Confirmation "service"

[Rahn]

I recently returned to the USA from Australia. My eldest daughter received the sacrament of Confirmation in Australia, and it’s now time for my younger daughter to receive the sacrament.

I was somewhat startled to learn that the two parishes we have considered for her Confirmation require her to perform “service hours”. I sure don’t remember that from when I was confirmed “a few” years ago! It wasn’t required when my eldest daughter was confirmed in Australia.

I don’t object out of hand to the idea of service as part of the preparation for confirmation, however, the parish we’ve chosen has some rather “odd” service requirements. There’s a set number of hours required. and some “mandatory” events: several day retreats, “missal covering” and (the one that really gets my goat) she is required to be a waitress and a “prize runner” for a “salad luncheon” put on by the Rosary Society.

These requirements are being put forward by the Director of Religious Education (lay), but every indication is that it’s being done under the auspices of the pastor.

Can I get some feedback on the concept of Confirmation Service: when it started, what is the idea behind it, are there any basic rules that a parish needs to follow?

And an opinion: shouldn’t service be geared toward actually preparing the candidate for Confirmation (good works, prayer, Bible and catechism study, etc) or are items like “salad luncheon service” worthwhile?

Thanks and God Bless!

 

[toaslan]

Recently, I taught Confirmations classes for four years. We had no service requirement, and it never came up. The pastor did want the students to join some classes from other parishes at a joint Confirmation retreat, but this was his decision and it was not mandatory upon the families until he made it so. Strictly speaking, what is mandatory is that the candidate be baptized and already admitted to Holy Communion and desirous of Confirmation. Then there has to be a a bishop willing to confer the Sacrament, or willing to authorize a priest to do so for him. The bishop can require more or less sacrament-specific preparation. Theoretically, a bishop could ask an eligible young person a few questions and confirm him on the spot; or he could confirm a baby after baptising and giving First Communion. I don’t know what diocese in the US you are now living in, and whether your bishop is accessible and/or flexible. But if I were you, if you have not yet settled into a particular parish, I would do some more parish shopping. Or you could speak to the pastor about having your daughter do service hours with a local pro-life crisis center, or bring food to a parish home after a funeral, or visit a nearby women’s prison, or something good you can come up with. Offer to make such opportunity available not only to your daughter, but as a option to any other of her classmates who would prefer… I bet you would have some students and parents pretty grateful to you.

My own opinion about such service hours would be that they should be, ideally, directly spent in works of mercy as traditionally understand, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy: visit the sick and imprisoned, feed the (truly) hungry, comfort the grieving, etc. If service hours happen, they should happen as an integrated part of the sacramental preparation.

That somebody thinks Confirmation students should do gofer work for a parish fundraiser or such is perhaps a bleedover from the current disproportionate and inappropriate emphasis on social justice as opposed to either actual justice or, better yet, charity or the love of God, that is, doing all things in and for Love. This infatuation with social justice sucks up all spiritual energy and displaces the far harder and deeper spiritual work which waits upon the Catholic soul.

Were I that teacher in those parish settings, I would be resisting the waste, indeed the wrong messaging, involved in treating busywork as works of mercy, or works indicated by Christ in the Beautitudes or anywhere else.

Kudos to you for being a thoughtful parent.

 

[Katherine438]

My daughter made her confirmation about 15 years ago, and she did have service requirements … I believe she fulfilled hers by going to a nursing home several times. However, it does sound like your Church is requiring quite a bit.

 

[jediliz]

When i was confirmed in my diocese, we had to do service hours. It wasn’t a huge deal. One of the things i did was visit an elderly neighbor who had recentlynmoved to a nursing home. Volunteering at a soup kitchen, etc, would also be good to do.

Just think of the works of mercy…

 

[Book_Worm]

The parishes with which I an acquainted have a variety of ways for confirmandi to fulfill their service hours, some of which do involve assisting at parish events.

I think it’s a great idea. A vibrant parish that is the center of life for its parishioners depends on those parishioners to provide the manpower for its programs. Assisting in a fund-raising event for the Rosary Society reinforces the idea that, just as members of a physical family each help to keep it running smoothly, so should the members of our church family help the other members in their efforts.

I can’t imagine that the luncheon will take more than three hours, leaving a sufficient number of hours left to perform services that you think are more appropriate.

