirmation Candidates that miss more than one meeting will not be eligible to be Confirmed this year.

Donation:
There is a $40 (price subject to change) registration donation to cover the cost of the personal workbook/journal and Confirmation gown rental. Please bring this donation to the enrolment mass in an envelope clearly marked with your name and “Confirmation Donation”.

Confirmation Sponsor Selection:
Please read the attached Confirmation Sponsor Form to be sure of the sponsor requirements before you ask someone to be your sponsor.

• Email, or print and give the Sponsor Form to the person you want to be your sponsor
• If they are a suitable candidate your Sponsor will complete their portion of the form and then email, mail or drop off at St. Margaret’s Parish Office the completed form along with a recent copy of their long-form baptismal certificate. If your sponsor does not have a copy of their long-form baptismal certificate, please have them contact and request a copy from the church where they were baptised.
• Sponsor forms are due at St. Margaret’s Parish Office by January 25th, 2024
  

Confirmation Sponsor Requirements:

• Mustbe at least 16 years of age by the time of the Confirmation ceremony
  • If married, sponsors must have received the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, i.e. validly married in a Catholic church
• Must be confirmed and practicing their faith in any Roman Catholic parish
• Sponsors cannot be parents or grandparents
• Sponsors cannot be from other Christian denominations nor can they be Muslim, Jewish, or Buddhist

Young people, the decision to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation is yours to make with the help of your parents. Parents, your role is to support and encourage your young person in taking on the responsibility.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is for all those wanting to reaffirm their Baptismal vows and who are ready to make a public commitment to their faith. So, students and parents you should take some time to think seriously about this decision, talk it over and decide if you are ready. Some of you may choose not to be Confirmed at this time, but rather wait to be Confirmed when in High School or later as an adult. Our prayer is that you will say YES to living a deeper relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ and you will enroll to be Confirmed this year. 

Grace and Peace.
Yours in Christ,

Fr. Roselle R. Azares
Pastor
St. Margaret’s Parish