Confirmation Policy
Welcome to St Marks and St Mary Magdalen Catholic Parishes. In our parishes we are committed to supporting one another in becoming disciples of Jesus Christ, fully alive to God and to one another. We welcome all people, of all ages and backgrounds to encounter the living God who comes to us most especially in the sacraments and above all in our Sunday celebration of the Eucharist. We are a parish committed to renewal, believing that the beautiful gift of faith is too precious to be taken lightly and too important not to be encouraged to grow and flourish. We therefore approach the preparation for the Sacraments in a way which may be different to what you may have been used to in the past.
Confirmation is a pivotal moment in the life of a Catholic Christian. To be a full member of the Catholic Church, a person is required to receive the three Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion. These three Sacraments are usually received during childhood, so it is imperative that parents and families are resourced to journey with their children as they are brought into the full life of the Church. Sacraments are gifts from God, they are visible signs and gestures that confer invisible graces on the person receiving them. They are not, however, magic. The person receiving them still needs to receive and cooperate with the gifts being given in the Sacraments. Just as a seed planted in soil, if it is not nurtured, watered and protected, will die, so too, if the person receiving the sacrament is not nurtured, watered by faith and protected from those things that endanger the life of faith, then the graces given in the sacrament will weaken, wither and die. Therefore, the role of parents and family is critical, and in fact the Church teaches that it is the parents, before anyone else who are responsible for educating their children in the faith.
From The Catechism of the Catholic Church:
Para. 2223 Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children.
Para. 2226 Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child's earliest years….The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents.
At St Mark’s and St Mary Magdalen we are committed to a family centred approach to the sacraments which supports parents in bringing up their children in the faith. Preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation is a shared journey between the candidate, the candidate’s parents and family and the parish. The young person being confirmed needs to be supported by parents who are journeying with their child in the knowledge and understanding of the faith. For this reason, when candidates are under 18 years of age, we ask that at least one of the candidate's parents or guardians participates in an Alpha course, whilst the candidate participates in Youth Alpha.
The main preparation for Confirmation is participation in Sunday Mass. Since Confirmation is the celebration which completes full initiation into the church, candidates must be serious about attending Mass and taking an active part in parish life.
In summary Confirmation preparation in our parishes looks like this:
Candidates must regularly attend Mass;
Candidate's parent or guardian attend an Alpha Course;
Candidate completes Youth Alpha with our Catechist;
Candidate attends the Ignite Festival, the Diocesan Youth Retreat, which is usually held on the Early May Bank Holiday weekend, and any other diocesan event put on specifically for confirmation candidates.
To register your interest in receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, please in the first instance [javascript protected email address] for an application form.
