Confirmation Check-In

October 18, 2015

FLAME 2 Catechist and Peer Lesson Plan

OBJECTIVES To reiterate to the teens the main concepts of the Sacrament of Confirmation and to deepen their

understanding of them

For our teens to relate the gifts of the Holy Spirit to their own lives

For our teens to learn what their role in the larger church is post-Confirmation

For our teens to understand how and why they will choose a confirmation name and sponsor and to begin thinking about those choices

OVERVIEW

I. 4:00-5:15pm- Teen Mass

II. 5:10-5:20pm - Hospitality in the Narthex

III. 5:20-5:30 - Large Group/Attendance in Church

IV. 5:30- 7:00pm Small Group Lesson Plan o The lesson’s activities include the 5 components that should be in every faith lesson:

o Scripture

o Shared experiences by adults and teens

o Catholic Theology and learning

o I learned statements

o Putting our faith in action or lived experience.

o Please work through the lesson, choosing the activities you feel will best connect with your group.

There are lots of discussion questions and activities dispersed throughout the Catechist

Background. In the teen handout, there are additional discussion questions and a cell

phone/internet activity in regards to finding information on Saints.

o Stop by 6:45-6:50 to cover the remaining items:

o I Learned Allow time to share what the teens have learned. There is always a spot on the handout for the teens to write this portion of the lesson. This can be done verbally as well. It is important for you to be able to assess if the teens in your group are meeting the objectives of the lessons. Peer Ministers can be utilized here to help you make sure teens are engaged and learning. Encourage students to take packets home and share with their parents or families

o Faith in Action Discuss ways to put the ideas from tonight into action o Closing Prayer & Dismissal: Ask group members to share personal intentions. End with

your covenant prayer if you didn’t start with it.

Background, Discussion Questions and Activities

What is Confirmation?

Confirmation is the sacrament that completes Baptism; in it the gift of the Holy Spirit is bestowed upon us.

Anyone who freely decides to live a life as God’s child and asks for God’s Spirit under the signs of the imposition

of hands and anointing with Chrism (oil of anointing) receives the strength to witness to God’s love and might in

word and deed. He is now a full-fledged, responsible member of the Catholic Church.

When a coach sends a soccer player onto the playing field, he puts his hand on his shoulder and gives him final

instructions. We can understand Confirmation in a similar way. A hand is placed upon us. We step out onto the

field of life. Through the Holy Spirit we know what we have to do and we have been given the power to do it. He

has motivated us. His mission resounds in our ears. We sense his help. We will not betray his trust or disappoint

him; we will win the game for him. We just have to want to do it and listen to him.

What does Sacred Scripture say about the sacrament of Confirmation?

In the Old Testament, the People of God expected the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Messiah. Jesus lived

his life in a special Spirit of love and of perfect unity with his Father in heaven. This Spirit of Jesus was the “Holy

Spirit” for whom the people of Israel longed; this was the same Spirit whom Jesus promised to his disciples, the

same Spirit who descended upon the disciples fifty days after Easter, on the feast of Pentecost. And it is again

this same Holy Spirit of Jesus who descends upon everyone who received the sacrament of Confirmation.

In the Acts of the Apostles, which were written a few decades after the death of Jesus, we see Peter and John

traveling about to confirm new Christians by imposing hands on those who previously “had only been baptized

in the name of the Lord Jesus”, so that their hearts might be filled with the Holy Spirit.

What happens in Confirmation?

In Confirmation the soul of a baptized Christian is imprinted with a permanent seal that can be received only

once and marks this individual forever as a Christian. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the strength from above in

which this individual puts the grace of his Baptism into practice through his life and acts as a “witness” for

Christ.

To be confirmed means to make a “covenant” with God. The confirmed says, “Yes, I believe in you, my God; give

me your Holy Spirit, so that I might belong entirely to you and never be separated from you and may witness to

you throughout my whole life, body and soul, in my words and deeds, on good days and bad.” And God says,

“Yes, I believe in you, too, my child – and I will give you my Spirit, my very self. I will belong entirely to you. I

will never separate myself from you, in this life or eternally in the next. I will be in your body and your soul, in

your words and deeds. Even if you forget me, I will still be there – on good days and bad.”

From “YOUCAT Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church”

As You Grow

Your life has changed as you’ve grown older and matured. You’ve learned things, developed skills and become

more independent. With this growth comes additional privileges and responsibilities. For example, very little

was expected of you as a baby. But you were asked to do a great deal more as a six year old.

