Confirmation, in the Catholic Church, is one of the seven sacraments, administered to those who are baptised and who have received the First Holy Communion, usually teenagers aged 14 in year 9.
It is called a sacrament of initiation as it follows Baptism and First Holy Communion, and as it completes your initiation into the Catholic Church.
Before one can receive Confirmation, the sacrament of Reconciliation (also known as Confession) has to be received by the candidate.
The Confirmation is administered by a Bishop. The Bishop anoints you by using oil of Chrism (a consecrated oil) to make the Sign of the Cross on your forehead while saying your Confirmation name and “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.” In the sacrament of Confirmation you will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and with it the help you need to live your life as an adult Christian.
Our Confirmation Programme
The 11 sessions usually take place every 2 weeks during term time at 4.00pm on Sunday afternoons, concluding with the 6.00pm evening mass in our Parish. The candidates will be put in small groups (named after a Saint) with a Catechist in charge, and we try to mix up the groups that people from the same school are not sitting with their friends, but get to know new friends. The parents of the candidates and the candidates are expected to attend two or three talks from guest speakers from a religious order, and to plan and help at the Summer Parish BBQ. The date for the final Confirmation mass will be announced in October, as we have to wait for a response on the date from the Bishop. The Confirmation candidates will also have one day of outing around October to socialise, a one day religious retreat around February, and one full day excursion to the Flame Congress in Wembley (costs are included in the course fee), and will also do a cake sale for a charity in our church. All details on the course will be given to you once the enrolment is closed.
You need a Confirmation Name and a Sponsor
The Confirmation candidate will choose a Confirmation name from a Saint who inspires you. You will be asked about this Saint and on why you choose this particular Saint. Your sponsor has to be a practising Catholic, aged 16 years or over, and confirmed, – but not one of your parents. Many people choose an aunt or an uncle, or a close family friend. All details on this will be on the online form sent to you in January.
Course Fee
Once you have been notified that your child has been accepted, you will need to send the Course Fee of £130.00. Included in this price are the course materials, the social outing, the retreat, the trip to the Flame Congress, and a group photo by a professional photographer made at the final mass with the Bishop.
How and when to enrol
The enrolment to our Confirmation course is usually for several weeks and starts before the summer break. The enrolment dates are also announced in our weekly church newsletter. The enrolment will be via the online forms only, and the links will be put here once the enrolment starts.
In order to enrol you have to be a registered in our Parish and be on our Parish Census Form. The Parish database contains current information of the parishioners and their family members. New parishioners have to register first. Please contact the Parish Office to register. If you currently belong to another Pairish, this means that basically change your Parish. It is standard procedure when participating in sacramental programmes you need to be on the Parish Census.
The Confirmation Course 2024-2025
The enrolment for the Confirmation course 2024-2025 was from Sunday, 9th June to Saturday, 21st September 2024, and is now closed. If you missed the enrolment, please contact the Parish Catechist asap and ask for the enrolment forms. The parents’ evening will be on Wednesday, 2nd October.
The first Confirmation session will be end of September. There will also be a parents’ meeting before the session starts in which the programme will be explained. The class timetable will be sent out after the enrolment has closed. The parents will receive the name of the group in which their child will be in at parents’ meeting in September. The Confirmation mass with the Bishop will be in June or July.
Enrolment Forms
To enrol all four forms have to be filled out: (forms will be put here once the enrolment starts)
1. Confirmation Enrolment Form
2. Consent To The Safe Use Of Images Form
3. Consent Form For An Activity Form
4. Code Of Conduct For Children And Young People Form
For the enrolment you have to upload the child’s Baptism certificate.
Questions
If you have any questions, please email our Catechetical Coordinator, Diana Nefiodow, via this email newbarnetcat@rcdow.org.uk