I know here it’s extremely difficult for young teens to perform the type of service hours suggested. They would never be allowed in a prison; even the adult volunteers in our free-lunch kitchens have to meet stringent training requirements, and the hours of operation conflict with school hours; the location of the battered woman’s shelter is kept strictly confidential, and I believe the pregnancy center also places a high priority on confidentiality. When I retired and tried to expand my volunteer hours in my parish, the opportunities were extremely limited and depended on having a driver’s license and necessitated some financial outlay (buying and cooking food for bereaved families, new mothers, and the sick).

 

[Corki]

This is one of my pet peeves about the state of religious education in the Catholic Church in the US. Yes, it is great to encourage the youth in the parish to engage in service - either individually or in group projects. But tying the Sacrament of Confirmation to fulfilling a set number of hours of free labor smacks of simony. It’s paying for a Sacrament with labor.

As an aside, when the typical age for receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation was 3rd or 4th grade, this wasn’t an issue. Another good reason to adopt the restored order.

 

[Usige]

My two oldest kids were not required to do service hours. The oldest because she went through RCIA at 8 and it wasn’t required for the 2nd oldest because he has some autism related issues.

My next two will be confirmed in a few months. Again with no service hours. Why? Because they are in elementary school (archdiocese moved confirmation to 1st grade, 1st communion to 2nd grade). Long and short is that there is no requirement by the Church for there to be service hours. That being said, it might be that a particular bishop requires it. I don’t know if that would fall under particular law and how much can be mandated.

Also note that 1st communion is not a requirement as stated by a previous poster. Heck, I’m a convert and was confirmed before receiving the Eucharist. When my 3rd and 4th kids are confirmed only 2 of the 6 people in my family above the age of reason will have received the Eucharist before confirmation. I just wanted to make it clear that it is not a requirement.

Should service hours be works of mercy? I would think so. Things like requiring a kid to serve at a parish function kinda bother me. Yes it is service, but working at a food kitchen serving the less fortunate seems more in the spirit of service than waiting tables at a parish social function. Just my opinion.

 

[pianistclare]

Several things:

A pastor may decide not to Confirm children who have not received their first communion.
Just because some places do the restored order, it does not mean that all do.

WE require lots of community service. The kids LOVE it and continue to serve the poor the needy, and their parish long after Confirmation.
It’s a VERY good thing.

The fact they are being asked to do things that adults would normally do, is a sign that the adults are not engaged in the parish, and they will take help wherever they can get it. There is nothing subservient about serving at table. Half of our teens work as wait staff.
No big deal. The thing to remember is that they are building a habit of SERVING OTHERS.
The skills and empathy they develop is crucial to growing responsible and compassionate adults.

Don’t complain, especially in front of your student!
They’re doing much to lead teens to being the hands and feet of Christ.

I didn’t do any service when I was confirmed at 11 years old. Nor do I remember much of it, not did I receive much instruction on anything.

What is better, just ticking off a box, or having a great catechetical experience and having teens remain in the church?

I would be very glad that my parish is not a “bare minimum” parish.

 

[Casilda]

Not an issue at my parish, the newly baptized get confirmed immediately after, even infants

 

[Usige]

Not an issue at my parish, the newly baptized get confirmed immediately after, even infants

What?!?!?!?!?!?!? :dts:

Are you saying you can’t get the superlative 20-40 hours of community service and the weekend retreat wedged in during those few minutes between baptism and confirmation? How in the world do people learn the faith or learn to serve others if you don’t use confirmation as a prize goal for continuing their religious education?

 

[Usige]

A pastor may decide not to Confirm children who have not received their first communion.
Just because some places do the restored order, it does not mean that all do.

No one is saying that withholding confirmation until after admission to the Eucharist is not a norm. I was merely pointing out that it is incorrect to say that admission to communion is a de facto requirement. The Church does not, and never has, set that as a requirement. The Latin Church has very minimal requirements under universal law. They are:

1. • Must be baptized
   • Must not have previously received confirmation
   • If one has reached the age of discretion
   • Be properly instructed
   • Be able to renew baptismal promises
   While universal law allows a bishops conference to set the age of confirmation higher than the age of discretion, it maintains that the most suitable age is the age of discretion (normally held as 7 years old). The minister of confirmation may use another age for a **grave **reason (c. 891), but the reception of confirmation is the right of the faithful and may not be withheld when asked for if the person is properly disposed and not prohibited by law (c. 843§1). The clergy have a duty to properly catechized (c. 843§2) and that is therefore a right of the faithful, but is not a barrier if they chose not to fully participate. My canon law commentary essentially says that the right of the faithful to receive the sacraments out weighs the clergy’s duty to instruct the faithful.
   
