UPDATED (2/22/2021):
All Confirmation Students and their Sponsors will need to arrive to the Church on Saturday, April 24, 2021 by 10:15AM if you are attending the 10:30AM Confirmation Mass, and by 12:15PM if you are attending the 12:30PM Confirmation Mass. Each family will select their time preference for which Confirmation Mass they want to attend. 
 

There will be no Confirmation Rehearsal. 

                                                                                                                    February 24, 2021
Dear Parents of Confirmation Candidates,

            We hope you and your family are all doing well! This letter will contain several updates regarding Confirmation for the 2021 Confirmation Class. Please read it carefully.
Like last year, Confirmation will be celebrated by our Pastor Fr. Gabage. It is scheduled for Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 10:30AM and 12:30PM. There will be no rehearsal for Confirmation. All families will need to arrive to the main church fifteen minutes prior to the start of Mass (10:15AM or 12:15PM) and find their assigned family pew.

            As many of you know, our seating capacity is significantly diminished within the church building to approximately 150 persons.  All families are asked to sit together by household (those living together in the same home) with a 6-foot social distancing between those from different households. Each Confirmandi student and their family household will have one main pew, there will not be any overflow seating. The Confirmandi’s Sponsor will also be seated in the family’s main pew.

All new church attendance procedures (including wearing face masks, maintaining a 6 ft. social distance between households, and bringing your hand sanitizer) will still be in place at your child’s Confirmation Mass. There will be a sign-up through Flock Note where families can select their preferred time for Confirmation (click here to sign-up). These options will be filled on a first come basis, with no more than 18 families per session. Please sign-up no later than March 27, 2021.

It is very important that you please go over the Rite of Confirmation at home with your child. Our Confirmandi have not had the benefit of being in person, and will need to review both the physical way to receive Confirmation and reminders of the deep spiritual truths of the importance of this sacrament. I am attaching a resource for you to go over at home, but feel free to contact Katie and Joni at the Religious Education Office for any questions. We are here for you!

            All students should continue working on and completing both their Gospel Weekly assignments and Confirmation Prep assignments (Decision Point found online). These are to be turned in by email or dropped off to the Religious Ed Office.

Some other reminders for this year & upcoming due dates:

Community Service Project DUE Sunday, March 21, 2021: All students are expected to complete ONE Community Service project of their choosing. This can be anything from sending cards to a nursing home, making a meal for the homeless shelter, collecting canned goods for the Backpack program, cleaning up a local beach, etc. Be creative. Community Service Forms are on the parish website and will need to be turned in by their due date.

Letters to Fr. Gabage DUE Sunday, March 21, 2021: Write a one page typed and double spaced Confirmation Letter demonstrating your desire to be confirmed. The Letter should explain how God is working in your daily life, should demonstrate understanding of the Sacrament of Confirmaton, and should include how Confirmation will affect your life (meaning what are your hopes and aspirations of being a full member of the Church). This letter can be emailed to Katie at KSukley@stchristopherski.org or mailed to the parish.  Fr. Gabage does read these, please make sure they are proofread and signed by the student. All students MUST turn in a letter.

Confirmation Retreat: There is no Confirmation retreat this year due to COVID-19.

Sponsor Certification Forms DUE Sunday, April 4, 2021: These forms need to be signed and sealed by the parish of your child’s Sponsor. All Sponsor forms are due by Sunday, April 4, 2021. These forms can be turned into the Religious Ed Office or mailed to Attn: Katie Sukley, St. Christopher’s Church 1861 Harbor Drive Chester, MD 21619.

Sacrament of Reconciliation: All students must go to the sacrament of Reconciliation at least one month prior to their Confirmation. Confession is being offered on Saturdays so that you and your family can take advantage of the Sacrament of Reconciliation to better prepare you and your child’s heart for the reception of Confirmation. Please check parish website for specific times and dates for Confession.

            Finally, if anyone’s Sponsor is not able to physically be present at the Confirmation Mass, your child will need to have a proxy sponsor stand in their place. Katie Sukley will be available as a proxy sponsor for anyone who may need one for Confirmation. There is a form your child’s original sponsor will need to fill out if they are unable to physically be here. Please email the Religious Ed. Office as soon as possible if your child will be in need of a proxy sponsor, so that you can get the form and information you need if this applies to you.  
           
 At this time, we are unable to gather after Mass for our usual reception in the church hall as large gatherings are still restricted by law. Please know that your church family, your child’s catechists, and all of us here at St. Christopher are excited for your child to become fully initiated into the Catholic Church as they receive the spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation. We know this is a special time for you and your family. We are keeping you and your family in our prayers and we look forward to seeing you at the session time of your choosing.

                                                                                                            God Bless,
                                                                                                            Katie Sukley D.R.E
                                                                                                            Joni Kilgore
 

Due Sunday, October 11th- Session 1: Life Is Choices
Due Sunday, October 25th- Session 2: What's Holding You Back?
Due Sunday, November 8th- Session 3: The Jesus Question
Due Sunday, November 22nd- Session 4: The Prayer Process
Due Sunday, December 6th- Session 5: The Bible
Due Sunday, December 20th- Session 6: Relationships
Due Sunday, January 10th - Session 7: The Eucharist
Due Sunday, January 24th - Session 8: The Holy Spirit 
Due Sunday, February 7th- Session 9: The Church
Due Sunday, February 21st- Session 10: Confirmation
Due Sunday, March 7th- Session 11: Made for Mission
Due Sunday, March 21st- Session 12: Holiness Is Possible 
 

For every Catholic, participation in Parish Life is both a right and a duty. The church is spiritually strong and vibrant to the extent that the Baptized members of the Parish community live their faith and share it with others. In Confirmation, the candidate is agreeing to enter into that Parish community, so it is proper that he or she prepare for that serious obligation in the Parish setting.

Confirmation brings to fullness that life in the Holy Spirit into which we were first initiated at Baptism. Therefore, a comprehensive preparation for Confirmation necessitates proper planning of curriculum, serious catechist-formation, Clergy participation, parental involvement, and the prayerful support of the total Parish community.

Program components include liturgy, study, service, and retreat. Beyond just catechesis, our Parish program includes significant service project experiences; a spiritual retreat for enhanced religious formation; education in liturgy fostering active participation on the part of the candidates in special liturgies and celebrations of the Eucharist; and a Confirmation interview to develop mutual relationships and understanding of the candidates’ readiness and willingness to be confirmed.

Confirmation is not a Sacrament that is chosen for us as in Baptism. It is a serious choice we must make on our own. It is a commitment we make to live in the fullness of faith. Such a commitment requires careful preparation and the support of the family and Parish community.