S T B E N E D I C T
THE
SACRAMENT OF
CONFIRMATION
S T . B E N E D I C T C A T H O L I C C H U R C H 1 6 5 B E T H A N Y R O A D H O L M D E L , N J 0 7 7 3 3 I N F O R M A T I O N F O R P A R E N T ( S ) / G U A R D I A N ( S ) & S T U D E N T SAUGUST 17, 2020 DEAR CONFIRMATION PARENT(S)/GUARDIAN(S), Y o u h a v e s e e n t h a t y o u r c h i l d h a s b e e n i n i t i a t e d i n o u r f a i t h t h r o u g h B a p t i s m a n d t h e E u c h a r i s t . Y o u h a v e c o n t i n u e d t o r a i s e t h e m i n t h e f a i t h t h r o u g h t h e y e a r s . N o w i t i s t i m e f o r y o u r c h i l d t o m a k e a l i f e t i m e c o m m i t m e n t t o o u r f a i t h t h r o u g h t h e S a c r a m e n t o f C o n f i r m a t i o n . S t B e n e d i c t ’ s C o n f i r m a t i o n 2 0 2 1 w i l l b e c e l e b r a t e d : F r i d a y , M a r c h 2 6 4 p m M o n s i g n o r J o s e p h R o s i e , p a s t o r o f S t . J a m e s ( R e d B a n k ) a n d V i c a r o f M o n m o u t h C o u n t y , w i l l b e t h e c e l e b r a n t . P r e p a r a t i o n t h i s y e a r w i l l b r i n g c h a l l e n g e s a n d o p p o r t u n i t i e s t h a t w e h a v e n o t d e a l t w i t h b e f o r e w i t h t h e C o v i d 1 9 r e s t r i c t i o n s a n d d i r e c t i v e s t h a t w e a r e t o f o l l o w . T h e c o l l a b o r a t i o n b e t w e e n p a r e n t s , s p o n s o r s a n d t h e s t a f f a t S t . B e n e d i c t w i l l b e o f g r e a t i m p o r t a n c e i n e n s u r i n g t h a t y o u r c h i l d r e n a r e r e a d y t o b e c o n f i r m e d i n M a r c h . O u r y o u n g p e o p l e n e e d u s t o j o y f u l l y a n d p r a y e r f u l l y r i s e t o t h e c h a l l e n g e a n d w e n e e d t o b e c o n n e c t e d c o - w o r k e r s i n t h e v i n e y a r d w h o s h a r e i d e a s a n d e v e n f r u s t r a t i o n s
I t i s i m p o r t a n t t h a t t h e i n f o r m a t i o n r e q u e s t e d i n t h i s p a c k e t b e r e t u r n e d t o u s a s s o o n a s p o s s i b l e , t h e d e a d l i n e s a r e o u t l i n e d i n t h e p a c k e t . I f y o u h a v e a n y q u e s t i o n s r e g a r d i n g t h e i n f o r m a t i o n p l e a s e f e e l f r e e t o c o n t a c t t h e F a i t h F o r m a t i o n O f f i c e B e a s s u r e d t h a t y o u a n d y o u r c h i l d a r e i n t h e p r a y e r s o f t h e e n t i r e p a r i s h c o m m u n i t y d u r i n g t h i s t i m e o f p r e p a r a t i o n f o r t h e S a c r a m e n t o f C o n f i r m a t i o n . M e l i s s a D a y t o n D i r e c t o r o f F a i t h o f F o r m a t i o n M d a y t o n @ s t b e n e d i c t n j . o r g C i r o S a v e r i n o C o o r d i n a t o r o f Y o u t h a n d Y o u n g A d u l t M i n i s t r i e s 7 3 2 - 2 6 4 - 4 7 1 2 e x t . 1 2 C a r o l C e s a r i o , A d m i n i s t r a t i v e A s s i s t a n t C e s a r i o @ s t b e n e d i c t n j . o r g 7 3 2 - 2 6 4 - 4 7 1 2 e x t . 2 4 .
