Our single/one-time fee covers all of the expenses related to: the required overnight retreat, including meals and supplies; transportation to and from the retreat and Archdiocesan Youth and Young Adult Pilgrimage and class supplies and mailings.
The Confirmation fee of $125.00 must be paid by March 1, 2008.

Who can be a Sponsor?

Candidates and parents are asked to please remember that when choosing Catholic sponsors for Confirmation, just as the godparent at baptism, the sponsor must be a fully-initiated, practicing member of the Catholic Church, who is at least 16 years of age. "Fully-initiated" means that the person must have been baptized, confirmed and receives the Eucharist. "Practicing" means that the person must attend Mass regularly and support the mission of the parish. (Please keep in mind that Canon Law states that if a person has not celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Catholic Church, he or she cannot be a godparent for baptism nor a sponsor for confirmation). Parents cannot sponsor their own children.

What is a retreat? Will I have to pray all day?

The Confirmation retreat is an invitation from Jesus to “come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while” (Mark 6:31). Be assured that the retreat leaders will not take you off to some lonely Church where you will spend the day praying silently on your knees. The retreat will include prayer but not the kind you may be used to. The prayer—being in the presence of God—may take the form of games, group activities, discussions, talks, videos, and quiet time.

Who can chaperone on the retreat?

St. Athanasius always welcomes parent/guardian involvement. We will need parent volunteers as chaperones on the retreat. Volunteer chaperones must satisfy the Archdiocesan Volunteer requirements (application, STAND training, and reference check). If interested, please contact the office as soon as possible for more information.

Why is service so important?

Christian faith requires that we follow Jesus’ example and serve and love one another. Matthew’s gospel tells us that we will enter the kingdom of God based on whether we have fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick and imprisoned. Service is often a step outside their usual circle for young people who visit elders, serve meals to the homeless, tutor immigrant children. Catholic social teaching calls us to be our brother’s and sister’s keepers, to care for the least among us, to work for the common good and the human rights of all.

I’m not sure I understand what counts as service, can you explain each of the areas more clearly?

Parish—parish service should focus on being an active member of a parish community. Some examples of parish ministry are assisting at parish events. For example, working at Thanksgiving preparing food baskets, wrapping Christmas presents for the needy, working at the Super Bowl Breakfast and/or the dinner to be held on February 24, 2008. Other types of parish ministry would be usher/greeter or participating in our music ministry.

Community-ministry in the community should focus on helping the local community. Some examples are making casseroles for Beans and Bread or Our Daily Bread, serving food at a soup kitchen, volunteering at a nursing home, coaching for Parks and Recreation programs, volunteering at the Humane Society, working with Literacy programs, or roadside clean-ups, etc.

Family-service for/within the family should focus on the family as a Christian unit. The purpose of this category is to have several family members working together to help build up the Body of Christ. No project should be something that is expected of you as a family member. Cleaning your room, helping another family member with chores, or visiting a relative (unless it is under extraordinary circumstance) would not be considered applicable.

So, I’m “done” after Confirmation, right?

Mistakenly, people often think that after they have received the three sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist), they are “done,” when in fact, they have only just begun to live as fully initiated members of the Church. Many feel they have “graduated” from religious education classes and have no further need for learning more about their faith. Participating in Mass regularly, attending religious education sessions or parish gatherings available to you as a teen and an adult, reading religious magazines and newspapers, sharing faith with others, and taking an active role in your parish community are essential to your growth as a Catholic Christian. As you discover more of your God-given talents, you are called to use them in the service of others.
As St. Paul tells his young friend Timothy, we are called to “rekindle the gift of God that is within you” (2 Tim 1:6).