Confirmation Prep - 8th-10th Grade

Parent/Student/Catechist meeting of Aug. 26, 2018: 

Here are my bullet points from the Sunday, August 26 gathering:  

Construction news:  Due to the on-going construction of our Parish Center, the next class will be on Sept. 23rd.  Between now and then, the corridor between the Doherty Center and the Hurley Center will be re-done and connected to the new building.  

Class time and expectations:

• We will meet for classes at 4 PM approximately 2 times a month.  Be on time.  That means in the classroom AT 4 ready to start.  All cell phones are to be on silent (no buzzing or vibrating either) and put away.  
• Bringyour books, folder, Bible and bag with you.  You will be given a bag for all things Confirmation.  Use it to keep every contained.  Parents – look through the bag now and again to see if there are any notes or information for you in the folder.  
  Bibles will be distributed to the first-year students in October.  Check the syllabus for the exact date – parents are welcome to stay for this short ceremony that will happen at the start of class time and will be in the Church.

• If an absence is unavoidable, please send me an email before 3:30 PM.  Don’t call and leave me a voicemail – I hit the ground running on class days.  I can quickly scan my emails and know who will be out, but I don’t have the time to listen to 6 different 2-minute voicemails.

If you are absent it is EXPECTED that you do the lesson you missed before the next class.  Everything is available on line on the “Decision Point” website.
Confirmation attendance expectations:  Do not miss more than 2 classes a school year!  If a class is missed, the classwork/homework is to be completed before the next class date.  Information for the Decision Point website is on the syllabus. 

• Class ends at 5:15 PM.  This is to allow the students to meet up with their families and attend the 5:30 PM Mass.  If you are meeting your student for Mass after class, let them know the general area where you will be sitting.   
• It is EXPECTED that every student attends a weekend Mass.  It is really great when they follow class with Mass as it reinforces the lesson and encourages further growth in their faith – and they are blessed to receive the Body and Blood at the Sacrament of Communion!
  • Some of our kids have said they don’t go to Mass.  Mass is part of our faith – we gather to hear the Word of the Lord, to prayer with each other, and at the table of the Lord to break bread.  If you are what you eat, then partaking in the Body and Blood of Christ would make us energized, holier and engaged.  
  • Thhe most powerful words of the Mass are at the very end.  “The Mass has ended.  Go forth to spread the word and the love of the Lord.”   That line, that commission to do God’s work, is all about being Catholic, Christian, and a vital member of the Universal CHURCH!  

Service, Retreat, necessary paperwork: ​

• Service: One is required, two are desired.  We try to have at least one of the service projects done with their class and here on the St. Edna Campus.  Any other service needs to be in alignment with St. Matthew’s Corporal Works of Mercy (Matthew 25:31-41).
• There will be a retreat experience during the summer after the second year of classes.  It is an all-day retreat, usually in early August.  Information on the 2020 dates are not available at this time
• Tracking Form on Goldenrod paper:  This is the form I use to keep track of the students, their progress, Confirmation name, etc.  It will be distributed in a future class.  Please look it over, make additions and corrections as needed and return to your Catechist.
• Saint Paper:  One paper is needed to tell about the Saint whose name you have chosen as your Confirmation name.  
• A letter to the Pastor and the Bishop:  This is not due until 2 months before Confirmation. 

 General notes for families:

• It is not “evange-atainment.”  We know that some of these kids do not want to be here.  It is our prayer that this will change as they get into the classes.  We are working to make the classes engaging, formational and relevant.  However, they are not “evange-atainment” – they are still religion classes.  
• They don’t drive!  It is the parents’ responsibility to get the kids to class on-time, to weekly Mass and other events at St. Edna.  The more they are here on this campus, the stronger their personal connection to their faith will grow.
• Sunday Mass: 5:30 PM.

If you are NOT attending the 5:30 Liturgy,  they will exit the building from the Hurley Center.   Parent pick up is at the east end of the parking lot.  Do not pick up in front of the Church or under the Canopy.  

Class of 2018

Confirmation Retreat:

The retreat was August 11 from 9-3.  If your student did not attend the retreat or the Holy Fire event, you will be sent an  indepent study retreat packet via Email the first week of September.  The completed work is to be brought to the first class on September 23 and turned into Nancy Holpuch, the director of Confirmation Prep.  

Confirmation Info 

Rehearsal for Confirmation will be on Oct. 28 at 2 PM in the Church.  The Confirmation Mass will be on November 3, 2018 at 10:30 AM.  Bishop Kane, who was scheduled to be our celebrant for this Mass has retired.  We will have Bishop Mark Bartosic as our celebrant.   

Class of 2019

The Archdiocese of Chicago is again presenting the HOLY FIRE event.  This year it will be on Oct. 27 at the U.I.C. Pavillion in Chicago.  The all day event will include music, prayer, witness talks, fun and a Mass.  I believe Cardinal Cupich will be presiding at the Liturgy.  All of the class of 2019 students will be invited to attend.  THIS IS CONSIDERED A CLASS DAY.  

Class dates for 2018-2019 school year.  

Dates for classes are as listed below.  We are still in the midst of the construction of the Parish Life Center which is resulting in some limitations of space used for classes.  This effects our early September schedule:  There is a break between our August 26 class and the next session on Sept. 23rd because of the construction.  