D o t h e y m a k e t i m e f o r p r a y e r o n t h e i r o w n ? H a v e w e ( p a r e n t s ) t a u g h t m y c h i l d d i f f e r e n t f o r m s o f p r a y e r ? D o w e p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e s a c r a m e n t a l l i f e o f t h e C h u r c h ? D o w e a t t e n d M a s s a s a f a m i l y ? D o w e t r y t o g r o w i n t h e k n o w l e d g e o f f a i t h a n d s h a r e i t w i t h e a c h o t h e r a s a f a m i l y ? A r e w e i n v o l v e d w i t h p a r i s h a c t i v i t i e s a s m u c h a s w e c o u l d b e ? T h r o u g h o u t t h e y e a r , a s k y o u r c h i l d r e n w h a t t h e y a r e l e a r n i n g . P A R E N T P R E P A R A T I O N / P A R T I C I P A T I O N : T h i s y e a r ' s p r e p a r a t i o n e f f o r t s w i l l n e e d a l l a d u l t s t o w o r k t o g e t h e r . T o b e g i n i n p r e p a r i n g y o u r c h i l d f o r t h e S a c r a m e n t o f C o n f i r m a t i o n , w e a s k t h a t y o u s i t w i t h y o u r c h i l d a n d d i s c u s s t h e f o l l o w i n g p o i n t s :
P A R E N T P R E P A R A T I O N / P A R T I C I P A T I O N : S i n c e w e w i l l n o t h a v e g r o u p d i s c u s s i o n s a s u s u a l , i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o h e l p r e i n f o r c e w h a t t h e c h i l d r e n a r e l e a r n i n g . H a v i n g d i s c u s s i o n s w i t h y o u r c h i l d a l l o w s t h e m t o p r o c e s s t h e i n f o r m a t i o n b e t t e r . W e w i l l b e s e n d i n g i n f o r m a t i o n t o p a r e n t s p e r i o d i c a l l y , w e a s k y o u t o t a k e s o m e t i m e w i t h y o u r c h i l d w h e n w e d o t o d i s c u s s a n d s e e i f t h e y h a v e q u e s t i o n s o r a r e u n d e r s t a n d i n g w h a t i s b e i n g t a u g h t i n t h e l e s s o n s . R e m e m b e r y o u r f a c i l i t a t o r s a r e a v a i l a b l e t o a n s w e r q u e s t i o n s a n d h e l p . A t t a c h e d a r e m a t e r i a l s w h i c h e x p l a i n t h e C o n f i r m a t i o n p r o c e s s . P l e a s e r e a d t h r o u g h t h e s e m a t e r i a l s c a r e f u l l y a n d d i s c u s s t h e m w i t h y o u r c h i l d a s w e l l .
S O M E T H I N G S T H A T W I L L B E ,
A N D / O R C O U L D B E D I F F E R E N T T H I S Y E A R :
C l a s s e s w i l l b e v i r t u a l f o r R E . L e s s o n s w i l l b e p o s t e d 2 x a m o n t h a n d c a n b e d o n e a t t h e i r o w n p a c e a s l o n g a s t h e y a r e t u r n e d i n b y t h e d u e d a t e . S t u d e n t s w i l l b e a s k e d t o a t t e n d b i -m o n t h l y 3 0 -m i n Z o o -m h a n g o u t s e s s i o n i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e c u r r i c u l u m r e q u i r e m e n t s 7 t h g r a d e 6 6 : 3 0 p m , 8 t h g r a d e 6 : 4 5 -7 : 1 5 p m V i r t u a l h a n g o u t s w i l l b e u s e d t o g i v e a n o v e r v i e w a n d d i s c u s s i m p o r t a n t t o p i c s f r o m t h e l e s s o n s , b u i l d c o m m u n i t y a n d f o r g u e s t s p e a k e r s . A t t e n d a n c e i s r e q u i r e d a s i f i t w a s a n i n p e r s o n c l a s s S t u d e n t s w i l l b e a l l o w e d t h e s a m e a m o u n t o f a b s e n c e s t h a t t h e y w o u l d b e i f i n c l a s sW e w i l l a t t e m p t t o h a v e 2 o n s i t e g a t h e r i n g s f o r s e r v i c e t h a t h e l p t o m e e t t h e n e w s e r v i c e l e a r n i n g ‘ p a c k e t ’ s h o u l d y o u c h o o s e t h a t o p t i o n . B e c a u s e o f C O V I D 1 9 : S e r v i c e h a s b e e n a d a p t e d t o S e r v i c e L e a r n i n g a n d n o t s o l e l y c o m m u n i t y s e r v i c e . T h e r e a r e 2 o p t i o n s t o c h o o s e f r o m I f t h e r e t r e a t i s i n p e r s o n , i t w i l l b e f o r t h e s t u d e n t a n d s p o n s o r ( a p a r e n t m a y s i t i n t h e i r p l a c e ) I f t h e r e t r e a t n e e d s t o b e v i r t u a l , s p o n s o r a n d / o r p a r e n t a r e a s k e d t o p a r t i c i p a t e w i t h t h e s t u d e n t i n t h e o n l i n e f o r m a t .
