Dear 8th Grade Parent(s)/Guardian,
At this time in their lives
your son/daughter is being offered the opportunity to choose to participate in
the sacrament of Confirmation and its preparation. God’s love and Holy Spirit
are always freely given, but need to be freely accepted by us. The choice is
ours to let God into our lives. So, too, our young people need to want this
opportunity that the Church offers them.
Therefore, on Tuesday,
October 17, 2017, an important meeting for you, your child, and
his/her sponsor will be held in Church at 7:00 pm to examine and
explain the various aspects of Confirmation, which completes and initiates one
into fuller membership in the Catholic Church.
Sponsors for Confirmation must
be at least sixteen years old and be confirmed in the Catholic faith. The Sponsor
need not be a member of the same sex as the person to be confirmed. A Baptismal
Godparent is the most appropriate and logical choice for a Sponsor for
Confirmation, as this sacrament completes and “confirms” the promises made at
Baptism. (Parents may not be sponsors.)
A new Confirmation name may or
may not be chosen. The Baptismal name would be most suitable, again since
Confirmation completes Baptism. However, if a student is interested in a
particular saint, a new name may be chosen for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The Enrollment Ceremony will
take place at the 11:30 am Mass on Sunday, October 22nd. All
those requesting the sacrament of Confirmation will be seated in the front of
Church. After the homily they will be asked to make their commitment to prepare
well for the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation. They will be presented
as Candidates for Confirmation. Parents and sponsors are invited and encouraged
to attend.
Bishop Foys will come
to St. Joseph Church to confirm our young people on Monday,
January 22, 2017, at 7:00 pm. Sunday, January 21st we will have a
rehearsal in the church after the 11:30AM Mass for all candidates and their sponsors.
A retreat will be held
at St. Joseph Heights in Park Hills on the day of Confirmation
from 8:30 – 1:30 pm. More information will come on this later.
Thank you for your acceptance
of and participation in this preparation of your child for this sacrament. Your
on-going guidance of your child in his/her faith formation is most important.
