St. Patrick Catholic Church

• Director Introduction: Melissa Harshbarger. I grew up in our parish!  My grandparents were founding members of St. Patrick and I celebrated my sacraments here. I truly love serving our families at St. Patrick!
• Confirmation Leaders:  Along with myself, Eileen Foret (Faith Formation Assistant/Front Desk Receptionist), Mrs. Pam Glover, Ms. Tamara Bello serve on our team. 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 above on the Calendar.  We have 4 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 in person with a parent (to fulfill Safe Environment guidelines). 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 18, 2025 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 3:15 pm to the Family Center. The Bishop will come in and meet with the candidates before Mass.  
• Retreat: November 17, 2024, 8 am - 3:00 pm. Retreat will be here at St. Patrick.   
• Group Service - Choice of serving our 2nd grade students for their 1st Reconciliation retreat or serving Coffee & Donuts  
• 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 and end at 12:00 pm.  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. 
• Registration: Form can be found under the "links" at the bottom of the page. There is a $60 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 
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CONFIRMATION SPONSOR SELECTION
Read carefully BEFORE choosing your sponsor.

Confirmation Candidates,
     You will choose a sponsor to walk alongside you in your journey to confirmation. The role of the sponsor is to guide, teach and support you on this journey and beyond. You should ask someone who you are comfortable with sharing your faith, who is a role model and example of what it means to live the faith. 

Sponsor Requirements

• Cannot be your parent or step-parent.

• Must be 16 years old or above and a fully practicing Catholic who has received Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation. 

• If married, they must have celebrated the Sacrament of Marriage in the Catholic Church or have had their marriage con-validated.

• Be a registered and active member of a Catholic Church Parish.

• Must participate at Mass weekly, as required by Catholic teachings and must be able to receive the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Eucharist.

• Available to spend time with the you and complete the Candidate/Sponsor session.

• Complete the Sponsor Agreement Form and a Letter of Eligibility.
  
  

Suggestions for Sponsor Invitation
To prevent choosing an ineligible sponsor, verify with the prospective sponsor that he/she is baptized and confirmed, attending Mass regularly and if married, marriage is recognized by the Catholic Church.

Once you have verified all of the above, make your final choice by:
    1. Complete the Sponsor Information Form to let me know who you choose and why
    2. Send the Sponsor Agreement Form to your Sponsor. (Once I receive their agreement form, I will send them a Letter of Eligibility with instructions on how to get it completed, the information for the Candidate/Sponsor Session and other Confirmation details. 

• What is Confirmation? https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/326/
• Why are you here?
  - Did your parents force you to come? Awesome! At your baptism, the priest said to them - "you are accepting the responsibility of training your child in the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him or her up to keep God's commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?"
  - Are you here because it is what your family does? 
  - Are you here because God said so? Before Jesus went to heaven, he promised to send an Advocate: that's the Holy Spirit. God isn't telling you that you must be confirmed, but he is making an incredible offer to give himself to you!
  - What happens if I don't want to be here?
  You are here for a reason! Whatever reason you are here, hold on to that. Embrace this prep time and be open to the thought that the Holy Spirit may have something new in store for you. If we get to the end and you still don't want to be confirmed, you don't have to be confirmed. Confirmation is a sacrament and your yes is needed for it to be valid.  You must be open and willing and free.  So even if you do not desire this right now, I want you to be open to the opportunity that you might be soon.

• Renewal of Baptismal Promises during the Confirmation Mass
  • Do you renounce Satan, and all his works and empty promises?    R. I do.
  • Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth?   R. I do.
  • Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of the Father? R. I do.
  • Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who today through the Sacrament of Confirmation is given to you in a special way just as he was given to the Apostles on the day of Pentecost?   R. I do.
  •  Do you believe in the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?   R. I do.
  • This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord. R. Amen
• The Laying on of Hands
  •  Dearly beloved, let us pray to God the almighty Father, for these, his adopted sons and daughters, already born again to eternal life in Baptism, that he will graciously pour out the Holy Spirit upon them to confirm them with his abundant gifts, and through his anointing conform them more fully to Christ, the Son of God.
  • Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who brought these your servants to new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, freeing them from sin: send upon them, O Lord, the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete; give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety; fill them with the spirit of fear of the Lord. Through Christ our Lord. Amen
• The Anointing With Chrism
  • Bishop Duca: Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.      Response: Amen
  • Bishop Duca: Peace be with you.    Response: And with your spirit. 

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.