Confirmation catechists - need ideas!

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LisaB

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I volunteered to teach confirmation this year and would like to hear from other experienced catechists - tell me tips for success, your favorite learning activities, maybe good videos you showed the students, share your experience! My co-teacher and I will have a class of about 20 students. We will be using the book Chosen, but we were told that we can use the book as much or as little as we want- basically as long as the topics are covered, we are free to teach any way we want. Thanks in advance.
 
LisaB said:
We will be using the book Chosen, but we were told that we can use the book as much or as little as we want- basically as long as the topics are covered, we are free to teach any way we want. Thanks in advance.
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I’d suggest you preview the Chosen content first, because it’s video and book content combined and the lessons are well thought out. I don’t really see you effectively switching in and out of it. I’d supplement it with other materials, if after viewing i thought anything additional needed for my students. Such as videos on particular saints, time with scripture and the Catechism, etc.
 
Read the Bible together. Lets say the 20 most common stories where it shows who God is and also who the human being is. Our actions and reasoning. Read them several times. Connect them to the teachings of the day or church seasons.

Have something like “Ask the priest, deacon, brother, sister and married couple anything” sometimes also called the “Hot seat/chair”.
 
I would grab a copy of “Converting the Baptized”.

In my years of experience, you are teaching a room where maybe 1 or 2 actually have a relationship with Christ and His Church.

“Catholic Alpha”, basic Christianity, has had some very good fruits in the mission field of Confirmation Prep.
 
I’d also like to point out that confirmation class is just that-- proximate preparation for confirmation. And as such should be focused on the sacrament of confirmation and those things associated with this sacrament. That can be a review of all the sacraments. That can be deepening prayer life. That can be relationship with Jesus. That can be a deepening of understanding of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how we live a Christian life post Confirmation. But remember, it is first and foremost sacramental preparation for Confirmation.

BUT:

It is not a bible study class. It is not an apologetics class. It is not a moral theology class. It is not a kitchen sink class where you just throw in all sorts of topics.

Please review your diocesan curriculum guidelines and go to your DRE or the diocesan director of catechesis if you are unsure what you should be teaching in this class.
 
As a first year catechist I would stick with the Chosen content. It comes with a set of videos you can buy or access online. The program is comprehensive and has all the elements needed in a confirmation prep program. I would not bring in another book or program to supplement the Chosen program until you have some experience with the materials.

I am the DYM at my parish and this is the program I have decided on for our confirmation youth. Fr. Mike Schmitz videos are great but he is in several of the Chosen videos. If you do add anything add adoration time, teach them how to do adoration and lots of reconciliation.

Put the youth in small groups according to gender and age if possible, 6-7 in a group and give them time to discuss the lesson, stuff that is going on in their lives, questions they may have, or really anything that effects their faith journey or relationship with Christ. Keep the same kids in the same group throughout the year so they develop a bond with each other. It’s really important to keep the groups separate by gender as mixed boys & girls does affect their ability to be open with one another.

If you do bring in another book, bring in the bible and teach them how to use it. So many youth have not been exposed to an actual bible.

Check out the Ascension Press website and create a free account to access more information. Chosen: Your Journey Toward Confirmation – Ascension

Good luck and feel free to PM me with questions.
 
There is another, really good program called Altaration. I watched the videos a few years ago and they still stay with me. You might consider it.
 
I wasn’t suggesting replacing Chosen, nor is Altaration meant as confirmation prep. It’s a program meant to introduce teens to the Mass and is a nice companion to Chosen.
 
I agree. Those of us who are familiar with middle school and high school religious education including confirmation prep know what is appropriate for which group. If one is a DYM like me, one better know the diocese guidelines for confirmation and curriculum guidelines for all youth.

Ascension Press has great curriculum but is just one of many companies that does materials for faith formation. In my opinion they are one of the better ones but again that is my opinion.

We confirm in high school so Alteration is a big part of our 8th grade curriculum. I’ve used parts of it in retreats I’ve written for youth. As there are so many good programs out there it makes no sense to try to reinvent the wheel.
 
Thanks for all your replies so far. I will review the links when I get the chance (in the middle of a move right now running around like crazy).

I like the idea of small groups separated by gender, and taking them to adoration. The good thing is that the Youth minister at this parish said the pastor is very flexible and will be supportive of adoration (i believe the Blessed Sacrament is not perpetually exposed there, so we would need a priest for this).

I don’t have the Chosen book yet, they will give them to us in a few weeks and then I’ll be able to actually see what content it has and what the topics are. One of the teachers said that some videos that go along with it are good and others not so much.

Are there good websites dedicated to youth catechism, that may have ideas for various activities people have tried, other resources, etc?
 
Yes, you did. Just re-iterating that the publisher may have an online, social media community.
 
I am not a cathechist but I received confirmation earlier this year. One of the best things during our confirmation classes was one day when a young priest from another parish who is amazing with youth cane to preach. After preaching he told us to take sheets of paper and write down anything that we would like to share with him including things we’ve never told anyone and are struggling with. He told us to write a number on our sheet for identification and he collected the papers. Later in the day he wrote personalised answers for each student including a meeting time if one wanted to talk face to face … I know it’s not entirely related to faith formation but it was a great thing and it was amazing . Many people who were strryggling with family problems or smoking got help from father
 
Chosen isn’t so much a book as it is a program. It comes with a set of videos, an instructor’s guide and student workbooks. Not every video is great but many of them are. Remember, confirmation programs are not set on personal opinion, but rather do they meet the needs of the students, the diocese, and the Catholic Church as a whole.

There are several youth ministry resource sites. Christopher Wesley is doing great work, Marathon Youth Ministry, Dr Bob McCarty has great info on communicating with youth.

I get a lot of activity ideas from Pintrest, I just modify them to suit or needs. With all youth the last thing they want is to sit in another classroom and be talked at. They get enough of that at school. Youth ministry, including confirmation prep, needs to be experiential. It needs to be at their level, not that the information needs to be dumbed down because that is not true at all, it just needs to meet the kids where they are, how does this apply to their lives today? Youth ministry needs to be interactive, if you and your co-teacher do all the talking the kids will learn very little. They will put in the time, do just enough to make it to confirmation, and then just leave.

I can’t stress enough that cobbling a program together from various sources is NOT a good way to go. Supplementing an approved program with some other resources may work but it takes a lot of experience to know what will and won’t work. You’ll get many opinions of what should and shouldn’t be included, especially from folks who don’t work in youth ministry, but the bottom line is to prepare the youth for a life in Christ with confirmation.
 
LisaB said:
The good thing is that the Youth minister at this parish said the pastor is very flexible and will be supportive of adoration (i believe the Blessed Sacrament is not perpetually exposed there, so we would need a priest for this).
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Our priests are great with this. We do have perpetual adoration but we can’t all fit in to the chapel. One of the priest will lead us in this with the exposition, some reflections, and the benedictions. We teach the kids the proper way to do adoration including teaching them the music in Latin.
 
The confirmation program at our diocese is 2 years long. I think what they are trying to do is teach the kids as much about the faith as possible in these 2 years, because most have had no religious education since first communion, and won’t have any more after they “graduate” the confirmation program. So while in theory it’s supposed to be sacramental preparation, in practice the first year at least is religious gen ed.
 
I do know this as this is my job and that was not my point in that comment. My point was the days of standing in front of a group of teens, teaching any type youth ministry is outdated. The programs are better when they are interactive.
 
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