Year 2: Next Steps

Thank you for participating in your Confirmation discernment interview in April! It was good to hear how many of you have grown in your faith this past year, even throughout the pandemic.

Next Steps

• Please contact your sponsor and make arrangements to go through the Decision Point confirmation sessions with him or her over the summer. You get to decide when, where, and how many times you meet, but all sessions should be completed by August 15. The link to the videos, workbook, app, as well as sponsor and parent resources is located at https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/confirmation/decision-point.html 
• You’re invited to attend our LifeTeen Masses on scheduled Sunday evenings. Come meet our new parish high school ministry coordinator, Megan Schraeger, our new music director, Bridget Johnston, participate in Mass ministries, and stay for pizza after! Details at https://stbonifacechurch.org/high-school 
• If you haven’t already done so, please complete your sponsor form with your sponsor and return it to Amy Slick in the Faith Formation Office as soon as possible. Scroll down this page to view and print the form. 
• If you haven’t already done so, please complete and submit your written saint summary and service summary. Scroll down this page for details.

Important Dates

Sunday, August 15, Saint summary (2-3 paragraphs) due to Amy Slick at aslick@stbonifacechurch.org
Sunday, August 15, Service summary (2-3 paragraphs) due to Amy Slick at aslick@stbonifacechurch.org
Saturday, October 2, Retreat (required) 9am-5pm, followed by 5pm Mass with sponsor and parish community
Sunday, October 10, 1pm (arrive to parish hall by 12pm) Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation with Bishop Joensen

Please feel free to contact the Faith Formation Office if you have any questions or need assistance! You are in our prayers as you continue your preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation!
 

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Program Description

As recommended by Bishop Joensen and the Diocese of Des Moines Office of Evangelization & Faith Formation, Confirmation preparation in the parish is to be a two-year process beginning in 9th grade, with the sacrament typically conferred during the 10th grade year. This preparation supplements and supports ongoing preparation by parents as the the primary faith formators of their children in the home. 

Confirmation Year 2 (10th grade)

Confirmation Year 2 will include the following components. Additional details will be available soon. Thank you for your patience!

• Parent/teen information meeting 
• Second discernment conversation 
• Celebration of Reconciliation 
• Retreat 
• Celebration of Confirmation 
• Ongoing formation and social group activities 
• Ongoing service to parish or community

 

LifeTeen

Description

Teenagers need a community, mentors that can help them grow as disciples, and safe places to grow in their understanding of the faith and love of Christ. 
LifeTeen helps teenagers encounter the person of Jesus Christ in both large and small group formats. LifeTeen sessions are thoughtfully planned to help core team members accompanying teenagers on the road to discipleship.

LifeTeen Format and Content

LifeTeen includes catechetical topics, issues sessions, and social time. Each session is composed of four main parts: Gather, Proclaim, Break, and Send. 
 
Gather
LifeTeen leaders welcome teens and introduce the session. Games or activities help teens transition from home or school and create a welcoming and comfortable space to release some energy, and start thinking about the session topic. 
 
Proclaim
This teaching portion of the session may include a 10-15 minute talk from the Youth Minister or Core Team, or perhaps a panel discussion, a young adult witness, audio and video clips, or rotating sessions. The goal is to hear the session message from a variety of people, including core team members, priests, deacons, or other members of your parish community. Proclaims are short, simple, and relevant to teens' lives. 
 
Break
Teens have heard about a truth of our faith or how to deal with an issue in our world. Now, they have the opportunity to break it open on their level. This takes many forms over the course of a year: small group discussion, reflections, personal prayer time, discussion with a partner, and many more activities. Small group leaders facilitate the Break so teens have a chance to hear from each other and express their own feelings and understandings. 
 
Send
This is an opportunity for teens to be led into a time of prayer, a time for the Holy Spirit to move in each person's heart. The Send is designed to help teens experience the depth of prayer our Church has to offer. After prayer, leaders challenge teens to do something daily to remember what they experienced.

These nights are highly encouraged for our Year 2 Confirmation students, as it allows for them to interact with teens around their age as well as create a safe environment for them to engage in dialogue about their faith.

