WHAT IS CONFIRMATION? 

Confirmation is the sacrament in which the Holy Spirit is poured out to those already baptized in order to make them docile to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit so that they may live out their Christian mission fruitfully and abundantly. The purpose of preparation for Confirmation at the junior high and high school level is to assist the candidates in knowing and appreciating God’s tremendous love for each of them and to respond to that love by intentionally embracing their Catholic Faith.

WHAT IS THE PREPARATION PROCESS AT OUR PARISH?

Preparation for Confirmation is centered around faith learning, charitable, and spiritual works of mercy, and encounters with Jesus through retreat experiences and prayer. The process spans two years, typically the seventh and eighth grade years, where seventh graders attend one retreat, begin to explore saint patronage and a sponsor, and begin charitable and spiritual works, while in the eighth grade year there is a fuller immersion with two very different retreat experiences and numerous learning sessions with peers and/or sponsors. While the curriculum being utilized consists of 24-sessions, we’ve combined a few and provide some opportunities to complete sessions at-home, given their topic and relevance.

Confirmation takes place in the spring at Our Lady of the Holy 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. (Verification from sponsors’ parishes may be requested.) The candidates should feel comfortable communicating with their sponsor, who ideally shares or complements their family values. Sponsors must be at least 16 years of age.

Meetings: The 24-session curriculum will be presented in approximately 20-sessions with a couple being completed in-home with parents/sponsors. Of these 20-sessions, some will consist of the entire parish Confirmation group, while others will be completed either in St. Aloysius school religion class or at the Sunday evening meeting time for Family Faith Formation (Fx3) families. Sponsors will be invited to a couple of these sessions, particularly the logistics session prior to the ceremony itself. A calendar of important dates will be shared at the initial Parent Meeting/Orientation at the beginning of the academic year.

Retreats: Candidates are provided two retreat opportunities, both with very different preparation goals. 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. Participation at both is expected.

• Culture Project In-House Retreat: The Fall retreat will be offered at St. Al’s campus with the Culture Project missionaries invited to both give talks and facilitate activities. This retreat is generally a 5-6 hour retreat held on a Saturday or Sunday in October.
• 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 about half of the expense of this camp while the other portion 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. the 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 (as seventh graders). 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 the date to receive the sacrament.

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