Confirmation
Faith Formation Registration for 2023 – 2024 is open through August 31. Click here to register.
Grades 7 – 8 (see below for detailed requirements)
At Good Shepherd, preparation for Confirmation is a two-year process which typically occurs during 7th and 8th grades with Confirmation taking place in Fall of the 9th grade year.
If your Middle or High Schooler has not yet received First Reconciliation or First Eucharist, preparation for those sacraments will have additional requirements.
Contact Seferina Del Valle with any questions about grades 7 – 8 sacramental preparation.
Grades 9 – 12
Sacrament preparation for grades 9 -12 is coordinated by Miguel DeAngel. Contact Miguel DeAngel with any questions about grades 9 – 12 sacramental preparation.
Adult Confirmation
For those who are already baptized Catholic, but never received the Sacraments of Confirmation and/or Eucharist, Good Shepherd offers a 10-week session of small group meetings to prepare for these Sacraments. Contact Joan Sheppard with any questions or to sign up for the upcoming session.
Confirmation Preparation
Confirmation preparation is a two-year process focused on the candidate’s experience of Mass, Scripture, Service, and Community with their fellow Confirmation candidates and fellow Good Shepherd parishioners.
Below are the specific requirements that must be met in Year 1 and Year 2 in order for the candidate to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
- If Year 1 requirements are not met, the student must re-register in Year 1 the following year;
- If Year 2 requirements are not met, the student must re-register in Year 2 the following year.
Confirmation 2023 Timeline (Candidates scheduled to receive Confirmation on November 11, 2023)
Group A
- Retreat: September 30, 2023
- Reconciliation Service (Confessions): October 2023
- Rehearsal: November 8, 2023 at 7pm
- Confirmation: November 11, 2023 at 10:30am
Group B
- Retreat: October 1, 2023
- Reconciliation Service (Confessions: October 2023
- Rehearsal: November 9, 2023 at 7pm
- Confirmation: November 11, 2023 at 2pm
Year One Student Requirements
1. Attend Sunday Mass
- Families attend weekly Mass (Saturday Vigil or Sunday).
2. In-Person Classes
- Students attend in-person classes according to the class calendar. Students may miss no more than 3 classes to fulfill the necessary requirements for Year 1. Students must be active participants in class. Active Participation is defined as being present in the Group and engaging in the discussion.
3. Gospel Weeklies At-Home Program
- Parents attend scheduled Parent Meetings;
- Parents and Students together complete the Gospel Weeklies activities at home.
4. Community and Communion
Confirmation preparation also includes developing the Candidates’ relationship to the Good Shepherd community and awareness of their communion with the universal Church, represented primarily by the Diocesan Church. To that end, Year 1 and Year 2 Middle School students attend the Diocesan Middle School BASH (Saturday, May 4, 2024).
Should this date not be possible for your student or your family, make-up activities may be possible (to be announced).
5. Service
We are called to Love and Serve God and neighbor. Practicing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy is an important part of the Faith and a great place to start. Specific service requirements will be announced at a later date and distributed to Candidates through your classes.
6. Other Year One Requirements – and Deadlines
- Baptismal Certificate (by September 30, 2023) Note: If your child was baptized at Good Shepherd, no certificate is necessary.
- Confirmation Saint Name (by April 30, 2024)
- Year 1 Students must turn in their Confirmation Saint Name to their Catechist. Catechists will inform the students on what class date the students will discuss their chosen Confirmation Names.
- Resources to help you choose a Saint
- Choosing a Confirmation Saint – Check out this video to hear some Good Shepherd Young Adults and Father Tom talk about what saint they chose for their Confirmation and why;
- Biggest and Best List of Confirmation Saints – A Lifeteen blog post that explains why we choose a Confirmation saint and offers a long list of potential saints organized into interesting categories.
- Confirmation Sponsor – Year 1 students must choose their Confirmation Sponsor and submit his/her Name and Sponsor Letter before April 30, 2024.
- Year 1 students should watch this video on Choosing Your Sponsor and read the Sponsor Eligibility Requirements before choosing a sponsor.
- If your Sponsor is a registered parishioner of Good Shepherd, have them complete and submit the Good Shepherd Sponsor Information Form;
- If your Sponsor is registered at another parish (not Good Shepherd), they must submit a Sponsor Eligibility Letter from the parish where they are registered.
- Sponsor Information Form or Sponsor Eligibility Letter must be submitted to the Parish Office Attn: Seferina Del Valle or via email to Seferina Del Valle. You must include “Confirmation Sponsor Letter” in the subject line of your email.
- Year 1 students should watch this video on Choosing Your Sponsor and read the Sponsor Eligibility Requirements before choosing a sponsor.
Year 2 Requirements
1. Attend Sunday Mass
- Families attend weekly Mass (Saturday Vigil or Sunday).
2. In-Person Classes
- Students attend in-person classes according to the class calendar. Students may miss no more than 3 classes to fulfill the necessary requirements for Year 1. Students must be active participants in class. Active Participation is defined as being present in the Group and engaging in the discussion. Year 2 students must complete assignments as provided by their Catechists.
3. Gospel Weeklies At-Home Program
- Parents attend scheduled Parent Meetings;
- Parents and Students together complete the Gospel Weeklies activities at home.
4. Community and Communion
Confirmation preparation also includes developing the Candidates’ relationship to the Good Shepherd community and awareness of their communion with the universal Church, represented primarily by the Diocesan Church. To that end, Year 1 and Year 2 Middle School students attend the Diocesan Middle School BASH (Saturday, May 4, 2024).
Should this date not be possible for your student or your family, make-up activities may be possible (to be announced).
5. Confirmation Interview
The Confirmation Interview is an opportunity for each candidate to speak about their love and service to God and neighbor, demonstrate their understanding of grace and sacraments, particularly the sacrament of Confirmation, why they want to be confirmed, what gifts of the Holy Spirit they most need or desire, why they chose their Confirmation Name and Confirmation Sponsor, and how they think God may be calling them to put their faith in action moving forward.
Candidates will be interviewed in the Fall of their Confirmation year.
6. Sacrament of Reconciliation
All Year 2 Candidates will participate in a Reconciliation Service at Good Shepherd in October 2023.
7. Retreat
All Confirmation Candidates will participate in a Confirmation Retreat – the culmination of your two years of preparation, and a Spirit-filled celebration of your Small Group and Good Shepherd community.
The Retreat will be held at Good Shepherd in Fall of your Confirmation year.
8. Confirmation Rehearsal
All Candidates and their Sponsors must participate in the Confirmation Rehearsal the week before Confirmation. Dates will be assigned and families will be notified once we have our Confirmation date from the Diocese.
9. Celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation
If the Candidate has completed all of the requirements listed above, he or she will be eligible to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at Good Shepherd. Once we have our Confirmation date from the Diocese, families will be notified of the date and time of their Confirmation celebration.