Our mission during Confirmation Preparation Experience is to help prepare the high school aged youth to receive the sacrament and to deepen their faith and that of the parish community. Confirmation preparation is a process in Christian growth based on the belief that teenagers are at a significant point in their faith journey where they are beginning to establish a personal faith identity. Through sharing their own journey and interacting with others, the candidates are assisted in identifying and understanding how God is working in their lives, and come to a new realization of faith within the context of the parish community.
Confirmation, together with Baptism and Eucharist, form the Sacraments of Initiation that are all intimately connected. In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is “sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit” and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ and welcomed fully into the life of the Church
Our Faith is expressed and comes alive in personal relationships: sitting, praying and eating together. It lives in the sharing of our life experiences, in the light of the faith we have with and in each other.
As nuclear families, we can explore these themes together in the light of our stories, connecting between generations and then coming back together with the larger group in virtual meetings and eventually when we can meet again.
At Incarnation, we welcome teens in grades 9–12 to join us for our two-year preparation process to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. At the same time, we strongly advocate that faith formation is a life-long process and doesn’t end when we receive the sacrament. We prepare our teens by giving them the tools they need to live their lives in faith, long after they receive the sacrament.
PLEASE NOTE: You must be baptized and have received First Communion (and provide a certificate for both) to be confirmed. If a teen has not yet received First Communion, we can prepare him or her during the Confirmation process.
Zeal is a new approach to Confirmation preparation. Over three movements, teens will be awakened to a sense of belonging to the Church and lead toward a more intimate union with Christ and lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. The youth are more zealous than ever, let us help direct that zeal to the glory of God.
BELONG (Year 1)
Teens will experience together 9 weeks of the Alpha Youth Series paired with 4 Parent and Teen Events. These can be experienced in person or remotely. For the 2020-2021 year we will be having year 1 and 2 participate in this experience together.
BELIEVE (Year 2)
Teens and Sponsors will journey together through 6 self-led mini-series that cover the contents of the first part of the Catechism. After each mini-series there will be an individual Teen and Sponsor Meeting to discuss how faith impacts their lives.
BECOME (Year 2, 2nd semester)
Teens will be given a Spiritual Gift Inventory and invited to choose 2 small group courses that correspond to their gifts. The gift courses include 4 meetings: share, discover, reflect, and create. At the end of each semester there will be a Witness Celebration where the teens will share with the community their gifts. Each teen will also choose 2 self-led or small group courses that relate to a discipleship formation area of interest.
Additionally, teens are expected to participate in 3 Life Nights a year.
ALL RESOURCES FOR ZEAL ARE ONLINE
PLEASE NOTE: Because of public health concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and in our effort to stay in compliance with state, local, and archdiocesan guidelines, we will gather twice a month (via Zoom) and eventually in person when it is safe to do so. Formation will continue in your homes as we will provide you with all needed supplies and support.