They brag that they don’t attend Mass (even when Mass is right before the class) and have a very poor understanding of Catholicism…many of them do not attend the classes (like come to 50% of the classes) we only meet about 10 times thru the year.
We take attendance and require them to have Mass cards they need to get stamped. I would recommend telling them that if they miss too many classes and Masses they will have to make it up at an all day Saturday retreat. That would of course require you to plan and run an all day Saturday make up retreat.
My question is this: Should they all be Confirmed and leave it to the Holy Spirit to enrich them as they grow older? Give it to God and let the Fruits of the Holy Spirit do his thing?
That’s what happened to me. I wasn’t ready to receive Confirmation, but I did anyway and the Holy Spirit came to me years later. I remember my mom telling me, “You made your Confirmation when you were a teen, but you’ve now received/accepted the Holy Spirit.”
Or should only the “believers” or practicing Catholics be Confirmed?
I would follow the rules of your pastor. He’s in charge of the parish. That being said, I would recommend encouraging your students to make a decision: either commit to the program whether for yourself or for your parents or tell your parents you’re just not ready.
I got into lots of trouble last year because I told the kids it was a Mortal sin to miss Mass without a good reason o. I since have backed down on what I teach and pretty much just follow what I am given and avoid any mention of sin. Father feels that might offend kids.
That’s a little silly, but he does have a point. It’s important to explain what sin is and how it can be forgiven. It’s a major premise of Catholicism. You know, forgiveness of sins. Don’t lecture them about sin, evangelize them about Reconciliation. And bring in speakers who’ve had a troubled past, but now live the Catholic life. Lots of saints did that. This is important because the teens may not understand these things now, but one day they will and they should know that one can always return the the Catholic Church.
I know its not my decision to make but…Can you guys give me some advice? I keep praying but I just don’t know what to do. I really like the kids and I don’t want anyone to leave the faith…
Try breaking up the class into several activities so they don’t get bored and/or tired. Remember these are teens and their lives are filled with school, homework, friends, girlfriends/boyfriends, family, extracurricular activities, personal interests, and sometimes after school jobs. We start with a game, then a small lecture, then some bible readings and end with music for prayer. We meet twice a month (not including the youth groups they are required to attend on Fridays), the first class is Adoration with their sponsors and the second class is the lecture I just described. This is all for the second year of Confirmation. For the first year we broke the teens up into small groups and read through the Gospel of Luke in our small groups, so you’ll need extra Bible instructors to help you.
Hope some of this helps.
that many of us had to struggle with at one time or another. We have not always had the best instructors for our children in the years past. I sometimes wondered if it would not be better that our children were confirmed at an earlier age like I was so that they would have the graces to strengthen them in their faith for those times when they would be attacked for their faith in public high school. Anyway, for those who would like a good refresher or motivator about the sacrament of Confirmation, here is a good homily from Archbishop Sartain at the Confirmation Mass earlier this year. It is something to “fan the flames”