CONFIRMATION
FORMS/PAPERWORK:
1-Confirmation Candidate Form 2020/2021
This needs to be filled out on the website.
https://parish.stbenedictholmdel.org/confirmationprep
Scroll to the bottom of the page and fill in the Confirmation Candidate form.
2-SPONSOR CERTIFICATE OF ELIGIBILITY
(Please read the Role of the Sponsor* below before choosing a sponsor)
If the sponsor is a St Benedict Parishioner, we will check to see if they are a Catholic in good standing based on parish records. If there is no information for us to do so, we will ask them to sign a letter of self certification.
If your sponsor is not a St Benedict parishioner, ask them to go to their parish and obtain a letter of eligibility.
Once they have the letter, it can be uploaded here:
http://bit.ly/ConfirmationSponsor or
send to: St. Benedict Church165 Bethany Road Holmdel, New Jersey 07733
attn: Faith Formation Office. These requirements are due by: November 1, 2020
CONFIRMATION
FORMS/PAPERWORK:
3- COMMUNITY SERVICE:
(please note: changes due to covid)
All students are required to complete a total of 20 hours (10 hours in 7th and 10 hours in 8th) of service or the new Service Learning Projects.
Details can be found at the end of this packet
4- CONFIRMATION SAINT REPORT:
This year students choose to write a Saint Report or create a video about their Saint.
Grading rubrics are at the end of the service information. Reports or video’s are to be submitted to Google Classroom.
Due date for Service and Saint Reports/videos:
January 24, 2021
CONFIRMATION :
SBS students: Rehearsal will be conducted while in school. Sponsor is not
required to attend practice.RE students: Practices will be held the week before. (If current directives and restrictions are lifted or have been changed)
CONFIRMATION PRACTICE:
CONFIRMATION
will be celebrated on Friday, March 26 at 2 (SBS) and 4 pm (RE). Monsignor Joseph Rosie, pastor of St. James (Red Bank) and Vicar of Monmouth County, will be the celebrant. All Confirmandi are asked to arrive 30 minutes before the ceremony with your sponsor.
CONFIRMATION RETREAT:
All students and a sponsor or parent are required to attend the
Confirmation Retreat with speaker Colleen Kelly Raynor on a Sunday afternoon from 2pm-6pm with their sponsor. The event ends with adoration and a meal. A parent or older sibling over the age of 16 may attend in the place of the sponsor.
Date TBD and Covid restrictions determine whether it is held at St. Benedict Church or virtually.
MASS:
Continue to celebrate your commitment by attending Mass weekly and on Holy Days.
*THE ROLE OF THE SPONSOR:
Candidates for the sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation need a sponsor. Each candidate is responsible for choosing a sponsor.
It is recommended that, if possible, the baptismal sponsor (godparent) also be the Confirmation sponsor. This choice would express more clearly the
relationship between Baptism and Confirmation and would make the function of the sponsor more effective.
There is no regulation determining that men must be sponsors for boys and women must be sponsors for girls.
A parent cannot be chosen as the sponsor .
The sponsor is a Catholic who knows the ways of faith and will be able to help the person who is receiving the sacrament to
begin living the faith in the Catholic Church more fully.