   So what does all this mean? That according to the rights of the faithful, the sacrament of confirmation cannot be withheld without grave reasons. If someone does not do their “required” community service hours, wear their program tee-shirt, participate in the roof raising charismatic confirmation retreat, or dozens of other conditions some set as required prerequisites then those denying the sacraments are infringing on the rights of the faithful. None of those things rise to the level of grave reason to withhold a sacrament.
   

   What is better, just ticking off a box, or having a great catechetical experience and having teens remain in the church?

   Except isn’t that exactly what happens when you have required hours or required activities? You cannot force someone to have a “great catechetical experience”. You simply lay out what you think a great experience is and then check off that confirmadi have hit the check points. Just as hitting the checkpoints does not prove a “great catechetical experience”, neither does “doing the bare minimum” prove that people will not stay in the Church or learn the faith.
   
   I know that you and I greatly disagree on confirmation as a right versus a reward for doing what you are told, but the fact remains that the Church does not require these prerequisites. That being said, if a Bishop decides to infringe the rights of the faithful there is not much they can do.
   
   I for one am glad that my pastor and bishop understand that there is a difference between norms and rights. The norm might be X, Y, Z for pastoral reasons, but they also understand that the faithful have rights that do not include the dozens of things layered on top as “requirements”.

 

[pianistclare]

No one is saying that withholding confirmation until after admission to the Eucharist is not a norm. I was merely pointing out that it is incorrect to say that admission to communion is a de facto requirement. The Church does not, and never has, set that as a requirement. The Latin Church has very minimal requirements under universal law. They are:

1. • Must be baptized
   • Must not have previously received confirmation
   • If one has reached the age of discretion
   • Be properly instructed
   • Be able to renew baptismal promises
   While universal law allows a bishops conference to set the age of confirmation higher than the age of discretion, it maintains that the most suitable age is the age of discretion (normally held as 7 years old). The minister of confirmation may use another age for a **grave **reason (c. 891), but the reception of confirmation is the right of the faithful and may not be withheld when asked for if the person is properly disposed and not prohibited by law (c. 843§1). The clergy have a duty to properly catechized (c. 843§2) and that is therefore a right of the faithful, but is not a barrier if they chose not to fully participate. My canon law commentary essentially says that the right of the faithful to receive the sacraments out weighs the clergy’s duty to instruct the faithful.
   
   So what does all this mean? That according to the rights of the faithful, the sacrament of confirmation cannot be withheld without grave reasons. If someone does not do their “required” community service hours, wear their program tee-shirt, participate in the roof raising charismatic confirmation retreat, or dozens of other conditions some set as required prerequisites then those denying the sacraments are infringing on the rights of the faithful. None of those things rise to the level of grave reason to withhold a sacrament.
   
   This paragraph here says to me that you have zero confidence in your Catechetical staff. Which is a shame, These people do the heavy lifting, that others refuse to do with the kids.
   The retreats are wonderful, we have kids return from the and ask if they can do it again next year. We have kids who don’t drop out of formation because they already got their card punched and they “don’t have to come” anymore.
   Sheesh.
   I guess our hard work is just too cumbersome for some people.
   
   **
   

   **Not if one does it correctly and with the support of the parents. The result if people who love serving others, because they had a beautiful time.
   I remember the day we went to work with mentally challenged kids, and one of our teens spent a long time playing chess and talking with a young **

   **There are not dozens of things. You really have made a mockery of the programs that work so well. AND made it a personal attack.
   I advised the woman to support her religious ed team and not complain. And you come back with this? unbelievable.
   **

 

[Usige]

**There are not dozens of things. You really have made a mockery of the programs that work so well. AND made it a personal attack.
I advised the woman to support her religious ed team and not complain. And you come back with this? unbelievable.
**

I’m sorry that you take offense at people pointing out that what a parish or diocese requires is not what is required from a theological or juridical standpoint. I use strong statements to emphasis the fact that “requirements” can become ridiculous and focussed on things that go well beyond the sacrament. Confirmation and community service are not related and making one a “requirement” is putting burdens on the sacrament that the Church herself never has. It’s an invention that serves it’s own goals beyond the sacrament itself.

Those programs work well for many people, but when people denigrate “doing the minimum” it is denigrating the Church herself. It is admirable that you and other pour so much into these programs. At the same time, parents that know their children should not be treated like they are the least important voice in forming their children rather than their proper place as the primary formentors. Programs that say parents cannot be trusted are odious and usurp a parents rightful authority. Programs should provide opportunities, but not set roadblocks that place preconditions on the faithful.

