What is Confirmation?

Along with Baptism and Eucharist, Confirmation is one of the three initiation sacraments and is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. Conferred in the 10th grade or older in the Diocese of Des Moines, Confirmation is a sacred moment that enables you to recognize and respond to God's call. In the sacrament, God's Holy Spirit communicates seven significant gifts: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, piety/devotion, courage, counsel, and the obedient love of an adopted daughter or son.

The Rite of Confirmation is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, October 10, 2021, at 1:00pm with Bishop William Joensen. It is possible that our parish will also have a second confirmation date. Candidates will gather in the parish hall one hour prior to the celebration of the sacrament. 

Program Description

To help your family prepare your daughter or son for the sacrament of Confirmation, we are using PURPOSE, a new curriculum from Catholic publisher LifeTeen. PURPOSE is formed around these questions: "Why God?", "Why Jesus?” and “Why Church?” and offers a transformational plan for the Confirmation journey that seeks to draw youth to become disciples of Jesus who will go out and bear witness to His love in the world today.
 

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Responsibilites

Candidates

Candidates for the Sacrament of Confirmation are invited to prepare by participating in our parish preparation program, which includes formation sessions, service opportunities, and discernment interviews. Each candidate will also select a sponsor to accompany him or her, and should make the selection early in the preparation process so the sponsor can be closely involved. Please print and complete with your sponsor the sponsor form at this link and return to Amy Slick in the Faith Formation Office as soon as possible.

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 the journey with their teen. Try to attend as many formation sessions as possible with your child, participate in service with him or her, and 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 attend formation sessions with the candidate when possible and meet with them once a month 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 Amy Slick in the Faith Formation Office as soon as possible.
 

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Formation

Formation Sessions

Information meetings for students and parents were held via Zoom on Oct 14 and Oct 21, 2020. If you were unable to attend, please watch the replay at this link and complete the assignments explained during the Zoom session.

Formation sessions are scheduled October 2020 - May 2021. For now all sessions will be via Zoom. Families with 9th graders registered for Confirmation preparation will receive a weekly email with a Zoom link the day of each session. Scroll to the bottom of this page for the complete fomation schedule.

Retreat

Due to the current pandemic, we have yet to determine if we will offer a retreat as part of Confirmation preparation. We will inform families well in advance if we decide to have candidates participate in a retreat.

Saint Name

If you have not already done so, candidates are encouraged to research and select a Catholic saint who inspires him or her. Once selected, the candidate will write a one-page summary about the saint. The summary is requested at least one month prior to celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Service

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

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. These items are requested at least one month prior to celebrating the Sacrament of Confirmation. Please send to Amy Slick in the Faith Formation Office or email to confirmation@stbonifacechurch.org

Discernment 

Due to the current pandemic, we are working on how to conduct discernment interviews with candidates. We will inform families as soon as we have more details, but we hope to have the opportunity for two interviews:

• An initial interview to get to know each candidate and learn about his or her current relationship with Christ, as well as discuss service opportunities.
• An interview 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.

 

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Formation Schedule

We will offer regularly scheduled formation sessions via Zoom for confirmation candidates. We highly encourage parents, grandparents, and sponsors to attend as many sessions as possible with the candidates. Families with 9th graders registered for Confirmation preparation will receive an email with the Zoom link the day of the session. Below is our 2020-21 formation schedule.  Please note that dates and topics are subject to change.

Miss a session? If you will miss a session due to illness or other reasons, please send an email in advance or as soon as possible to confirmation@stbonifacechurch.org. After each session we will post a link to the session PowerPoint slides next to the session date below.

We want to hear from you! Each month, please complete our one-minute, three-question survey about our PURPOSE session at this link. Your feedback helps us improve and better meet our parish family's needs...thank you!

Formation Schedule

October 2020
7        7pm, Kitchen Table Faith: Return to our roots (for all ages)
14      7-8pm, information session for students and at least one parent (last names A-M)
21      7-8pm, information session for students and at least one parent (last names N-Z)
28      7pm, Purpose session: BEGINNINGS: Introduction to the Process

November 2020
4         7pm, Kitchen Table Faith: Thanks be to God (for all ages)
11       7pm, Purpose session: SIGNATURE: The Sacrament of Confirmation. Click here to view the session PowerPoint slides.                                                                                 
December 2020
9         7pm, Kitchen Table Faith: Waiting in joyful hope (for all ages)
16         7pm, Purpose session: CALLED: :Foundations of Discipleship

January 2021
6          7pm, Kitchen Table Faith: Holy families, imperfect families (for all ages)
13        7pm, Purpose session: POWER: The Holy Spirit in a Life of Discipleship

February 2021
3          7pm, Kitchen Table Faith: Jesus proclaiming in word and deed (for all ages)
10        7pm, Purpose session: MEANING: Our Vocation

March 2021
3          7pm, Kitchen Table Faith: The kingdom of God is like… (for all ages)
10        7pm, Purpose session: SPEAK: Witnesses of Faith

April 2021
7          7pm, Kitchen Table Faith: From chaos to mission (for all ages)
14        7pm, Purpose session: UNITED: Social Justice

May 2021
5          7pm, Kitchen Table Faith: Living the mission (for all ages)
12        7pm, Purpose session: MY PURPOSE: Ongoing Relationship with the Holy Spirit