There are certain qualifications that the Church has for sponsors. Consider choosing a sponsor after considerable reflection and responses to
My sponsor is 16 years old or older. (Yes or No)
My sponsor is a baptized Catholic (or has made a profession of faith in the case of a conversion to the catholic Faith.) (Yes or No)
My sponsor has been confirmed in the Catholic Church. (Yes or No)
My sponsor is a practicing Catholic and attends Mass weekly. (Yes or No) If my sponsor is married, he/she was married in the Catholic Church. (Yes or No)
My sponsor can obtain a certificate from his/her parish that they are a Catholic in good standing. (Every sponsor needs one.) (Yes or No)
The answer to the questions must be yes for your
sponsor to be eligible according to the Code of Canon
Law of the Catholic Church.
If you answered "NO" to any one of the questions above, then that person cannot be a sponsor according to the Code of Canon Law (Church rules).This guideline is given to you to help you in choosing a sponsor.
Do not return it with answers . It is to help you choose a person who will be eligible.
Any questions can be directed to the Faith Formation office at 732/264-4712 X24
SERVICE PACKET:
Community service as a requirement for Confirmation has existed for
decades. The intention is that students practice the corporal works of mercy by reaching out to those in need. To recognize that love of one’s neighbor is an integral part of being a Christian Service done well is meant to empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today. It is also a tool to draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission and work of the Catholic faith community.
Service is meant to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person. When people participate in works of mercy, they see their faith in action and have an opportunity to experience communities that may not have had previously.
“The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively servicing them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area
they may be. As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” CCC 1932
Community service is also the one aspect of Confirmation preparation that can easily turn into a burden and lose its purpose. Because we do not feel it is fair to ask families to try and complete a list of hours this year, we are giving two options. We will try to hold some opportunities on site, but may have to be creative and numbers could be limited.
If your child has completed hours they will be grandfathered in and accepted. If your child has completed hours for 7th grade, they may choose Option 1 Service Learning Packets for 8th grade.
If you child has not been able to complete hours they may do packets for both the 7th and 8th grade requirements.
Students Choose:
Option #1 Service Learning packets Option #2 Traditional hours
They may attend the service events we hold, or do something on their own. Details and the assignment will be on their Google Classroom page and will be submitted there when completed.
“In order that the message of salvation can show the power of its truth and radiance before men, it must be authenticated by the witness of the life of Christians. The witness of a Christian life and good works done in a supernatural spirit have great power to draw men to
the faith and to God.” CCC 2044
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMMUNITY SERVICE AND SERVICE LEARNING?
Community
Service-The goal is to help community groups or people to better their program or life in some way and hope the youth providing the service will learn through the
experience. Learning is secondary and unintentional Service
Learning-Youth providing the service come up with a plan, assist the group and then reflect back on the event. From the very early stage of generating ideas, students will learn how to help, put together the project, perform the tasks, and finally, reflect back to see how they could have improved it. Students reflect on questions such as what did they learn, does the group they served need further help, should they have chosen a different task to be more successful and so forth.
Option #1: SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS:
Virtual Packets will be posted in Google Classroom when classes begin and students are logged into classes.
Both packets (per year) should be submitted through Google Classroom by January 24, 2021
Students who choose to do the Service Learning Projects will be asked to complete 2 service packets per year instead of 10 hours.
Each virtual packet will contain 3 sections: Research
Mission statement from the nonprofit or charity of choice. What community do they service. How does the non profit serve the community?
Plan
Create or help plan and perform some kind of service for the nonprofit or charity of choice- (approximately 2 hours worth of work). Students may also choose to run a virtual campaign, neighborhood or school collection or go to location if allowed and volunteer or drop off donations
Process
Fill out an evaluation form with lessons learned from the research and work done for the nonprofit/charity of choice. Answer what they would do differently next time or how they could improve their work if they were to volunteer
again. Did they learn something new about the community they served and the importance of making their life a gift to others through faith in action.
Option #2 TRADITIONAL SERVICE HOUR CHART:
Students who have completed or are choosing the tradition hour service for 2020-2021: The traditional community service essay will need to be submitted via
Google Classroom by Sunday, January 24, 2021 See attached instructions for the essay
Hour charts can be downloaded off the website.
