WHAT IS CONFIRMATION? 

Confirmation is the loving action of the Holy Spirit in our lives and as such requires a loving response from us. The purpose of preparation for Confirmation at the junior high and high school level is to draw forth this loving response from the candidates by helping them to feel and appreciate God’s tremendous love for each of them. If you are an adult seeking the Sacrament of Confirmation, information is available on the Becoming Catholic page.

HOW DOES PREPARATION WORK AT OUR PARISH?

Preparation for Confirmation is centered around faith learning, charitable works of mercy, and encounters with Jesus through retreat experiences. The process spans two years, typically the seventh and eighth grade years, where seventh graders attend one retreat, begin to explore saint patronage, and begin charitable works, while in the eighth grade year there is a fuller immersion with two very different retreat experiences and eight learning sessions with peers and/or sponsors.

Confirmation takes place in the spring at Rosary Cathedral in Toledo. Students choose a sponsor, who stands as the candidate's guide into a fuller life in the church.

WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS?

Sponsors: Sponsors should be fully initiated Catholics and actively living their Catholic Faith in order to act as a good role model for the candidate. The candidates should feel comfortable communicating with their sponsor, who ideally shares or complements their family values. Specific requirements to be a candidate and a candidate application form will be shared with parents of the confirmands.
Meetings: In addition to regular participation in faith formation classes in school or the parish, candidates will participate in eight (8) sessions for candidates and their sponsors or parents. A couple of the sessions can be done “at-home” or virtually with sponsors, a few will meet with peers and a catechist, and a few will meet in-person with candidates and sponsor/parent attending together. A calendar of important dates will be shared at the initial Parent Meeting at the beginning of the academic year. The Pflaum Gifted with the Spirit booklets will determine each session topic.
Retreats:  Candidates are provided two retreat opportunities, one at the beginning of the preparation and one in the spring just prior to the Confirmation ceremony. While both retreats provide opportunities to encounter Jesus, they are also opportunities for the Holy Spirit to open the hearts of the youth to the gifts they are preparing to receive.

• The NET Retreat presented by National Evangelization Teams of young adult Catholics brings missionaries to our own parish. These young adults are on fire with their faith and provide fun and engaging activities to open hearts and build community. The parish pays for and hosts this retreat and asks for support from families to house the 10-12 missionaries for 1-2 nights and to help feed the participants and team. Please prayerfully consider the benefit of providing housing to these young adults who humbly accept the most minimal accommodations and are wonderful house guests.
• Damascus Catholic Mission Camp, located in Centerburg, Ohio, spans from Friday evening to midday Sunday and is a faith-filled, active engagement in adventurous activities designed to build trust and to know Jesus’ love more fully. The parish subsidizes half of the expense of this camp while the other half is paid by families. Transportation is by family with a culminating Mass on Sunday to which families are invited. The anticipated cost is $100 or less and needs based sponsorship is available.

Interview & Letter of Request to Fr. Tom: Candidates complete an interview in February-March with a member of the Confirmation team to assess the candidate's disposition and growing understanding of his or her faith. Additionally, candidates will write a formal letter to Fr. Tom that addresses why they desire to be confirmed and summarizes some of the aspects of their preparation. (i.e.: saint name chosen, charitable works completed, faith learning…)
Charitable Works of Mercy: Candidates will receive a booklet of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy along with the Catholic social teaching principles. In total there are 21 categories from which candidates should choose 10 to complete. The length of time and duration are not significant, rather candidates should choose a variety of ways to be charitable and should reflect on the need for charity, observations made, lessons learned, especially connected to living a Christian life. Wherever possible, parents or sponsors are asked to participate in charitable works with candidates and to converse about their experiences.
Ceremony: Springtime at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo; St. Aloysius Parish confirmands will participate in a joint celebration with other parishes in the diocese as scheduled through the Toledo Diocese office. Bishop Daniel E. Thomas will be the conferring celebrant.  Location address: 2535 Collingwood Blvd, Toledo, OH 43610

HOW DO I REGISTER?

Students who do not attend St. Aloysius Catholic School can register for the family faith formation program through the link shared here and also linked to our parish website homepage. Those who attend the school will automatically be registered through their classroom teacher.

Candidates who were not baptized at St. Aloysius or did not make their First Communion here must provide a baptismal certificate. This should be done well in advance of receiving the sacrament.

If you are an adult seeking the Sacrament of Confirmation, information is available on the Becoming Catholic page.