Feedback.The most valuable thing about confirming young people during their high school years is ... It provides them an opportunity to reflect on the commitment their parents and godparents godparents npl the godparents → los padrinos godparents npl the godparents → le parrain et la marraine godparents npl made for them as infants in Baptism. Joseph E. Bidwill Minneapolis, Minn. It helps to cement their identities as Catholics at a critical age, when the secular world can be simply overpowering. Norman McTigue Buffalo, N.Y. It keeps their parents involved in their religious education longer. Pat O'Brien Woodbridge, Va. They have to stop, examine their beliefs, and make a personal decision to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Name withheld Baltimore, Md. The gifts of Confirmation can strengthen them as they face adult situations. Suzanne Sutherland Jehle Tequesta, Fla. It is a time when they are already making difficult choices. Confirmation and the training that goes with it can only help. Bernie Schupbach Aurora, Ill. I think it's a terrible time. Enough choices are facing them without creating a sacrament of choice--which is not what Confirmation is. Kathleen Chesto Southbury, Conn. There is no value in waiting until high school. Many high schoolers have little interest in sacraments--they don't practice the other sacraments they've already received, like Confession and receiving the Eucharist. Why give them a new one? Anthony Moffa Williamstown, N.J. You'll get a better sense of who really wants to deepen their faith. My experience was that the people in high school religious education wanted to be there and grow in their faith. Nick Lewison Billings, Mont. I think the best way to make Confirmation preparation meaningful is ... To separate it from general religious education. Have Confirmation preparation classes in addition to weekly religious ed. Dianne Nykiel Tinley Park Tinley Park, village (1990 pop. 37,121), Cook and Will counties, NE Ill., a residential suburb of Chicago; inc. 1892. Its population grew significantly in the late 20th cent. , Ill. To have small groups with adult mentors to really discuss our religion. Lorna Walk McFarland, Wis. To require a service component. Understanding that service is an attitude or a way of life helps young people better understand right judgment, courage, knowledge, and awe. Bryan Reaka Bowling Green Bowling Green. 1 City (1990 pop. 40,641), seat of Warren co., S Ky., on the Barren River; inc. 1812. It is a shipping and marketing center for an area producing tobacco, corn, livestock, and dairy items. , Ky. Carefully select, train, and involve sponsors. These are the adults who should be most available to the youth as they go through the Confirmation process and the discernment that goes with it. Benjamin Bryant Alexandria, Va. Get them talking about where they see God and spirituality in their daily lives. Rhonda Pung pung n. New England A low, one-horse box sleigh. [Short for dialectal tom-pung, from an Algonquian language of southern New England.] Noun 1. Coldwater, Mich. Let them hear about and from Catholic men and women who are proud to be Catholic. Jolenta Masterson Sequim, Wash. Offer young people an opportunity to "walk the talk," to be challenged to live what they hear, to actually serve others in tangible ways. Edward Cwiklik Kosciusko, Miss. Let it be the choice of someone who really wants to be a Catholic. Not to appease the parents. J. Thompson Rockledge, Fla. Get candidates to take part in the social justice programs the church sponsors--visiting the sick, feeding the hungry, perhaps sponsoring a child overseas. Kay Mahoney The Village, Fla. To help the candidates realize how relevant and meaningful their faith could and should be in their everyday lives. Scott Mussari Cincinnati, Ohio “Cincinnati” redirects here. For other uses, see Cincinnati (disambiguation). Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Offer more educational opportunities to to teens' parents. Seeing mom and dad continue their religious education might motivate their kids to continue, too. Jane Mellem Littleton, Colo. The best way to stop Confirmation from being a "graduation" from religious education is ... Teaching all parish members that "conversion is a lifelong process," as Thomas Merton Noun 1. Thomas Merton - United States religious and writer (1915-1968) Merton said. Deacon Bill Toiler Springfield, Mass. Move it back to directly after Baptism, before First Communion The First Communion (First Holy Communion) is a Roman Catholic ceremony. It is the colloquial name for a person's first reception of the sacrament of the Eucharist. Roman Catholics believe this event to be very important, as the Eucharist is one of