2024-2025 CONFIRMATION PREPARATION INFORMATION AND SCHEDULE

At this time we have not yet received our official Confirmation date, as soon as we receive this information, you will be notified of all currently 'tbd' dates.

• September 17, 2024 - Parent / Candidate Meeting at 6:30 pm at St. Linus Church (sponsors need not be present; only 1 adult required to attend with the candidate)
• October 20, 2024 - Confirmation Enrollment Mass at 10:30 am at St. Linus Church (ALL candidates are required to attend)
• January 26, 2025 - All Confirmation Assignments and Forms Due
• Confirmation Retreat - Date and Location TBD
• Confirmation Celebration - Date TBD at St. Linus Church

ALL candidates are expected to participate fully in their preparation by being present and engaged for all classes/ Family mass sessions and completing all work assigned.

For your convenience included are links to any forms your student(s) will need to complete:

SACRAMENTAL REGISTRATION FORM - Parents, please have this form filled out and returned to our office no later than October 20, 2024 - If your student hasn't chosen their sponsor or Confirmation name yet, that's no problem. Just leave those spaces blank for now - CLICK HERE to Print the Confirmation Registration and Confirmation Sponsor Forms (PDF)

MASS CELEBRATION - Students are expected to attend Sunday mass regularly (You are free to attend mass at any parish, not just OLOR or St. Linus). Students are asked to take the time to notice 1 thing about the mass they attended and write about it. Whether it be something trivial or meaningful, they should pick an element they found engaging and write it down. Only 2 mass reports per month are required to be filled out and turned in. Students may keep all work to hand in to their catechist at the next class - CLICK HERE to Print the Mass Celebration Summary Form (PDF)

SPIRITUAL CELEBRATION - Weddings, baptisms, funerals, prayer vigils, adoration hours etc are some examples of Spiritual Celebrations. We only require 1 to fulfill their requirement. Again, these celebrations are NOT limited to events happening at OLOR or St Linus. Instructions are the same as the Mass summary, just pick something they connected with from that event and write about it - CLICK HERE to Print the Spiritual Celebration or Devotion Summary Form (PDF)

SERVICE HOURS - Acts of service are an important lesson in humility, empathy and also provides a sense of pride. Please do not shortchange your student by just signing off on household tasks. There are many examples of acts of service they could perform inside or outside of the home ('unpaid' yard work for neighbors, 'unpaid' tutoring in a musical instrument, helping run athletic drills etc. Please do not accept monetary payment for acts of service. Our parish is also a great resource for service opportunities for our students so look at the weekly bulletin and see what events are coming up. Should you or your student have a question about the validity of a service opportunity, please reach out to your catechist or the RE Coordinators. We are requiring 3-4 hours per month from August through mid January. There are 720 hours in a 30day month and we are only requiring 3-4 hrs of that time devoted to the service of others. - CLICK HERE to Print the Confirmation Service / Ministry Projects Form (PDF)

ALL SUMMARIES AND SERVICE HOUR REPORTS WILL BE READ AND LOGGED - It is our hope the students will find some meaning in these masses and spiritual events, so we will not be judging the level of engagement they have, how the summary is written, grammar etc. We are hoping to reignite a connection to their faith they can continue to build on.

An additional Saint Project will be due prior to Confirmation and details on that will be given in September at the meeting - Here are a few ideas on how they could start to consider their saint name:

• find a quality / characteristic you like about yourself and research the saint that is known for that quality.
• find something that you struggle with / would like more guidance with and choose that saint to connect yourself with as your guide.

It is very important that your child decides what's important about the connection to their saint and this sacrament. Please support your child with this self reflection, maybe even take some time to research and discuss a saint that means something to you personally.

Students may have a few questions:

• Can they do more than the monthly requirement? Yes!
• Can any extra be credited toward the next months? - No, the idea is to establish consistency in mass attendance and service of others.
• Can we use our NJHS service hours for this? - No double dipping. There are not that many hours required from either to warrant a need to double dip.

We are excited to be a part of your child's spiritual journey and welcome your input or questions you have during this process.

Any questions or concerns, please contact the RE / FF Office at 708-422-2400 ext 139 or via email religioused@stlinusschool.org.