From the Catechism

Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the "sacraments of Christian initiation," whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace.89 For "by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed."

By Confirmation Christians, that is, those who are anointed, share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may give off "the aroma of Christ."

By this anointing the confirmand receives the "mark," the seal of the Holy Spirit. A seal is a symbol of a person, a sign of personal authority, or ownership of an object.106 Hence soldiers were marked with their leader's seal and slaves with their master's. A seal authenticates a juridical act or document and occasionally makes it secret.107

Christ himself declared that he was marked with his Father's seal.108 Christians are also marked with a seal: "It is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has commissioned us; he has put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee."109 This seal of the Holy Spirit marks our total belonging to Christ, our enrollment in his service for ever, as well as the promise of divine protection in the great eschatological trial.

(CCC 1285,1294-96)

The Sacrament of Confirmation for Teens

Next Class: March3rd, 7pm.  Charlotte Paradis will come to share some of her experiences with people as they approach death and prepare for what comes after.

The Confirmation process at St Anne’s Catholic Church is a one-year program. Classes are held every other week in the Kelly Youth Center on Wednesday nights from 7 pm to 8:30pm. See the Calendar included in the packet for specific dates, times, and locations. The following is required of the candidates:

• Registration: You should have already turned in this form, but if you have not, please do so ASAP. The suggested $20 registration fee is to offset the costs of materials. There are additional fees associated with retreats.

• Sacramental Record Form and Baptismal Certificate: Please fill out and return the Sacrament of Confirmation Form with a copy of your Baptismal Certificate attached for our Parish Records. You cannot be confirmed unless we have these. If you were baptized in another state or country, getting this may be harder, so start the process now.

• Attendance and participation in the classes: Confirmation classes are scheduled for Wednesdays. The final class that needs to be attended is after the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is the Confirmation Mission. A confirmandi’s presence is critical! Each person is important to the community. Each teen makes a difference! If it is necessary to miss a session, it is the confirmandi’s responsibility to contact Hans prior to the session and to find out how they may make up for their absence. It is up to the Confirmandi to make arrangements to obtain materials prior to the next session. Lack of follow-up indicates lack of commitment. Again, if more than two sessions are missed, it will be necessary to schedule an appointment with Fr. Bill and Hans to discuss the teen’s state of readiness for confirmation preparation. Failure to do so will be interpreted as the teen’s termination of the Confirmation preparation process. We understand things happen, but it is the responsibility of the candidate to address this appropriately and not the parents.

• Regular weekly attendance at Mass • Regular participation in the sacraments of Eucharist and
Reconciliation • Parish & Youth Group component: It is important to understand
that we are a community, and to participate in community with your peers. How are you connected to the parish family? Sunday mass once a week? Candidates are asked to participate in sharing their gifts with the ministries of the church, not just during this time of Confirmation preparation, but after as well. Remember, it is a life long journey. You don’t graduate, but continue in the process. Participation with peers in this parish family is essential to this process and includes attending the Youth Group Sunday nights. Candidates are invited and encouraged to join in any High school activities in the parish.

• Retreat: We will have an overnight Confirmation retreat February 26th - 27th at the Southern Oregon University Newman Center. Mark your calendar now to avoid conflicts.

• Interviews: Each confirmandi must schedule a 30 minute interview with Fr. Bill. The interview, done just before Confirmation, is meant to review the confirmandi’s journey and assess their readiness and desire for Confirmation.

• Sponsor: The purpose of having a sponsor is to have someone who will “walk with them on the way” (Luke 24:32)” in their lifelong journey of faith. Choose a sponsor NOW! Our hope is that the sponsor lend support to the candidate in the coming years as well as today. Choosing a sponsor is a serious matter and should not be taken lightly. Do not choose a sponsor because he or she is just a friend. Instead, seriously consider a member of the faithful who is a role model for Christian discipleship.

• Service component: Confirmation, as a final step in the initiation process, is directly related to community service. If one only attends the Mass on Sunday and contributes financially, but never demonstrates community service, they miss a fundamental call of the Gospel. Confirmandi are expected to give of their time, talent, and treasure to their community. There should be a minimum of 20 hrs of service between parish and youth group projects, and individual service. Confirmandi will be required to submit, in writing, a reflection paper describing their ongoing service and how it has effected them. It should be typed and no longer than two pages.

• Letter to the Archbishop: The Confirmandi will need to write a letter to Archbishop Vlazny requesting the sacrament of Confirmation. These letters will be collected and sent in bulk. Due date still to be determined.

• Attend Confirmation rehearsal

• Confirmation Mass

When will Confirmation Be Celebrated?

This year the Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated for Teens on Saturday May 15th at 2:00pm by Archbishop John Vlazny at St. Anne Church .

Confirmation for Adults will be celebrated on on Sunday May 16th at 1:30pm by Archbishop John Vlazny at St. Anne Church .