Hours are should be submitted through Google Classroom by as an attachment to this form: January 24, 2021
CONFIRMATION COMMUNITY SERVICE ESSAY:
Confirmation is one of the three sacraments of initiation of the Catholic Church. As the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples who were gathered on Pentecost, so the Holy Spirit comes to every baptized person for whom the Church requests the gift of the Holy Spirit. It secures and strengthens us to be a living witness to Christ. One of the ways we can be a living witness to Christ is through our service toward others. We are called throughout our entire life to serve one another.
(for traditional service hour option only) 5 paragraph essay
CONFIRMATION COMMUNITY SERVICE ESSAY:
Introduction: One paragraph
What made you decide to volunteer where you did?
Describe an experience which affected you meaningfully during one of your projects. (a conversation with someone I an experience with another volunteer/ etc.)
Where was God at work in this experience; in you, in other people, and in the church?
How did one of the projects serve someone in your community?
How did this make you feel like you are a living witness to Christ.How has your community service helped others?
How has your community service affected your plans for the future? 1.
How have you shown that you are serving the community and living out the call to be a living witness to Christ?
Body: Three paragraphs
2. Paragraph one: Describe the various service projects that you have participated in during this preparation period.
3. Paragraph two: Use at least 2 questions in body paragraphs two or three on how your service affected you and your community.
4. Paragraph three:
INTERVIEWS:
Be able to describe your prayer life Dialogue about your Family
Basic Knowledge of the following: Sacraments
The Mass Sin
The Bible
Each Confirmation Candidate will have an interview with Father Garry Koch, Pastor or Father John Michael, Parochial Vicar. Interviews will take place at a scheduled date TBD or virtually if needed
The main purpose of the interview is to provide the candidate with a one on one conversation with a priest to discuss their journey and experiences toward reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
The priest will review with them their journey of faith, their knowledge of basic Church teaching and why they are being Confirmed.
Interviews will take place during School hours or Religious Education classes. Candidates can prepare for the interview by reflecting on the following points:
INTERVIEWS:
What is Confirmation?
Why are you receiving Confirmation?
How can you describe your journey toward Confirmation?
Tell me about the positive experiences of your journey and any challenging moments.
Why do you want to receive this Sacrament? What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
Can you name the fruits of the Holy Spirit? What Saint name did you choose? Why?
Who is your Confirmation sponsor?Why did you choose him or her? Do you have any questions before receiving Confirmation?
(all students)
8th Grade ConfirmationSaint Report
Option #1: Written Report
Work should be in students' own words and not copied and pasted. The report (video or written) will be turned in virtually via google classroom.
Detailed instructions will be provided there.
Birthdate, date of death, place of birth.
Where did the saint grow up, family life?
Did they have a life with faith—explain.
What are their accomplishments/miracles?
What did they do to become a Saint?
Are they a Patron Saint?
Did they have a prayer life?
What character traits does this Saint have that you admire?
Introduction Paragraph:
(2-3 sentences)Introduce your Saint and explain why you choose this
Saint.
Body:
This paragraph/s can include the following information—(at least 5
sentences)
Closing Paragraph:
How are you inspired by your saint?
What character traits does this Saint have that you admire? Do you
want to change your behavior after reading about your saint?
Option #2: Video Report
Birthdate, date of death, place of birth.
Where did the saint grow up, family life?
Did they have a life with faith—explain.
What are their accomplishments/miracles?
What did they do to become a Saint?
Are they a Patron Saint?
Did they have a prayer life?
What character traits does this Saint have that you admire?
A video ‘report’ should include all of the information in the
paper report outline.
Video’s should be 5-6 minutes long.
The video may include photos, google sides or any other creative way of
sharing the information as long as it includes the details required.
Introduction (2-3 sentences)Introduce your Saint and explain why you
choose this Saint.
Body of the video: Includes the following information—(choose at least 5 )
Conclusion:
How are you inspired by your saint?
What character traits does this Saint have that you admire?
IMPORTANT DATES::
Confirmation Candidate Form: November 1, 2020 Confirmation Sponsor Form: November 1, 2020 Saint Report and Hours/Packets: January 22nd Retreat: January/February TBD
Confirmation practice: March 22 & 24 4pm Gown pick up will be at practice
Confirmation: March 26 4 pm Forms: Submit online