Service Nights

Description

As a way for the Year 2 Confirmation students to continue to live out their baptismal promises, they are invited to attend Service and Hang-Out Nights that occur once or twice a month (see calendar below for specific details). The evening will begin in prayer, which will be followed by food and social time. The second half of the night will include a service project and reflection.  The specifics for each night will be laid out below this paragraph. If you have any questions, concerns, or ideas for a service project please contact Megan Schraeger at mschraeger@stbonifacechurch.org. 
 

September Service Project

 

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Responsibilites

Candidates

In addition to ongoing formation that takes place in the home, Candidates for the sacrament of Confirmation are invited to prepare by participating in our parish preparation program, which includes formation, service opportunities, and discernment interviews. Each candidate selects a sponsor at the beginning of Year 1 to accompany him or her on this faith journey. If you've not already done so, please print the sponsor form at this link, then complete and return it to the Faith Formation Office.

Parents

As parents, you are the primary formators of your child in the faith and the parish is here to support you! We highly encourage parents or guardians and other significant adults in the candidate's life to see themselves as companions on a lifelong journey of faith with their teen. We believe and want to help our children understand that the sacrament of Confirmation is lived out in service as part of our baptismal call as Catholic Christians. As with all sacraments, they are not just one-day celebrations, but moments of encounter with Jesus to strengthen us for mission.

Please encourage your teen to attend LifeTeen Masses and sessions and participate in ongoing outreach and service in the parish and community. Try to be open to any and all questions as you travel this journey together. Please review this website page carefully and read all communications from the Faith Formation Office.

Sponsors

A sponsor's role in the candidate's preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation is essential and he or she is invited to prayerfully consider the importance of the role of a companion on a journey that helps draw the candidate closer to Christ. Sponsors are asked to develop a lifelong relationship with the candidate and meet with them once a month when possible to reflect together on the candidate's faith journey.

Sponsors may also be asked to write a letter of readiness on behalf of the candidate prior to Confirmation. Please print and complete with your candidate the sponsor form at this link and return to Megan Schraeger in the Faith Formation Office.
 

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Formation

Sessions

Scroll down this page for a detailed 2021-22 schedule, including information meetings, fellowship activities and service opportunities. 

Retreat

Candidates will participate in the all-day retreat, "Set Free," on Sat, Oct 2, 2021, from 9am-4pm, followed by 5pm Mass with their sponsors and our parish community. More details will be shared as soon as they're available. 

Saint Name

Candidates research and select a Catholic saint who inspires him or her. Once selected, the candidate will write a one-page summary about the saint. Please send to Amy Slick at aslick@stbonifacechurch.org.
 

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Service

Each candidate completes two service projects, 1) a family project and 2) a project with his or her sponsor. The project choice is up to the candidate. Here are ideas for possible projects:

Parish service and community outreach ideas for Confirmation candidates
Click here to view and print.

What the homeless really want in care packages
http://morewithlessmom.com/2015/11/18/real-deal-care-packages-for-homeless/#list

Items to put in food baskets for the needy
https://pocketsense.com/items-put-food-baskets-needy-8085.html

You are encouraged to take a picture during or after each of your projects, as well as write a one-page summary that describes 1) how you encountered Christ as a part of the project and 2) how you were a witness of Christ to others. Please send to Amy Slick at aslick@stbonifacechurch.org. 

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Discernment 

Our goal is for a member of our faith formation team to have at least two conversations with Confirmation Candidates as a part of preparation for the sacrament. 

• An initial conversation to get to know each candidate and learn about his or her current relationship with Christ, as well as discuss service opportunities.
• A conversation near the end of the program to assess each candidate's readiness and willingness for the sacrament, as well as to offer an opportunity to reflect on the preparation process and discuss his or her future and ongoing faith journey and involvement in the life of the parish community.

 

Sessions & Schedule 2021-22

Please review the below calendar for Confirmation Year 2. While we do our best to create a firm schedule, dates, times and topics are subject to change. We will communicate changes to families by email as far in advance as possible.
 

Calendar