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

Confirmation Program


Please call Sue Skipp or Terri Hermann at 860.666.3562 with any questions.

Information regarding the 2020/2021 Confirmation Program will be posted here once available.

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.  

Sue Skipp, Director of Religious Education and Confirmation
​dresue@annunciationnewington.com

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. You may also choose to pick the name given to you at Baptism. This is a beautiful way to strengthen the connection between your Baptism & this important celebration of your own Confirmation. A short 100 word essay is required on that Saint chosen for Confirmation.
  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 15 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 Sue Skipp at 860.666.3562.  
  4. ATTENDANCE – 10th grade Confirmation preparation is such that we meet a total of twelve times from October thru March with the sacrament of Confirmation conferred in late March or early April. We begin with our 12 Noon Mass and focus each week on the Corporal Works of Mercy and the Sacraments with a speaker or two on a variety of topics pertinent to Catholic Christian faith development. 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 Shawn and Sue Skipp 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.