Spiritual Growth

Just as you grow in strength, size and intelligence, so are you called to grow in spirit. At Baptism you received

the gift of grace, or divine life. As you’ve grown, you’ve been called to recognize God’s love for you and the great

gifts he has given you. Now you are ready to accept the responsibilities and privileges that are yours because of

your Baptism. Now you have the opportunity to live out your anointing by the Spirit and share more fully in the

mission of Jesus

Confirmation

Confirmation celebrates the gift of the Spirit that you received in Baptism. To be confirmed you must profess

your faith, be in the state of grace, and want to receive the sacrament. In Confirmation the Spirit gives you

strength to live by God’s teachings more fully, to imitate Christ more closely, and to express your faith more

courageously. You are bound more closely to the Church in Confirmation so you must be ready to assume the

role of disciple and witness to him. The whole community celebrates with you as you commit to Jesus and his

Church. The community prays that the Spirit will bless you with the grace you need to grow in Christ.

Confirmation is celebrated during the Eucharist to express more clearly the unity of the Sacraments of

Initiation.

Discussion Questions:

What can you do now that you weren’t allowed to do when you were younger?

In what ways do you contribute to your family today that you couldn’t in the past?

How have you grown spiritually as you are preparing for Confirmation? How do you expect to continue

to grow in your faith after Confirmation?

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The Bible says that from the beginning of Creation, the Spirit of God formed the earth and all of its

surroundings, and that God will always be with us. In the New Testament the Holy Spirit comes to Mary as she

answers the call to be the mother of Jesus, the Son of God (Luke 1:35). Jesus is led by the Spirit into the

wilderness to pray (Luke 4: 1-2). And Jesus reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah that the Spirit is upon

him as he begins his ministry (Luke 4:16-21). After Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, the Holy Spirit comes on

Pentecost. The Spirit fills the disciples with grace and gives them the courage to proclaim Jesus to the world.

(Acts 2:1-4)

From “Confirmed in the Spirit” Loyola Press 2007

“With these the Holy Spirit “endows” Christians, in other words, he grants them particular powers that go

beyond their natural aptitudes and gives them the opportunity to become God’s special instruments in this

world.”

From “YOUCAT Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church”

Activity & Discussion Work in groups to prepare a list of ways that you see the Spirit at work in the world today. You can refer to

things you have read about, heard about, seen on TV, or observed firsthand. Any recent God Sightings? Discuss

with the large group. What is an example of the Holy Spirit guiding your life? Which of the Spirit’s gifts will most

help you? Think of someone who exemplifies at least one of the gifts of the Spirit. With which gift do you most

indentify this person? How does this gift lead the person to live his or her life?

What We’re Charged With

At Baptism we received the grace that enables us to love and serve others without counting the cost, to see

Christ in them, and to avoid hurting them. Grace makes us eager to reach out to others with concern. It leads us

to use our gifts and talents to meet their needs. Confirmation helps our love grow stronger. We show we have

loving hearts when we perform works of mercy. As members of the Christian community, we are actively

concerned about those who do not have enough clothing, food, or a good home. We meet their physical needs

through the corporal works of mercy. These works include feeding the hungy, sheltering the homeless,

clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, burying the dead and giving alms to the poor.

We also want to help those who are feeling hurt, discouraged, sick, or confused. We meet emotional and

spiritual needs of people through the spiritual works of mercy. These works are instructing, advising,

consoling, comforting, forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The Spirit helps us know what to do to come

to the aid of our neighbor.

Activity & Discussion

Read the situations and consider whether you ever act in these ways:

Let someone else be the center of attention • Go out of your way to make a new person feel comfortable and

welcomed • Volunteer even when none of your friends do • Avoid passing on rumors or gossiping • Sacrifice

your free time to visit someone who is sick • Admit when you do something wrong and apologize

How might the Gifts of the Holy Spirit help you to act in these ways?

How might being a Confirmed Catholic help us with corporal and spiritual works of mercy?

Jesus Christ instructed us to keep the Ten Commandments. When asked what the greatest commandment was,

he responded: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,

and with all your strength.” And he added, “The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” Mark

12:30-31. Jesus Christ is our greatest role model and guide for our lives.

