St. Patrick Catholic Church

ORIENTATION - August 27, 2023, 10:30 am

• Director Introduction: Melissa Harshbarger.  I have served as the Director of Faith Formation for 4 years and as the Youth Minister for 10 years. I grew up in our parish!  My grandparents were founding members of St. Patrick and I celebrated my sacraments here.  My husband and I have two daughters, Riley and Isabella.  Riley is in 11th grade at St. Michael High School and Isabella is in first at Parkview Elementary. I truly love serving our families at St. Patrick!
• Confirmation Leaders:  Along with myself, Eileen Foret, Mrs. Pam Glover, Ms. Tamara Bello serve on our team. Deacon Alec Campbell will also join us when he able. We are super excited!
• Requirements: The Diocese of Baton Rouge confirms in 11th grade.  Prior high school catechesis is required through the Catholic School or Parish School of Religion. Confirmands must also be baptized and have received first Eucharist.

• Schedule:  Schedule can be found below on the Calendar.  We have 6 Sessions, a service project and  a retreat.  It is very important that candidates attend each session.  If a session is missed, it must be made up.  If the candidate is unable to attend a session, let me know ASAP.  We will call the parent if a candidate is a no-show.  This time is especially important for students preparing for Confirmation.

• Parent's role: Encourage your child to attend all sessions, attend Mass each Sunday, help your child choose a sponsor and talk to your child about his/her faith life. If you don't attend Mass regularly, start now!  Go out for coffee or lunch or ice cream after Mass and spend time as a family.  It is helpful to associate Mass with something you do as a family.  

• Confirmation Date: January 20, 2024 at 4:00 pm Mass.  We will practice that morning in the Church with candidates and sponsors at 9:00 am.  Candidates will return at 3:00 pm to the Family Center. The Bishop will come in and meet with the candidates before Mass.  
• Retreat: (date) 8 am - 2:30 pm. Retreat will be here at St. Patrick. Sponsors and parents may be invited to join us for Adoration. More information will come once the date is closer. 
• Group Service - serving our 2nd grade students for their 1st Reconciliation retreat.  
• Phones/Technology Policy:  If phones become a distraction when we meet, we will have candidates turn in their phones when they come in and get them back when we leave.
• Sessions:  Our sessions will begin at 9 am.  We will attend Mass together at 9:30 am.  Families and sponsors are welcome to join us for Mass! These sessions will be focused on material relating specifically to Confirmation. They will have engaging lessons, group discussion, fellowship, and Mass! Parents, sponsors, families are welcomed and encouraged to join us for Mass. Should students be absent for any reason, the session will need to be made up. Please call or text Melissa Harshbarger at 225-937-8587 if you will not make the class.  Parents will be called if the candidate does not show up.
• Saint names and sponsors:  Check the tabs and links below for more information.
• Registration: Form can be found under the "links" at the bottom of the page. There is a $55 registration fee.  If this is a hardship, please let me know. This will cover the cost of materials and retreat.  
• Group Me: Communication for parents and candidates will go out through GroupMe.  
• Program materials: We will base our program on Decision Point by Matthew Kelly but we will pull from other resources as well.  Decision Point uses a lot of video but we will base our sessions around discussions.  There is a section for parents and sponsors that you might be interested in.  Here's the link - https://www.dynamiccatholic.com/confirmation/decision-point-parents.html 

At the Confirmation Mass, you will be introduced to the Bishop by your Saint name. This is a very biblical practice.  Throughout the Bible, you find times where God made a covenant with someone and their name was changed.  This signified a radical transformation in their lives as they followed God.  Some examples of this are Abram to Abraham, Saul to Paul, Simon to Peter.  If you haven't chosen a Saint name, don't worry!  We will talk about choosing a Saint Name in our sessions!  A good place to start might be your first or middle name if you have a name attributed to a Saint.  You might also look at your interests and research Saints who may be patrons of your interest. And then pray about it!  Ask God for help in choosing your Saint name and then see who God might be revealing to you.  

BISHOP BARRON VIDEO ON CONFIRMATION NAMES.