Classes will be from 4 PM until 5:15 PM on Sundays.   If you miss a class, see your syllabus and do the work for that week. It will help you keep up with your class.  If a student misses more than 2 of the 13 classes a session, a conference with student, parent and catechist will be nessary.  Sessions will meet: 

2018-2019 dates: 

August 26       Parent/Student/Teacher session in lower level of the
                     Hurley Center.   (1 of 13)
                     Class of 2018 DOES NOT ATTEND.​

Sept. 23 & 30  All Classes. Note: Class of 2018 meets in
                     lower  level of Hurley Center   (2 & 3 of 13)    

Oct. 14           Regular classes.  (4 of 13)            

Oct 27            Holy Fire event at the U.I.C. Pavillion for 9th grade 
                      students.   THIS IS CONSIDERED A CLASS DAY.   
                      (5 of 13 for the 2019 class)                 

Oct. 28           Rehearsal for the Class of 2018 at 2 PM in Church

Oct. 28           Regular class for Class of 2020 only,  
                      (5 of 13 for the 2020 class)   followed by
                     Candidacy Ceremony at the 5:30 Mass. 
                     All 2020 Students, parents and sponsors (if
                     chosen already) are asked to attend.  Students
                     should sit with their families.  

Nov. 3            Confirmation at 10:30 AM.  Students and sponsors
                     should be in their assigned seats by 10:10 AM.                            

Nov. 11          Regular classes.  (6 of 13)

Jan 13            Regular classes.  (7 of 13)

Jan. 20           Regular classes.  (8 of 13)

Jan 27            Regular classes.  (9 of 13)

Feb. 10           Regular classes.  (10 of 13)

Feb. 24           Regular classes.  (11 of 13)

March 3          Regular classes.  (12 of 13)

March 10        Class 13 of 13 (last of the season.)  All students,
                      parents and sponsors are invited to attend
                      the 5:30 Liturgy after this class.  There will
                      be a special blessing for the students. 

Pick up procedures: I have written this before, but again I ask you....
If your teen is NOT attending the 5:30 Liturgy, you are to pick them up at the North East Parking lot.  DO NOT pick up your teen in front of the Church, under or near the Canopy or in the Handicap parking spots. With the 5:30 Liturgy starting soon after class ends, the parking lot is very busy and we have had some issues with this timing.

General Notes for Parents, Students and Catechists: 

Walking our faith journey means walking with others.  We, everyone of us, are the Church of Today, and the Church of Tomorrow.  We are the people who are going to pass on our Catholic Faith to the next generation, and the next, and the next.   Mothers, fathers, grandparents, godparents, catechists, neighbors, family, the people involved in the Church and friends, all play a role in our faith community.  Set an example.  Get involved.  

​Our part of this journey is helping the young people prepare for this third and final Sacrament of Initiantion. That is what this program is all about - helping them to say "Yes, I am ready to make the committment to be a Catholic for the rest of my life."  We do this preparation work through classes, experiences, example and prayer.  

Let's go over some of the class portions of this preparation process.  We are using a new text book, "Decision Point" from the Dynamic Catholic Publisher.  This is Matthew Kelly's group.  As you know, Matthew Kelly encourages us to be the "best version of yourself."   Every section of this Confirmation Program is available on line.  Parents and students are encouraged to look over the videos, talk about class work, re-view or re-watch segments.  TV commercials are repeated several times during an hour to make sure we actually "get" the message the advertisers want to sell us.  Go over the lessons at home to make sure we/you/your teen is actually "getting" the lesson.  The link is Dynamiccatholic.com/confirmation.  

The class syllabus for each grade level is in the "Important Documents" column on this page.

Other Important information:

• Absent?  Please send  an email to nholpuch@stedna.org.  I can glance at 10 emails in a few seconds.  Voice mails take at least 1 minute each and I just don’t have time to listen and write down, print and then delete all those voice mails before class time.  And I do print out the emails absence notes.  
   
• Class time is from 4-5:15 pm.  Be on time.  The doors will be locked at 4:20 PM.  Ideally, the students will be headed into Church to join their families for Mass at the end of class. Please arrange a meeting place in church with your teen.  If you are picking you teen up after class, pick up at the north east end of the lot.  

Confirmation Preparation Overview

Begins in 8th grade. Our 2-1/4 year program concludes with our Confirmation Mass in November of the students' sophomore year. Classes are held on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 pm and conclude at 5:15 pm so that our students can attend the 5:30 pm Sunday Liturgy. 

Class texts are from the Dynamic Catholic Institute.  We will be using the series "Decision Point"  that has been developed by Matthew Kelly and his team. This series is the most comprehensive Confirmation preparation program around and will be used for both years.  

In addition to class time, our Confirmation candidates are also required to:

• Participate in service opportunities.  "One required, two desired."
• Attend a retreat that is specifly tailored for Confirmation students.  During the summer after the second year of Confirmation classes.
• Write a paper about the Saint they are choosing to guide them.  Include: Basic information on the Saint and why you feel inspired by this Saint. 
• Write a letter to the Bishop and our Pastor.  These letters are due SEPTEMBER , 2018.

 

Confirmation attendance expectations:   If you are going to miss a class,  please email Nholpuch@stedna.org before class time. It is expected that you will be committed to attending these classes.  You have the syllabus for the class work:  Do the work for a missed class before the next class.

Students are encouraged to pick their sponsors during their first year of classes. This will allow the Sponsors to fully participate in this faith journey with the teens. Sponsors need to be a practicing, confirmed, Catholic who is over 16 years old, and is not the student's biological or adoptive parent. Students are encouraged to select their Godparents, Grandparents or other strong role models of the faith for this important position.                  

I also ask that you check this website for information on a regular basis.   I update the website often.