 Sacrament of Confirmation
Confirmation is a sacrament through which we receivethe Holy Spirit to make us stronger and more perfect Christians and truewitnesses of Jesus Christ. It is a sacrament of our initiation which beganin Baptism and continues in the Eucharist. As the candidates come forwardto be confirmed they profess their faith in the Catholic Church and personallytake on the responsibility for continuing their own religious journey byregularly participating in Sunday Mass, by continuing their spiritual formationwithin the Church community, by serving others' needs, and by spreadingand defending the faith in word and deed. In the Boston Archdiocese, Confirmation is usuallycelebrated in the high school years for those who were baptized as infants.Most parishes, including Saint Malachy's, require two years of preparationwhich, for many, coincide with the first two years of high school. Sincethe Church respects people's freedom to choose and since God's grace worksdifferently in different individuals, we do not presume that all ninth graderswill begin our Confirmation process nor do we expect that all will be confirmedat the end of their sophomore year. Indeed, candidates may commence theirformation process later and conclude it in the latter years of high schoolor even later. For this reason, the outline of our Confirmation processis deliberately put in terms of Year I and Year II instead of the more usualGrade 9 or Grade 10 categories.  Expectations / Requirements
The expectations of our Confirmation process are fairly straightforwardand simple: they are liturgical, ministerial, spiritual and educational. Liturgical: Since Confirmation is meant to coincidewith a time in our life when we take more personal responsibility for ourown lives, we expect that candidates for this sacrament will be regularcommunicants at the Sunday Eucharist. This is so fundamental to our understandingof Confirmation as Catholics that one who does not regularly assist at SundayEucharist should seriously question whether he or she is ready for thissacrament. The bedrock of our Confirmation Catechesis is Sunday Mass andwe expect our candidates to attend Mass every Sunday [viz. Saturday vigil]during their formation period. On certain of these Sundays candidates, parentsand sponsors will be expected to attend a particular Mass at Saint Malachyand attendance will be ascertained by means of a sign in sheet in the sacristy.It is the responsibility of the candidate to sign in for these liturgiesup to five minutes before the liturgy or afterwards. These liturgies aswell as other required gatherings are outlined on a schedule each year whichis given to those who have signed and returned in full the ConfirmationCovenant.  Ministerial: Since the Eucharist propels us weeklyto Christian service and ministry, it is expected that candidates for Confirmationinvolve themselves in ongoing service to the Church and the world. We wouldexpect candidates to serve in a ministry that would require, on the average,fifteen hours per year. Such ministry or service is perhaps best construedas a kind of apprenticeship in the Christian life. Ideally, it should beperformed in the company of others and, wherever possible, with the collaborationof the candidate's sponsor and other older parishioners. Our Confirmationteam and parish staff will be happy to discuss various ministerial optionswith you. Concretely, we will expect that candidates give a one page writtenreport on their ministry to the Confirmation Coordinator by March 1 each year.The report should basically describe what the candidatehas been doing for a ministry and what he/she has learned from that experience.
Spiritual: Candidates for Confirmation are expectedto grow in prayer as they deepen their sense of God and spirituality. Someconsistent form of prayer each day is strongly recommended whether thatbe reading from the Bible for fifteen minutes, centering prayer exercisesor prayer in the morning and/or evening. In addition, candidates in YearII are required to participate in an extended retreat experience. The parishoffers a retreat whose dates are noted on the schedule. We are open to otherretreats [TEC, Catholic HS, etc.] being substituted for the parish retreatwith the approval of the Confirmation Coordinator. Sponsors are expectedto attend part of the parish retreat with their candidate. If the sponsoris out of town at least one parent is expected to attend the retreat withhis/her child. For those participating in the retreat offered by the parisha $30 retreat fee is due by February 1. It should be noted that all candidatesfor Confirmation, no matter what their educational option [see below] areexpected to fulfill the above liturgical, ministerial and spiritual requirements. Educational: Since Confirmation initiates us intoa lifelong process of Christian living, learning and maturation, candidatesare required to complete at least two years of high school level religiousstudies prior to receiving the sacrament. We offer five options from whichcandidates may choose. Catholic School - Students enrolled in a Catholic high schoolwho successfully complete two years of religious studies will have fulfilledtheir educational requirements for Confirmation. Thus, they will not berequired to attend class at Saint Malachy's on Wednesday evenings thoughthey will be required to participate in all other dimensions of Confirmationpreparation as noted above and in the accompanying schedule. Evidence ofgrades from the Catholic high school and/or an appropriate note from theinstructor is required by April 1 of each year. Home Study - Given the complexity of daily schedules and the varietyof learning needs among our young people, we are open to candidates' workingat home with their parents and/or sponsor to fulfill the educational requirement.Candidates interested in this option and their parents will need to be interviewedby the Confirmation Coordinator. They will be asked to follow a high schoollevel text and to report in writing twice a year [January 1 and May 1] asto their progress and understanding. Home study candidates will still needto participate in the liturgical, ministerial and spiritual activities asnoted in the year's schedule and on this web page. Liturgy Based Catechesis - Since the Sunday Eucharist is the church'sprimary and most influential mode of Catechesis and religious understandingwe would encourage motivated candidates who attend Mass regularly to explorethis option instead of the Wednesday evening classes. Candidates will reflecton the readings, the preaching and the music of each Sunday's liturgy keepinga journal of their deepening religious understanding. Candidates interestedin this