Dear Parishioners of St. Monica,
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia recently decided to move the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation from 6th grade to 7th or 8th grade. After prayer, discernment, and consultation, St. Monica decided to move the sacrament to the
spring of the 7th grade year.
Many parish families with students in our program have asked how this change will impact sacramental preparation. We are sensitive to the efforts of our families who do a great job of implementing the faith at home while juggling other responsibilities, teams, and events. Thus, we have come up with the following format.
Background: Three years ago, we made a change to our Confirmation Prep Program in response to an important, growing trend we saw in the Church. Nationally, parishes noticed one beautiful, yet misunderstood Christian phrase, was the idea of a “relationship with Christ.” In reflecting on this idea, we thought it important to note that, before we can know Jesus’ teachings and the teachings of the Church,
we must first know Him! To emphasize the importance of relationship, discipleship and "forming the faith," we incorporated
ALPHA Youth into our Confirmation Preparation Program. Through this program, students were given the opportunity to dive into deeper faith discussions and ask questions which lead them to know the person of Christ in a more real way.
The Result: This change in our sacramental prep received a lot of positive feedback. Parents were delighted that their students loved coming to weekly prep!
Moving Forward: In seeing the good that came from this change for the 6th grade, we decided to leave the bulk of confirmation prep as it stands. Reception of the sacrament itself will be moved to the 7th grade. Students will continue to prepare for the sacrament during their 6th grade year.
The teachings of confirmation saints and sponsors will be discussed during the spring of the 6th grade year. Confirmation packets will be given out at the end of the 6th grade year. Together, this will provide students the entire summer to choose a confirmation saint and sponsor. This extra time should prove to be helpful for our students. It will allow them to think and pray through these important aspects of the sacrament in a deeper, more intentional way.
While there will be no formal confirmation classes during the 7th grade year, students will attend a
Confirmation Retreat during the fall of 7th grade. Students will also be
highly encouraged, but not required, to attend our
EDGE Middle School Youth Group. With the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation, students have a new responsibility to go out on their own initiative to work on growing deeper in their faith. For some, this is a challenging change in their faith practice. Participation in the EDGE Youth Group will help ease this transition. It can provide our students with the tools, as well as a faith community, to take on this exciting challenge!
To Recap:
- Confirmation has been moved from 6th grade to 7th grade.
- The bulk of Confirmation Prep will remain in the 6th grade year.
- Confirmation packets will be handed out at the end of the 6th grade year.
- The Confirmation retreat will be held in the fall of the 7th grade year with the sacrament taking place in the spring.
- There will be no formal classes during the 7th grade year.
- 7th grade students are highly encouraged to attend EDGE youth group.
Should you have any further questions or wish to discuss anything in greater detail, please do not hesitate to reach out! Thank you so much for your continued prayers for the youth and families of our parish. God bless you!
AMDG,
Jason Carter
Director of the Office of Discipleship and Formation