**Please note that there was a change in our Confirmation Retreat date!  Our 2024 Confirmation Retreat will be held on Saturday, January 27th, 2024.

Dear Parents of 2024 Confirmandi,

The coming year will be a special one for your child, as our 8th graders prepare for the sacrament of Confirmation, the last of the sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Church. During this beautiful ceremony, our Confirmandi take on themselves the promises that were made for them by their parents and godparents at Baptism. This is a sacred and powerful moment in the lives of our children, and as such, we - families, catechists, and our parish - support, guide, and carefully prepare them spiritually and catechetically for this special sacrament, and for their transition into becoming fully-initiated members of the Catholic Church, the Body of Christ.

Over the coming year, there will be several very important Confirmation-related dates which we will communicate to you. All sacramental celebrations, occasions for preparation and services are vital to your child's preparation and we ask that you make these dates a priority when we communicate them to you.

One of the ways we prepare our children for Confirmation is through service, as they put their faith into action by serving others. We welcome our Confirmandi to begin this aspect of their Confirmation preparation as soon as they would like to, and summer is a great time to start! Please see the document on the left side of the screen here for more information and for the service hours form.

Confirmandi should also begin to think about who they would like to stand for them as a sponsor. Sponsors must obtain a letter of eligibility from their own parishes, which will need to be submitted to our office by November 21st at the latest.  We reserve the right to choose sponsors for those Confirmandi who do not have sponsor letters of eligibility handed in by this date. Sponsors should contact their parishes to begin this process. Sacred Heart parishioners who wish to be sponsors must obtain this letter as well; the form for sponsors who are parishioners at Sacred Heart may be downloaded/printed from the left side of the screen here under "Documents". Below are the universal requirements for sponsors:

• At least 16 years of age

• Received the Sacraments of Baptism, First Holy Communion and Confirmation in the Catholic Church

• Attend Mass regularly on Sundays and on the Holy Days of Obligation

• Receive the sacraments of Penance (Confession) and Holy Communion regularly

• Sincerely try to follow the moral teaching of the Catholic Church

• If married, was married in the Catholic Church

• Not be the parent of the child to be baptized or confirmed

As we progress through the year, we will keep families updated and informed regarding all aspects of Confirmation. We look forward to a wonderful year of growing together with our children and families in our Catholic faith, and hope everyone has a wonderful summer!

Mrs. Barbara Kane, Coordinator of Religious Education