Confirmation requirement...TresDias?

[dranzal]

I just looked up this tresdias thing on its website www.tresdias.org. It is interdenominational and “ecumenical”. It is my understanding that our parish is having the Confirmandi do a “palanca” weekend.

What? Parents are being encouraged to send “palanca” for the child’s weekend.

First, while I’m not anti-foreigner, it seems silly to me to utilize these Spanish terms for something these Roman Catholic children will be doing. Our parish is not predominantly hispanic.

Second, if they want the kids to do a retreat weekend, great. Why involve this interdenominational “movement”?

Any thoughts? Puzzleannie?

 

[graceandglory]

I just looked up this tresdias thing on its website www.tresdias.org. It is interdenominational and “ecumenical”. It is my understanding that our parish is having the Confirmandi do a “palanca” weekend.

What? Parents are being encouraged to send “palanca” for the child’s weekend.

First, while I’m not anti-foreigner, it seems silly to me to utilize these Spanish terms for something these Roman Catholic children will be doing. Our parish is not predominantly hispanic.

Second, if they want the kids to do a retreat weekend, great. Why involve this interdenominational “movement”?

Any thoughts? Puzzleannie?

I would go with your gut on this one.
I went to the tresdias website in the link you provided. It is definitely “ecumenical” and styled after a cursillo weekend.

I am a catholic “re-vert.” It was during my high school years that I found so much “life” in the protestant evangelical youth groups, that I stopped attending Catholic Church. I’m not blaming my mom for permitting me to go. But I am saying to be very careful. I certainly wouldn’t send my child off without me right there.

I would be very concerned, right at the time of her entrance into the Catholic Church, that your church is suggesting to look
“outside” for teaching and encouragement in the faith.

You asked “Why involve this interdenominational movement?” I would guess it’s because your church doesn’t feel it has enough resources to interest the kids.

If it were me, and from my own experience being the protestant youth group that led me out of the Church, I wouldn’t participate.

Instead, could you go to your local Catholic bookstore, find a good Catholic movie, or tape series, and spend the same amount of time with your child going through something completely Catholic and preparing him/her to receive the Sacrament at the same time?

 

[dranzal]

Since TresDias is styled after Cursillo (which is CATHOLIC) why are they doing TresDias instead?

Hmmm.

 

[Phemie]

I
I would be very concerned, right at the time of her entrance into the Catholic Church, that your church is suggesting to look
“outside” for teaching and encouragement in the faith.

I would like to point out that Confirmation ISN’T the time of her entrance into the Church: she entered the Catholic Church on the day of her Baptism. This is what’s wrong with having Confirmation so late - it promotes a wrong concept of what Confirmation is.

 

[puzzleannie]

Is it absolutely sure from your parish YM that the retreat being offered is through the auspices of this organization, or is it the Cursillo (Catholic Charismatic) retreat for youth that has been around for about 30 years, which sometimes has the same name.

I would not allow my child to go out of the parish to a remote site for a retreat overnight, much less pay for it, unless I know where it is–the site and material safety, but also under whose auspices; who is sponsoring and acutally giving the retreat, and all the relevant details, including who is supervising and how sleeping arrangments are handled, and how many chaperones (I would be one, actually) and the like. These details should have been covered at the Confirmation parent meeting where they hit you up for the money.

I will say that at least down here there are very few retreat centers geared to handle a typical confirmation class of 60-80, so many parishes do rent out space owned by other denominations (who spend so much more freely on YM in general). the site, as long as safety concerns are met, is not as important as the substance of the retreat itself, and most important, who is doing the actual spiritual leadership.

a cursillo weekend under Catholic auspices, done by those I know here who are active in Cursillo would be an excellent Confirmation retreat, if I could find a facility. However my T-Shirt reads “I survived 4 teenagers” and at my time in life I am not about to take 70 kids on an overnight anywhere, including to our own parish hall. I am dumb but I am not stupid and this is one diocesan directive (overnight retreat) that I interpret broadly.

most of the variability in the cost of an overnight is board and fee for presenters, and of course transport and food. Expect to pay anywhere from $150 to 400 for a 3-day 2 night weekend retreat, and yes in most dioceses it is mandatory.

a good retreat can be life-changing for kids who are already receptive to its benefits as are most (not all) kids in they typical Confirmation class and I would definitely sacrifice, and have, to get them on a good solid Catholic retreat. For instance the Kairos (sp?) retreat that those in Jesuit high schools attend is based on soundly Ignatian spiritual principles and is excellent, and has indeed formed vocations.

 

[graceandglory]

I would like to point out that Confirmation ISN’T the time of her entrance into the Church: she entered the Catholic Church on the day of her Baptism. This is what’s wrong with having Confirmation so late - it promotes a wrong concept of what Confirmation is.

My bad. I realized that myself later. I guess I’m used to having a lot of convert friends, who are confirmed when they enter the Church.

As for tres dias and Confirmation, though, I believe that the Mexican Catholic population confirm babies when they are baptized.

 

[Monsterkittie]

As for tres dias and Confirmation, though, I believe that the Mexican Catholic population confirm babies when they are baptized.

They used to confirm children at around the age we do our First Communions, about 2nd grade. Now, it’s held off until the child is older than 13 years old. Usually 14 or 15. Definately not as late as 10th grade like in the US. Also, depending on the parish, it might not be a lengthy preparation. Usually two weeks wait time, with only two meetings.

I think the original question was about the palanca. That’s a small token to show your support for them as they are preparing to fully enter as members of the church community. My palancas were bookmarks for my new bible, signed by my parents and grandparents with words of love and encouragement.

 

[graceandglory]

They used to confirm children at around the age we do our First Communions, about 2nd grade.

Interesting article on the age of confirmation:

Reflections on the age of confirmation.

by William J. Levada

FULLY TEN YEARS after the promulgation of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, the American Catholic bishops** finally achieved in 1993** a consensus of sorts about the age of confirmation. Canon 891 determines that “the sacrament of confirmation is to be conferred on the faithful at about the age of discretion unless the conference of bishops determines another age or there is danger of death or in the judgment of the minister a grave cause urges otherwise.”

In actual practice the age of confirmation has varied widely in the Church, both historically and geographically, for the faithful who were baptized as infants. In the Eastern churches, confirmation or chrismation has traditionally been united with the sacrament of baptism and formed a single rite usually administered by the priest. In the Latin churches of the West, the sealing of the gift of the Spirit through confirmation was reserved to the bishop in a separate rite.

However, the practice in the Latin West has not been uniform. In many Spanish-speaking countries, it was customary for the bishop to confirm two- and three-year olds presented for confirmation in the cathedral.

from questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=HhkJgyxpqGGp2M26yH2rTjhQZtfQy3hcxz7zGRPhmfb7tSvFtGq2!-465978695?docId=5000362026
So infant baptism would have been the norm in latin american families for people born at least up to the nineties. All Hispanic Catholic adults that I know were confirmed as infants.