Change the words to “we encourage” instead of “we require” and I’m perfectly on board with you. But when you turn around and say “if we don’t require it, most kids won’t do it” then it proves a lie that kids “love doing it”. No, many may find they enjoyed it more than they might have thought, but true conversion does not happen through coercion.

 

[pianistclare]

I’m sorry that you take offense at people pointing out that what a parish or diocese requires is not what is required from a theological or juridical standpoint. I use strong statements to emphasis the fact that “requirements” can become ridiculous and focussed on things that go well beyond the sacrament. Confirmation and community service are not related and making one a “requirement” is putting burdens on the sacrament that the Church herself never has. It’s an invention that serves it’s own goals beyond the sacrament itself.

Those programs work well for many people, but when people denigrate “doing the minimum” it is denigrating the Church herself. It is admirable that you and other pour so much into these programs. At the same time, parents that know their children should not be treated like they are the least important voice in forming their children rather than their proper place as the primary formentors. Programs that say parents cannot be trusted are odious and usurp a parents rightful authority. Programs should provide opportunities, but not set roadblocks that place preconditions on the faithful.

Change the words to “we encourage” instead of “we require” and I’m perfectly on board with you. But when you turn around and say “if we don’t require it, most kids won’t do it” then it proves a lie that kids “love doing it”. No, many may find they enjoyed it more than they might have thought, but true conversion does not happen through coercion.

You will learn that in ministry we meet people where they are.
No, no kid loves formation on day one. They come to love it. Just as one doesn’t learn to drive a car the first time they sit behind the wheel, they learn over time, and become adept.
If kids don’t need any encouragement to grow in compassion, then what is anyone doing working in the churches?
If they show up to “get” confirmed, then we, as a parish, have an obligation to lead and instruct. Corporal works of mercy anyone? Or is it just the spiritual works of mercy? Don’t they work in tandem?
A kid can put in hundreds of hours on the ball field and everyone is all for it. But 20 hours working with the parish or the poor? NO WAY.
Conversion is often accomplished through learning and action.
Simply saying “it’s not required” sell the children short.
I’m amazed that on a site like this I have to defend the teaching and mentoring of the kids.

I’m out.

 

[tawny]

You will learn that in ministry we meet people where they are.
No, no kid loves formation on day one. They come to love it. Just as one doesn’t learn to drive a car the first time they sit behind the wheel, they learn over time, and become adept.
If kids don’t need any encouragement to grow in compassion, then what is anyone doing working in the churches?
If they show up to “get” confirmed, then we, as a parish, have an obligation to lead and instruct. Corporal works of mercy anyone? Or is it just the spiritual works of mercy? Don’t they work in tandem?
A kid can put in hundreds of hours on the ball field and everyone is all for it. But 20 hours working with the parish or the poor? NO WAY.
Conversion is often accomplished through learning and action.
Simply saying “it’s not required” sell the children short.
I’m amazed that on a site like this I have to defend the teaching and mentoring of the kids.

I’m out.

Well stated.
It is because of the “it’s not required” attitude that there is no follow-up with religious education. That is why so many children are never seen in Chuch again after reception of the Sacraments. All of our hard work, in many cases; is for naught.

 

[Corki]

If they show up to “get” confirmed, then we, as a parish, have an obligation to lead and instruct. Corporal works of mercy anyone? Or is it just the spiritual works of mercy? Don’t they work in tandem?
A kid can put in hundreds of hours on the ball field and everyone is all for it. But 20 hours working with the parish or the poor? NO WAY.
Conversion is often accomplished through learning and action.
Simply saying “it’s not required” sell the children short.
I’m amazed that on a site like this I have to defend the teaching and mentoring of the kids.

I’m out.

Just to clarify, since I am one of the ones who does not like this requirement…

I am not at all “anti” service projects for youth as part of formation. What I am “anti” is this accounting. Most of the kids are already involved in service as part of their schools’ requirements, FFA requirements, NHS requirements or scouting requirements. We put teachers in the position of having to “grade” service completed and decide if it “counts”.

We aren’t talking about 20 hours either. My own kids had 100 hours for school alone, and none of that “counted” toward the Confirmation requirement. (BTW, it was the school’s requirement that focused on the Works of Mercy - the RE department counted things like serving dessert at church dinners and altar serving.)

Don’t we as a parish have an obligation to encourage a desire for service and not to turn it into an exercise in paperwork? Doesn’t “meeting people where they are” equate to acknowledging the service kids are already involved in rather than discounting it?