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 14 sessions usually take place about every 2 weeks during term time from 4.00pm on Sunday afternoons, and it  includes the 6.00pm evening mass in our Parish in which they will be helping out. In the sessions the candidates will be put into small groups (named after a Saint) with a Catechist in charge, and we try to mix up the groups that people are not sitting with their friends, but make new friends from other schools. The candidates and their parents are expected help at BOTH the Christmas Jamboree in December and the Summer Parish BBQ in June, and they will be allocated to a stall to run for a shift. The parents will organise and run a fundraising event for the Parish themselves. The Confirmation candidates will also have one day of social outing (on a Saturday) in autumn, an one full day religious retreat on a Saturday, and they will also do a cake sale for a charity of their choice in our church on a Sunday morning after both morning masses. The class timetable will be posted here on the website once the enrolment starts. Please note this important change from the new course starting in 2025-2026: You are expected to attend all Sunday masses in term time (in any Catholic church) and proof it with a passport we will be giving you, and having it stamped or signed by the priest who will say mass. 

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, 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 Parish, 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 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 Confirmation mass with the Bishop will be in June/July. 

The Confirmation Course 2025-2026

The enrolment of the new Confirmation course 2025-2026 was from Sunday, 13th July to Sunday, 14th September. 
UPDATE: The enrolment deadline has been extended to Thursday, 25th September. 
The first parents´ meeting will be on Wednesday, 1st October. 

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  CLICK HERE
2. Consent To The Safe Use Of Images Form  CLICK HERE
3. Consent Form For An Activity Form  CLICK HERE
4. Code Of Conduct For Children And Young People Form  CLICK HERE
For the enrolment you have to upload the child’s Baptism certificate. 

Class timetable (Updated: 27th August with the date of the retreat):  CONF-Class-Timetable-2025-2026-PARENTS-1.pdf
You have to make sure your child will be able to attend all sessions and extra curricula when enrolling. 

Questions

If you have any questions, please email our Catechetical Coordinator via this email newbarnetcat@rcdow.org.uk