July 23, 2024

Updated Plans for Sponsor/Candidate Requirement

Dear Confirmation Families,

I hope this message finds you in the middle of a wonderful summer! I am writing to inform you of an important change regarding one of the requirements for your child’s Confirmation preparation. As we continue to seek to improve our parish’s Confirmation preparation, we have decided to cancel the Formation Sessions previously scheduled for August 10 and October 12.

This change is the result of the Lord’s guidance and feedback received from families and sponsors over the past two years. In place of the Formation Session, we are implementing a new requirement which aims to honor the unique relationship between each candidate and their chosen sponsor. We also believe that the new format will better accommodate the busy schedules of candidates, sponsors, and their families.

The new requirement will begin with equipping sponsors for the role of accompanying their candidate on the path to–and beyond–the Sacrament of Confirmation. Afterwards, sponsors and candidates will be empowered to meet independently in order to spend time in meaningful conversation about Confirmation, the Holy Spirit, and their personal faith journeys. Finally, candidates will submit a written reflection about the time they spent with their sponsor and how it impacted them.

For the sake of clarity, I have outlined the necessary steps for completing this new requirement below:

1. Each sponsor attends a 2-hour Sponsor Equipping Meeting.
There are three dates/times to choose from - two of the meetings will be offered online via Zoom Meeting, and a third will be offered in-person at St. Patrick:

-Saturday, September 28th, 10 AM-12 PM (ET): Online
-Monday, October 7th, 7-9 PM (ET): Online
-Saturday, October 12th, 10 AM-12 PM: In-person

This meeting is only for the sponsors, not the candidates. Sponsors will receive an email from us, shortly, about their role in this requirement and how to RSVP for which Sponsor Equipping Meeting they will attend. Parents will receive a copy of this information, as well.

2. Each sponsor will schedule time to get together with their candidate for reflection and discussion based on provided materials.
We ask that each sponsor and candidate spend approximately 3 hours together on the provided materials. This might be done all in the same day, or broken up over more than one meeting. We encourage everyone to do this in whatever manner best fits their relationship with their sponsor and their availability.

We recommend meeting in-person, but if your child’s sponsor lives far away, this could be done through Facetime or Zoom. If you’re concerned about this, please let me know- I’m happy to help brainstorm a solution that will work.

Sponsors will be prepared during the Sponsor Equipping Meeting to guide their candidates through the materials. We'll also provide suggestions for how they might personalize the experience to make it more impactful.

3.Each candidate will submit a 2-page reflection about the time spent with their sponsor.
Prompts/reflections questions will be provided to help guide the candidate in writing their reflection. Candidates will be asked to submit their reflection via an online form by January 1, 2025.

As stated above, we will be communicating directly with your child’s sponsor this week about signing up for one of the available Sponsor Equipping Meetings in September/October. You will receive a copy of this email when it goes out so that you may follow up with your child’s sponsor about it. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we strive to make Confirmation preparation a more fruitful experience for all involved. Should you have any questions or concerns about this change, please do not hesitate to let me know.

In Christ,
Marissa Dawson