Confirmation

Children who are Baptized, and who have celebrated First Reconciliation and First Eucharist, but who have not yet been Confirmed, will be prepared as follows:

• Fall 2006, we will prepare all who are in junior high, and their siblings in fourth or fifth grades, and any high school student* or adult who have not yet been confirmed, as well as all third grade children, who will also receive their First Eucharist.
• Fall 2007, and years after, we will prepare all third grade children, and all others in any grade or adults who have not yet been confirmed.

For those new to this lower age for Confirmation, you might find the following  helpful to understand the theology behind Bishop Olmsted’s decision to confirm at the third grade level.

Read Bishop Olmsted’s pastoral letter here.
http://www.diocesephoenix.org/catecheticalministry/Sacraments/Pastoral-conf-eng.pdf

Third grade children will be prepared in part in their regularly scheduled religious education sessions. The remainder of the preparation is done in the home with materials the child will receive while in the RE session. A retreat with the parents present is part of the preparation.

Other children will  prepared in part during sessions on Monday evening from 6:30 to 7:00 pm. These sessions will begin in October, and parents will be notified. The remainder of the preparation is done in the home with materials the child will receive at the Monday evening sessions.

*if numbers are too large, high school students will be accepted into confirmation fall of 2006 in this order: seniors, siblings of jr. high participants, juniors, sophomores, freshmen.