Confirmation Sponsors and Names

The amazing thing about Confirmation is we don’t have to travel this journey alone. In addition to Jesus Christ

as our greatest role model, we get to add in a few more key players to our deck.

Sponsors

Just as our parents chose Godparents or Sponsors for us at Baptism, we now get to chose Sponsors for our

Confirmation. The role of a Sponsor is to guide you, to help you on this path of discernment towards

Confirmation. They are there for support, to answer questions, to overall support you in your faith journey in

any way they can. When choosing a sponsor, it is important to look for someone who is prayerful, open,

dependable, loving and who lives out their faith in their everyday life. A sponsor should also be a baptized,

practicing catholic, so that they can better serve you on your own journey towards becoming a fully initiated

Catholic as well. Lastly, sponsors should not be parents for the same reason parents are not godparents: a

sponsor is a support and addition to your spiritual life. As you prepare to receive the sacrament of Confirmation,

begin thinking about who this role model will be. Godparents, grandparents, confirmed siblings, family

members, family friends, teachers, coaches etc. are all possibilities for sponsors.

Discussion Questions:

Who did you choose as your Sponsor and why?

What activities have you done with your Sponsor that have helped you to grow closer to each other and

to God?

What questions have you asked of them, what have you learned, and what are you still hoping to learn?

Do you think it is important to have a Sponsor for Confirmation? Why or why not?

o Discuss how often times we choose mentors, tutors or private coaches for important things in

our lives like career advice, education and athletes. Connect how choosing a sponsor for

Confirmation is akin to these choices and why it’s helpful to have a guide we look up to, who is

living out their Faith, to help us in this important journey.

Confirmation Names When we get Confirmed, we choose a Confirmation Name. Your Baptism, or Christian, name is the name that you were given at birth. That is, your first name. Some people choose to re-affirm their Baptismal name at Confirmation. In the Christian tradition, taking a new name signifies spiritual conversion. In other words, that there has been a significant spiritual change in your life. For example, Saul's dramatic conversion on the road to Damascus radically changed the course of his life. After his conversion, Paul began to preach that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. (Saul -> Paul) This is why, if you choose to take on a different Confirmation name, as opposed to reaffirming your Baptismal name, it should be one of a saint or Christian person whom you admire. The reason choosing a Confirmation Name can be viewed as an opportunity to add a second person, in addition to your sponsor, to your arsenal of key faith players in your life, is because by choosing this name, you are creating an incredible bond with that saint or Christian person. You are making a statement, that you appreciate this person, relate to their story, their struggles, their triumphs, and that you aspire to be like them in their love for Jesus Christ and his people. How do you know who to choose?

Think back in your life. Has there ever been a story of a saint that has stuck out to you? How about a hobby or

cause you have a strong passion for? Each saint is considered a “patron saint” of one thing or another. Some

examples of some well-known saints and their patronage are:

St. Michael the Archangel: Patron of grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police, and sickness

St. Patrick: Patron of Ireland

St. Francis of Assisi: Patron of Animals, Merchants & Ecology

St. Lucy: Patron of Blindness

St. Christopher: Patron of Travelers and Transportation

St. Cecilia: Patron of musicians

It’s a great idea to find a saint or Christian person with whom you can relate or feel connected to. He/she is to be

a role model and guide for you throughout your life. In good times and bad, we can ask our patron saint to pray

with us and for us. How incredible is that?

Start thinking about which name you will choose. Spend some time, do some research and know why you are

making your choice (the Bishop may ask you why upon receiving Confirmation) There are many resources out

there, one being the internet! Go home, and try searches like “patron saint of…[insert hobby/cause here] or

saints who…[insert life experience that calls to you here]. Ask your parents who they chose. Ask your sponsor.

Ask your already confirmed friends or family members. This is one of the last decisions you will make before

becoming a Confirmed Catholic.

Discussion Questions:

After you are confirmed, how will people be able to tell from your life that you are a follower of Jesus?

Does the way you behave let people know you are a Catholic?

Do you feel it is important to become a fully initiated Catholic? Why or why not?

What are you concerned about? What are you excited for?

What would you like to learn more about before becoming Confirmed? (Catechists – if any good topics

come up during this discussion question, please write them in the Catechist Checklist and return them to

our bin so we can consider how to include them in the future!)

----- Please remember to dismiss class at 7:00PM only ----- Do not dismiss students earlier.