Confirmation
Faith Formation Registration for 2023 – 2024 is now open! Click here to register.

Grades 7 – 12 (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. First Reconciliation and First Eucharist will take place in the Spring of their second year of preparation.
Contact Miguel DeAngel with any questions about grades 7 – 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 for a list of the upcoming sessions.

Confirmation Preparation
Confirmation preparation is a two-year process focused on the candidate’s experience of Mass, Scripture, Service and Fellowship with their fellow Confirmation candidates as well as the larger Good Shepherd community.
Here 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
Group A
- Retreat: September 30, 2023
- Reconciliation Service (Confessions): October 2023
- Rehearsal: November 7, 2023 at 7pm
- Confirmation Mass: November 11, 2023 at 10:30am
Group B
- Retreat: October 1, 2023
- Reconciliation Service (Confessions: October 2023
- Rehearsal: November 8, 2023 at 7pm
- Confirmation Mass: November 11, 2023 at 2pm
Year One Student Requirements
1. Mass and Gospel Weeklies (year-round)
- Families must attend Mass on a weekly basis and complete the Gospel Weeklies activities to assist in family conversations about the Gospel for that week.
- Parents must attend the Quarterly Gospel Weeklies meetings and pick up their child’s packet.
2. Small Group Meetings (year-round, beginning in October)
Small Group meetings begin in October and will meet 3 times a month, both in-person and online. The ALTARATION program on the Mass is part of the required content of Small Group participation. Students will actively participate in a Small Group consisting of a group of their peers and adult mentors.
- Active Participation is defined as being present in the Group (in person or virtual meetings as determined by the Small Group Leaders) and engaging in the discussion. If virtual, students will have their cameras on.
3. Confirmation Saint Name (by April 30, 2023)
- Year 2 Students must turn in their Confirmation Saint Name to their Small Group Leader according to the Group’s meeting schedule. (Small Group Leaders will inform the students what date the students will discuss their chosen Confirmation Names.)
- Candidates may choose to keep their baptismal name, signifying that they are confirming the faith that was given to them at Baptism; or, Candidates may choose the name of a patron saint, or one of the great men or women of the Bible, who serves as a role model and guide.
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.
4. Community and Communion
Confirmation candidates must develop relationship to the Good Shepherd community and be in communion with the universal Church, represented primarily by the Diocesan Church. To that end, Year 1 and 2 students attend the Diocesan High School Rally (October 23, 2022) or the Diocesan Middle School BASH (April 22, 2023).
Should these dates not be possible for your student or your family, make-up activities are possible as follows:
- Community: Attend Friday Night Lights youth group 4 times.
- Communion: Go on one of the following pilgrimages with family or friends.
- Encounter Emmitsburgh
- Encounter “Little Rome”
- Encounter St. Thomas More Cathedral
- Encounter Black Catholic History
- Encounter the Basilica of St. Mary
- Encounter Catholic Baltimore
For assistance finding other alternatives, please contact Miguel DeAngel.
5. Service
We are called to always love and serve God and neighbor. There is no requirement to track your service for Confirmation, but you may want to keep a personal log, as students will be required to speak about the service they did at a Confirmation interview at the end of the year. Who they served, why, and why it is meaningful service are examples of the things we want to discuss at their interview.
Practicing the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy is an important part of the Faith and a great place to start. Specific service opportunities can be found here.
6. Sacrament of Reconciliation
All students are encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year, especially during their first year of preparation or if they have not been in months. This may be done at any regular weekly Confessions at Good Shepherd or at one of our special Evenings of Reconciliation during Advent and Lent.
7. Other Year One Requirements
- Baptismal Certificate – must be turned in no later than September 30, 2022.
- Confirmation Sponsor – Year 1 students must choose their Confirmation Sponsor and submit his/her Name and Sponsor Letter before April 30, 2023.
- Year 1 students should watch this video on Choosing Your Sponsor and read the Sponsor Eligibility Requirements before choosing a sponsor.
- Sponsors must submit confirmation no later than April 30, 2023 that they meet the requirements to be a Confirmation 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 or via email to Jessica Campos. You must include “Confirmation Sponsor Letter” in the subject line of your email.
Year 2 Requirements
1. Mass and Gospel Weeklies (year-round)
- Families must attend Mass on a weekly basis complete the Gospel Weeklies activities to assist in family conversations about the Gospel for that week.
- Parents must attend the Quarterly Gospel Weeklies meetings and pick up their child’s packet.
2. Small Groups and Anointed in the Spirit (year-round, beginning in October)
Small Group meetings begin in October and will meet 3 times a month, both in-person and online. Keeping up with the Anointed in the Spirit book reading is part of the Small Group requirement. The chapters will be discussed during the Small Group meetings. Students will actively participate in a Small Group consisting of a group of their peers and adult mentors.
- Active Participation is defined as being present in the Group (in person or virtual meetings as determined by the Small Group Leaders) and engaging in the discussion. If virtual, students will have their cameras on.
Year 2 students will complete the assignments in the Anointed in the Spirit textbook as provided by their Small Group Leader. The chapters will be discussed during the Small Group meetings.
3. Community and Communion
Confirmation candidates must develop relationship to the Good Shepherd community and be in communion with the universal Church, represented primarily by the Diocesan Church. To that end, Year 1 and 2 students attend the Diocesan High School Rally (October 23, 2022) or the Diocesan Middle School BASH (April 22, 2023).
Should these dates not be possible for your student or your family, make-up activities are possible as follows:
- Community: Attend Friday Night Lights youth group 4 times.
- Communion: Go on one of the following pilgrimages with family or friends.
- Encounter Emmitsburgh
- Encounter “Little Rome”
- Encounter St. Thomas More Cathedral
- Encounter Black Catholic History
- Encounter the Basilica of St. Mary
- Encounter Catholic Baltimore
For assistance finding other alternatives, please contact Miguel DeAngel.
4. 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 the Confirmation Name and Confirmation Sponsor, and how they think God may be calling them to put their faith in action moving forward.
- Candidates will sign up to be interviewed by their Small Group Leaders in September 2023.
5. Sacrament of Reconciliation
All Year 2 Candidates will participate in a Reconciliation Service at Good Shepherd in October 2023.
6. 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 on September 30 or October 1, 2023.
7. Confirmation Rehearsal
All Candidates and their Sponsors must participate in the Confirmation Rehearsal on November 7 or November 8, 2023.
8. 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 on November 11, 2023.