Help with Confirmation

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I’m running a Confirmation course at my Parish this year and wondered if anyone knew of any help, on-line courses or inspiration? I feel it is a really important job and an opportunity to inspire youg Catholics to a life of great fullfillment within the Church.

In previous years we have worked on the principle of the Sacraments as sign posts and taught on these aspects of the faith. I owuld love to do something a little more inspiring this year!

Any ideas?
 
I would suggest that you look at Confirmation as the completion of what was started in Baptism. The trio of the Initiation Sacraments.

Read:

Dominum et Vivificantem

Ecclesia de Eucharistia

Then base your program on Apostolicam Actuositatem and Christifideles Laici.

Make sure to also consider incorporating vocation as well as moral discussions.
 
Thank you Brother indeed I will remember to include Vocation- I usually involve a discussion on religious vocation in our sacramental discussion.
 
Don’t know the age group your students are in - that’s key. If adolescent, give them the freedom to question any / everything about our faith - preface this invitation by telling them that there are no questions the Church ‘is afraid of’, that if you don’t know the Church’s answer you’ll help them find it (easy here: use the topical index of the Catechism, its on-point text, and its references).

One thing I’ve found to be super successful in attracting / maintaining interest is beginning the program of instruction with a very brief introduction to the logical rules of good thinking and demonstrating what thought-fallacies are by actually showing stupid statements made by non-believers (such as: “There is no God, evolution created everything” - actually taught [verbatim!] in California high schools!, or “There is no God because evil exists” [rebuttal: if no God, then nothing is evil - period]). Then show them what can be known about our faith. What this approach does is let adolescents “see the reason for” their faith - that it is actually worth believing because it’s reasonable / true. From this, the witness of real life examples of Catholic based heroism shows them the romance of **living **their faith. Pray as if all their Faith depends upon the Holy Spirit, and work / teach as if it all depends upon you.
 
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FightingFat:
I’m running a Confirmation course at my Parish this year and wondered if anyone knew of any help, on-line courses or inspiration? I feel it is a really important job and an opportunity to inspire youg Catholics to a life of great fullfillment within the Church.

In previous years we have worked on the principle of the Sacraments as sign posts and taught on these aspects of the faith. I owuld love to do something a little more inspiring this year!

Any ideas?
Click to expand...
Karl Keating’s book “Fundamentalism vs Romanism” would give you a whole lot of help… or at least suggestion… 👍
 
Something that I participated in was sort of an open microphone. Some of us and the pastor sat and allowed anyone to ask any question and we answered them.
 
If I had the opportunity to teach a confirmation class I think I would use just two books.

The two books that helped me the most .

Marian Catechist Manual by Father John Hardon

And

Theology for Beginners by F. J. Sheed

But I doubt I will ever have the chance to design my own confirmation class.

Both books have helped me teach the faith to my sons.

Scott
 
The trouble is inspiring them- I always wish they would ask more questions. I always feel I just sit at the front an enthuse! As much as we all would hope Confirmation is about a young adult commiting to the church themselves, I find year after year that 95% of them are there because their parents want them to be. I do feel it represents an opportinity to inspire them to think about God and faith a bit more though.

I wondered if anyone knew some worksheets or something I could use. I thought I would do some kind of introduction about what Confirmation is and what it should mean, then get them thinking straight away. I want to avoid talking AT them and instead attempt to involve them a little more. Question is what would inspire them???

The age range is 14-15.
 
I’ve just begun a similar quest for materials. Ave Maria Press has a Confirmation program called “Send Out Your Spirit”. There is a teachers manual and a candidate’s book. I am currently reading the candidate’s book and find that it is very comprehensive. I also have both the teacher and student manuals of the Confirmation program offered at Ignatius Press. (I think it’s part of the Image of God Series.) It too, looks very good, but not quite as in depth as the first one I mentioned. Both of these are on the USCCB’s “approved list”.

YMCentral has an online Confirmation curriculum. I’ve looked at some of there other materials, but not Confirmation.

I’d be interested in trading ideas with you! I’ve been a volunteer youth minister in our small parish for 5 years. This will be my first year with a Confirmation class.

In Christ,
Kathy
 
Your program is for 8th graders, High School or both? If both,

1)Send Out Your Spirit is an excellent program with lots of ideas for engaging young people with activities and discussion questions that really make them THINK and REFLECT.

2)Also really good are the Catholic Update video series, in particular the titles: Sacrament of Confirmation, Spirit Alive in Community
Teen Discipleship, and What Makes Us Catholic.

3)Get the parents and sponsors involved…have several workshop,
retreat days or days of reflection for all of them, together if at
all possible…this is in addition to the regular sessions and retreat
for the candidates.

Hope this helps you out some…feel free to contact me if you need more information!

Peace,
 
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