Dear Parents of Confirmation Candidates,

We received new guidelines in preparing our young Church for the deeper commitment to a relationship with God that Confirmation encourages.

Parishes in the archdiocese will now invite all persons between ages of 13-18 to participate in a process of Confirmation and Liturgical preparation. It will no longer be a grade level offering.

In order to implement these new guidelines we will not offer Confirmation next year (2008-2009).  We will offer 10^th grade faith formation teaching Hebrew and Christian Scripture during our Sunday faith formation.

2009-2010 we will offer Confirmation for all youth ages 13-18 in a separate process outside our Sunday Faith Formation process. A Schedule and letter will be mailed to all youth that are at the required age for the Sacrament.

Any youth between ages 13 and 18 at this time will come forward and begin preparation in our parish.  If you do not respond at the beginning stages of our sacramental preparation you will more beneficially begin the next year.  There is no catching up just responding to the beginning and staying within the process consistently for the entire year. If candidate has to many unexpected events that require them to miss many of the sessions they will continue preparation the next year.  It is a process requiring personal conversion and making all the sessions a priority.

Prior to becoming a part of the confirmation process it only makes since that the youth (13-18) are attending the faith formation process offered by the parish.  Unless new to the Church a youth (13-18) must be in our faith formation process a year prior to responding to the call to be confirmed.

It is expected that youth 13-18 be in attendance during the 2008-2009 year before coming into the confirmation preparation process 2009-2010.

I hope all in the parish will see the spirit of these mandated changes:

·        Making it a experience of personal conversion and importance

·        Allowing it to be a whole Parish involvement

·        Emphasizing Gods grace as a effective and powerful presence

·        Removing it from a set moment (age) to a response (Conversion)

Sincerely in His Presence,

Gary Taylor