626 Willard Ave
Newington, CT 06110
(860) 666-1591

Confirmation II (10th Grade) – Come Holy Spirit!
Schedule | Fall 2024

Office of Religious Education
626 Willard Ave
Newington, CT 06111
E-mail [email protected]
 

Those who have completed 9th grade Catechesis at Annunciation Parish and who are now in 10th grade and above, will be welcome to enroll in the Confirmation II – Come Holy Spirit! program. This final course will only meet until the reception of the sacrament on November 2nd.  This program is designed to aid students as they mature in their faith in this new, very secular world.
 
Classes will start with the noon mass at Holy Spirit, and then proceed to the Church Hall where we will meet from 1pm-2pm. The exception to this  September 29th, where we will be having the Confirmation Retreat. This retreat will again start with the noon mass, and end at 5pm. Lunch will be served. If you have any questions or are interested in teaching for our program, please contact Deacon Jim Blanchette at the Religious Education department via email ([email protected]) or phone (860) 729-5032.
 
Week 1 - September 15, 2024 | Catechetical Sunday & Children’s Mass
Week 2 – September 22, 2024
Week 3 – September 29, 2024 | Retreat
Saturday, October 5, 2024 | 2pm Reconciliation at Holy Spirit
No Class October 13 | Columbus Day & Indigenous People’s Day
Week 4 – October 20, 2024
Week 5 – October 27, 2024
Saturday, November 2 | 1:30pm Confirmation at St. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hartford
 
Registration for the Confirmation II – Come Holy Spirit! program can be found in our church entrances at Holy Spirit and St. Mary’s. Once you have filled out the registration, you can submit it by:
​
1.Dropping it in the collection basket during mass
2.Sending it in the mail (626 Willard Ave. Newington, CT 06111)
3.Drop it off directly at the mailbox at the St. Mary's Main Office.
4.Turning it in to the Director of Religious Education (DRE) Deacon Jim Blanchette


Please call Deacon Jim Blanchette or Eliza Harris at [email protected] or [email protected] with any questions.

Confirmation Program

The Confirmation program at Annunciation Parish is a one year program for students in 10th grade.  As stated in The National Directory for Catechesis:

"The most effective catechetical program for adolescents are integrated into a comprehensive program of pastoral ministry for youth that includes catechesis, community life, evangelization, justice and service, leadership development, pastoral care, and prayer and worship. Such programs aim to empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today; to draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community; and to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person." (p, 201)

This is the environment we strive to provide for the youth of Annunciation Parish, to prepare them to enter into a mature role in the Catholic Church.  

Deacon Jim Blanchette, Director of Religious Education and Confirmation
​[email protected]

Requirements

Confirmation - What Is It?
Saying "YES" to God  
Are you ready and willing to say YES to God? Have you taken the Covenant you signed last year seriously? Have you made a conscious decision to seek the Lord? Has creating a friendship with Jesus by praying & going to Mass weekly been a priority for YOU?  Have you been attending your classes regularly & making the effort to learn more about your faith? Have you cherished & appreciated the Lord & your family members & friends & in all those persons the Lord has sent to help you learn & grow? Are you looking to be of help & service to others? 
  
Since the family of God gathers as a parish community on a weekly basis at Mass & Confirmation students are part of the parish community. You should attend Mass on a weekly basis as this was the commitment you made when you signed your Confirmation covenant in 9th Grade to prepare for Confirmation.  Remember, a Sacrament is something special, it should be taken seriously. Your “YES” to God should really mean “YES”.      
  
CONFIRMATION REQUIREMENTS 
  1. CONFIRMATION NAME: You should choose the name of a Saint who you admire & whose lifestyle & witness to the Catholic faith means something special to you. . A 5 paragraph essay is required on that Saint chosen for Confirmation and why you desire to be Confirmed.
  2. SPONSOR FOR CONFIRMATION: The laws of the Catholic Church require that a Confirmation sponsor be baptized, Confirmed over sixteen and be a practicing Catholic. Your Confirmation sponsor should be someone committed to helping you in your faith journey. Parents cannot be their child’s Confirmation sponsor. A sponsor certificate is required for ALL sponsors even if they are a member of Annunciation Parish. Sponsors should contact the Catholic parish they attend and request the Confirmation sponsor certificate. 
  3. COMMUNITY SERVICE REQUIREMENT: All Confirmation candidates are required to complete 20 hours of community service. Helping others is an integral part of our Catholic identity. Opportunities for service to others uncovers & responds to basic human needs, while demonstrating Jesus’ understanding of and responses to humans in need. If you need some help/ ideas as to how to proceed with this requirement contact Deacon Jim Blanchette at 860.729.5032 or [email protected].  
  4. ATTENDANCE – 10th grade Confirmation preparation is still in progress of being planned. It will be an accelerated course since Confirmation occurs in November. Within these meeting dates a Confirmation retreat is scheduled and the sacrament of Reconciliation is scheduled as well prior to Confirmation. All 10th Grade students are required to be in attendance each week.  
  5. CONFIRMATION RETREAT – A Confirmation retreat is required and is an afternoon or evening of prayer, reflection with some emphasis on the sacrament of Confirmation. 
  6. CONFIRMATION DATES: The date of Confirmation is assigned by the Chancery office of the Archdiocese of Hartford. We are asked for some dates for Confirmation, they are submitted to the chancery and then we are notified of the date for Confirmation. Once the date for Confirmation has been given to Father Janusz and Deacon Jim Blanchette then all students & parents are informed.
  7. ​CONFIRMATION FEES / APPLICATION – Please  return form with appropriate information and fee.
The sacrament of Confirmation completes the action that was begun at Baptism with the gift of the Holy Spirit. In New Testament times, the coming of the Spirit upon believers was a separate action from Baptism – related to it and built upon it, but separate. It still is. Sometimes Confirmation is celebrated immediately after Baptism and sometimes there is an interim of several years.  We return to the sign of the sacrament for an understanding of what was happening. Like Baptism, Confirmation is a complex ritual, but the essential sign is threefold; anointing with chrism, laying on of hands, and speaking the words, “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
 
Chrism is a blessed, fragrant, oil-like substance, and anointing is an ancient religious ritual. It signifies being chosen and strengthened for a special role. Placing hands upon the head signifies a conferring of power.  A seal indicates a final, confirmed belonging to something or someone (ever hear of a seal of approval?). All of these happen in the sacrament of Confirmation.
 
What role? What power? What belonging? The role of being a fully functioning member of the Body of Christ, the Church. The power of God’s grace to move from the role of a child to the role of an adult.   A confirmed Catholic is now permanently different, just as he or she was permanently different through Baptism, but now in a fuller, more mature way. Who brings this about? The Holy Spirit. Confirmation is known as the “sacrament of the Spirit.” We can understand more the Spirit’s relationship to us by studying the strange and wonderful word which Jesus used in promising the Spirit.