Confirmation for Junior High Children
SPH students and Edge (7th & 8th grade Youth Group) participants receive the Sacrament of Confirmation int he 8th grade. This process begins with a blessing at Mass in the fall and ends with the Confirmation ceremony in the spring of the students' 8th grade year. In the interim there are several requirements: a letter of intent must be written to the pastor; a Confirmation name/Saint report must be submitted; and appropriate sponsor must be chosen and approved; three Parent/Candidate sessions must be completed that involve recognition of sacramental symbolism, creating a collage that demonstrates awareness of the presence of the Gifts or Fruits of the Spirit in the modern world, creating a Coat of Arms about their personal spirituality; three Sponsor/Candidate sessions must be completed that involve the sponsor sharing his/her won faith story, the candidate creating a power point presentation or collage about his/her prayer life, the candidate and sponsor recognizing and discussing the presence of Catholic Social Justice Teachings in a popular movie of their choice; Completion of 20 service hours by the candidate and submission of written reflections that relate the service project to relevant Catholic Social Justice Teachings; Participation in eight large group (with small group discussion time) instruction classes; Participation in a final retreat; Completion of a final interview.
A parent meeting is held in the fall of the 8th grade year to explain the paperwork, the Parent/Candidate sessions, the Sponsor/Candidate sessions, and answer any questions about the overall process.
Service hours can be started after the 7th grade year is completed. Service hour forms are available in the Narthex under the bulletin board.