​There are times when we fall short of acting with love, short of following the path of “doing what we believe.” And there are times when others fall short in treating us with love, times when we hurt one another through our words and our actions.

​This module begins by inviting the young people to consider times when they have been hurt by another and to consider how easy or hard it can be to forgive. They hear several powerful stories of forgiveness and then consider the question, Could I forgive like this? They also explore the ways in which they and their peers fall short of acting with love and mercy in their ordinary, daily life. 

Grades 8 & 9
Week of Sunday, March 21: Candidates meet in their Small Groups to discuss Called to Mercy Module 5: Guides Along the Way. 
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Grades 10-12:
Week of Sunday, March 21: Small Groups do not meet. Candidates complete Module 5: Guides Along the Way.

Selecting a saint name is a long-standing tradition of Confirmation. What is the significance of this practice, and how can it become an opportunity to deepen one’s connection with a spiritual life and commitment to mercy?

This module leads the young people into an exploration of the life of Jesus and his works of mercy and then into an inspirational contemplation on the lives of great spiritual women and men, particularly those canonized by the Church as models of the Church’s mission of giving witness to mercy. Bishop Frank invites the young people to consider saints not as lofty models of unattainable holiness but as our friends.

Module 3: The Gift of Happiness
True happiness comes at a price, and it requires courage to seek it and sustain it. Loving the way God desires us to love is not always easy, but it is a gift worth the commitment. In this module, the young people explore how choosing the path of true happiness takes courage, strength, and resolve.
The young people discover that the Gifts of the Spirit are actually foundations for a life of happiness. The young people are then invited to explore more deeply with Bishop Frank the places in our society where profound brokenness and injustice exist and to consider how they are called to bring the gift of happiness to others, especially those most in need. To support that invitation, the young people are led through a discernment of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to then consider which gifts they most need strengthened in their own life.
​The module closes with prayerful reflection on what it means to allow the Holy Spirit, as Pope Francis says, to “draw us into this missionary dynamism, awakening within us the desire, the joy and the courage to offer our own lives in the service of the Kingdom of God” (“Message for the 52nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations”)

Module 4: Doing What We Believe
Bishop Frank opens this module by sharing the story of his own Confirmation preparation when Sr. Thomas Bridget impressed upon him the importance of doing what you believe. The module leads the young people to explore inspirational stories of peers around the world who are putting into practice their belief through acts of mercy.

Then, through the stories of Jesus in Scripture, the young people explore the fruits of the Holy Spirit as the signs of, and witness to, doing what you believe. They are invited to consider adults in their lives who inspire them by the way their lives manifest the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Rooted in this sense of inspiration and admiration of people who they experience as models of “doing what you believe,” they are led to discern their own Confirmation sponsor.

The module closes with prayerful reflection on what most challenges the young people in their own practice of “doing what you believe” and a prayer for God’s guidance and help.