Welcome back to Life Teen and your Confirmation year! We are so excited this year to be welcoming approximately 60-65 teens to our Program!
St. Angela Merici Catholic Church has implemented a 2-year process to prepare candidates for the Sacrament of Confirmation. In accordance with Archdiocesan guidelines, candidates who request Confirmation at St. Angela Merici must have at least one year prior preparation in Life Teen, CCE, or Catholic school and then complete a year of immediate preparation before receiving the sacrament. His Eminence, Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, has mandated the age of 16 as the minimum age for reception of the sacrament; thus, the Sacrament of Confirmation is offered at St. Angela Merici beginning in the 10th grade school year.
In general, the model is for your teen to begin Confirmation preparation in the 9th grade by attending our LIFE TEEN sessions. The immediate preparation classes would then be offered as part of LIFE TEEN in the 10th grade year, culminating with the candidates receiving the sacrament in the spring semester of their sophomore year. There are, of course, exceptions that we take into consideration on a case-by-case basis, such as those teens that are juniors or seniors and have not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation. However, in every case and regardless of circumstances, full participation in the faith formation program (LIFE TEEN) is required.
If your family is new to the parish and you have a teen who meets the requirements and will request this sacrament, we will need you to verify your teen's attendance in a faith formation program or Catholic school for the previous year before signing them up for immediate preparation. If they were NOT in faith formation the previous year, they will need to be registered for faith formation here in the parish, attend LIFE TEEN for one year and then would enter immediate prep in their second year of faith formation.
If your teen would like to request this sacrament, please indicate on the registration form or contact the office. If you – or they – are unsure if they are ready to begin preparation for the sacrament, please call the Faith Formation Office to discuss options.
Note: Teens participating in sacramental prep for Confirmation will be asked to accomplish tasks outside of Life Teen and immediate prep classes, such as completing service hours and attending two (2) retreats during the preparation process (one each year).
All Confirmation students must submit a copy of the both their Baptismal Certificate & First Holy Communion Certificate OR the front and back of their updated Baptismal Certificate with their First Holy Communion recorded on the back. A copy of these Certificates must be turned in to the parish office or by emailing it to [email protected] by the start of Sacramental preparation classes.