What special ministry has your Confirmation candidates adopted?

[Deacon_Tony560]

Recently ( Last few years) in our parish, the Confirmation candidates began taking on a ministry. One year, they wrote letters (Unsigned) to People in prison. They offered to pray for the inmates Etc. I have heard of other groups visiting elderly shut-ins. Any other ideas out there?

 

[system]

Deacon Tony560:

Recently ( Last few years) in our parish, the Confirmation candidates began taking on a ministry.

Is this something new, required by your diocese?

 

[Deacon_Tony560]

I thought everyone was doing this. I don’t believe it is required. But getting the young people involved in serving God through helping others is now being applied to Confirmation programs. They prepare in class for the Sacrament and actually reach out to others in name of Jesus.

“Thought is action in rehearsal.”

 

[system]

My nephew was just confirmed in 2004. They didn’t have to pick a specific ministry, but each of them had to do some sort of volunteer service. My nephew chose to volunteer in an assisted living facility.

Sadly, as soon as he was confirmed and the requirement was no more, he stopped volunteering. They even offered him paid work, but he didn’t do it.

JELane

 

[thomist]

“Service hours” is what this is called in our diocese. It’s bogus. Same things happen here as everywhere else it’s “required” by the Rel. Ed. department: only done for as long as required by the ‘program’; there is NO understanding on the part of those doing it to understand why, so - obviously - they don’t follow through after the ‘requirement’ period. In fact, in our diocese getting confirmed is considered by teens as a graduation ceremony from Catholicism - the post Sacrament attrition rate hovers around 75% immediately and declines from there over the next few years.

The whole idea is bad for the following reasons:

• requiring loving service is impossible. Love can’t be forced, else - obviously - it isn’t love.
• if kids aren’t in the habit of serving somehow (altar, choir, lector, helping invalids, visiting the sick, etc) ***already ***then the early catechesis in the parish (K - up) is deficient, so suddenly demanding that kids start serving misses the whole point, and it’s already missing from them!
• It’s camouflage for a failing rel. ed. program, the current theme is: "Bore the Heaven out of the kids, but get them into the unconscious habit of attending Church / putting money in the rel. ed. coffers.

In fact, such service should spring from reception of the Sacraments: “We love becasue God first loves us!” The focus must be on Jesus, accepted as our personal Lord and Rescuer through, with and in the Sacraments. From that encounter, a person (even teens!) will accept the idea of serving people. To ‘limit’ service to a pre-requirment for a Sacrament teaches things backwards.

 

[Mike_C]

What did those poor kids do to deserve such punishment? Hollywood stars who commit crimes are’nt subject to such ill treatment!

 

[parishminister]

Part of preparing for the sacrament is learning to serve, with love, just as Jesus did. Our youth begin preparation in 7th grade and are confirmed at the end of 8th grade. There is no # of hours attached, or temporary project status…we teach that Christian service is a lifestyle that begins at home…not a project that betters the community (though there is certainly value in that) and then move on to the next cause, or no cause at all . They are given a list of the types of things they can do to demonstrate their commitment to living a Christian lifestyle (helping with younger siblings, cleaning their rooms without being harrassed, help mom with the laundry on a Saturday instead of going to movies with friends, , and then have to keep a journal about their experiences…in the 8th grade they are given the opportunity to serve in a parish ministry, join our youth service organization, do a community-wide project that they plan and lead, participating in Food Fast for Catholic Relief Services, etc.
We teach them about the richness of Catholic Social Teaching and how working for justice will create peace…once they understand that, they seem to get that they are doing what Jesus would do.

Hope this helps! Blessings to you and your confirmandi

Peace…