option will need to be interviewed by Ken Meltz or the group facilitators.Participants will meet four to five times duringthe year in an extended format which will allow time for prayer, reflectionand meal sharing. The schedule will be worked out with the participantswhen the group first convenes. Stained Glass Workshop- Participants in this option are expectedto attend Mass each week [preferably on Sunday] and will meetweekly either on Thursday afternoon [Year I] or Thursday evening [Year II].Candidates interested in this option need to be interviewed by its facilitator,Ms. Lee Norris and, because of space limitations, participation is limitedto six candidates in each year. This option is unique in that the catecheticaland ministerial requirements are met through working in a more artistic,interpersonal and expressive educational milieu. On occasion sponsors and/orparents will be asked to join the candidates for a joint reflection, projector dinner. Wednesday Classes - We will still offer our Wednesday classesat Saint Malachy's for Year I and Year II students as still another option.Year I will follow a liturgy based program called Spirit while Year II studentswill meet with guest speakers and other presenters as they prepare for thecelebration of the sacrament at the end of Year II. Class periods will runfrom 7:30 -8:45 PM and we expect to both start and stop on time. Studentsneed to be accompanied to the Wednesday class by either their sponsor orone of their parents if the sponsor lives far away. Some time will be allottedin every class session for sharing between the candidate and his/her sponsor.Students missing a class or a scheduled liturgy because of illness or othergood reason are asked to inform St Malachy in advance. Absences: Students who miss two or more sessions[classes, Sunday Liturgies, other services] or who fail to fulfill all therequirements [e.g. the service component, the Year II retreat, etc.] willneed to meet with the Confirmation Coordinator and, depending on how muchis missed, may be asked to repeat the entire year. In a two year programwith a limited number of gatherings we consider attendance at mass and allscheduled events extremely important. If other commitments [sports, family,school] do not allow faithful attendance to our program at this time werecommend waiting until you have the time and space needed to prepare wellfor Confirmation. The Sponsor: All candidates for Confirmation mustselect a sponsor. While it is preferable that the sponsor for Confirmationbe the same as the baptismal sponsor it is allowed to select another person.In general, the sponsor should be the kind of person with whom the candidateis willing to share the faith journey. The criteria for a sponsor are includedbelow and we urge you to read these carefully and think seriously aboutyour choice before asking someone to be your sponsor. Since sponsors areexpected to attend class and other functions with the candidates they willneed to be asked to participate early on in the Confirmation process. Shouldthe sponsor live far away or should you be undecided for a while as to whomto ask one of the parents is expected to attend the various sessions withthe candidate. At the latest you should have your sponsor selected by December1 of Year I so that the sponsor can be a constant companion on the faithjourney and a mentor for mature Catholic life and Church membership. Criteria for Sponsors: 1. A person who is a practicing faith-filled Roman Catholic adult. 2. A person who is able to relate in friendship to a teenager and isa good listener. 3. A person who is willing to participate in the Confirmation processduring the year by attending class and other sessions, including SundayMass, with his/her candidate. 4. A person who is willing to share his or her own experience of faith. 5. Sponsors must be fully initiated Catholics, that is, they must havereceived the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. Preferably,the baptismal sponsor should be the Confirmation sponsor whenever possible. 6. A sponsor must be at least sixteen years old. 7. Parents may not be sponsors for their sons and daughters. 8. The name of your sponsor should be included at the time you fill outthe Confirmation Covenant. The Confirmation Covenant: Incoming candidates areasked to fill out and sign a Confirmation Covenant, a kind of contract betweenthe candidate, his/her family and the parish community of Saint Malachy.Students are expected to fill out and return the Covenant by September 2of each year at the latest. At that time the schedule for the year willbe sent to the candidate so that he/she can mark their calendar for upcominggatherings, masses and classes. Until such time as we receive the ConfirmationCovenant completely filled out we will not consider you an Continued onback cover active candidate for Confirmation preparation at Saint Malachy. A Final Word: We can only reiterate what we havesaid above that Confirmation is an extremely important event in the lifeof the church and in the life of the individual. We, for our part, willtry to provide a program that is spiritually enriching and personally challenging.We hope that you will give this time of preparation the time, energy, cooperationand sense of priority which preparing for a sacrament in the church demands.We look forward to sharing this journey of faith with you and your family.Should you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to callour Confirmation Coordinator, at 781 272-5111.
Requirements in a NutshellLiturgical - Attendance at Mass every Sunday during the course of preparing forConfirmation. Masses at Saint Malachy are 4:00 PM [Sat.] 8:00 and 10:00 AM on Sunday. - Some Sundays [roughly one a month] candidates, sponsors and parentsare to attend our Liturgy as noted in the yearly schedule. - Other liturgies as noted in the yearly schedule. Ministerial - At least fifteen hours of ministry/service during the course of theyear. Report due by March 1. Spiritual - Growing in prayer and deepening awareness of God. - For Year II Candidates: Participation in a Retreat. The parish sponsoredretreat will be in the spring. Retreat fee $30 due by February 1. Educational - Participation in and successful completion of one of the five optionsoutlined in our Confirmation brochure: Catholic HS, Liturgy Based, StainedGlass Workshop, Home Study or Weekday program. NB Sponsor [or a parent]must accompany candidate to Wednesday evening sessions. Absences - No more than two including liturgies and other sessions as noted inthe yearly schedule. Confirmation Covenant - Signed in full and returned with Confirmation fee before beginningConfirmation preparation. | 
Saint Malachy Parish