the central focuses of the Roman , and then actually put some money and effort into Catholic youth groups. The way it stands now, many teenagers are leaving the church for other denominations with much better youth programs. Andrew Barnett Chattanooga, Tenn. Have a two-year program for sophomores and juniors. In the senior year those confirmed become mentors for younger students. In order for Confirmation to be meaningful, candidates must have a sense of ownership. Maureen Theiler Poison, Mont. Eliminate all the outside "fuss"--parties, special clothing, gifts. Focus on the spiritual reality of the occasion. Ruth Hendrickson Calverton, N.Y. Incentives for continuing education continuing education: see adult education. continuing education or adult education Any form of learning provided for adults. In the U.S. the University of Wisconsin was the first academic institution to offer such programs (1904). might be worth a try. Father Jeremiah L. Spencer Kansas City Kansas City, two adjacent cities of the same name, one (1990 pop. 149,767), seat of Wyandotte co., NE Kansas (inc. 1859), the other (1990 pop. 435,146), Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties, NW Mo. (inc. 1850). , Kan. To stop saying that in Confirmation we become an "adult" in our faith. Emphasize that in Confirmation we have the opportunity to open ourselves consciously to the continuing power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Donald Ahles Sterling, Ill. Have parents live up to the promises they made at the Baptisms of their children to raise their children in the Catholic faith. Realize it is a lifelong task and effort and joy that we never "graduate" from. Father George Darling For the J.M. Barrie character in Peter Pan, see George Darling (Peter Pan character). George Darling, Baron Darling of Hillsborough, PC (20 July 1905–18 October 1985) was a politician in the United Kingdom. Grandville, Mich. Confirm at Baptism. If the Orthodox can do it and keep their young people in formation, why can't we? Veronica Ward Kansas City, Mo. We had fun dancing after our talks on religion. You had to go to the lectures to get to the dance. It worked. Mary Cronin Shelter Island Shelter Island (1990 pop. 1,193), 7 mi (11.2 km) long and 6 mi (9.7 km) wide, between the two peninsulas of E Long Island, SE N.Y. Settled in the 17th cent. by English colonists, the island has been a summer resort since the 1870s. , N.Y. To continue CCD CCD in full charge-coupled device Semiconductor device in which the individual semiconductor components are connected so that the electrical charge at the output of one device provides the input to the next device. after Confirmation. Our parish offered a half year of social justice classes followed by a half year of marriage classes. After that, each confirmed person was encouraged to be involved in church activities. Most are. Patricia Henning Adrian, Minn. If I were being confirmed today, I would take the following Confirmation name because: Elizabeth, to honor Elizabeth Ann Seton Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton (August 28 1774 – January 4 1821) was the first native-born United States citizen to be canonized. Biography She was born to the wealthy Bayley family of New York City, and raised in the Episcopal Church. , founder of the Sisters of Charity. Those sisters profoundly influenced me. Kathleen Gallaway West Chester, Ohio West Chester, Ohio, can refer to:
Mary Magdalene--the same name I took in 7th grade. She had great courage and never stopped believing. Women in the church today can learn a lot from her. Julie French Scobey, Mont. Mary, to honor the Blessed Mother and to remind me to follow her example. At the time of my Confirmation I was more concerned with a name that sounded good. Pat Shirk shirk In Islam, idolatry and polytheism, both of which are regarded as heretical. The Qu'ran stresses that God does not share his powers with any partner (sharik) and warns that those who believe in idols will be harshly dealt with on the Day of Judgment. Taylor, Texas Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,575 at the 2000 census; it was 15,014 in the 2005 census estimate. The local newspaper is the Taylor Daily Press, formerly owned by the legendary Texas publisher Frank W. Mayborn. My baptismal name baptismal name n. See Christian name. Noun 1. baptismal name - the first name given to Christians at birth or christening Christian name first name, forename, given name - the name that precedes the surname , since Confirmation completes Baptism. Betty Rooney Milwaukee, Wis. Leo Leo, in astronomy Leo [Lat.,=the lion], northern constellation lying S of Ursa Major and on the ecliptic (apparent path of the sun through the heavens) between Cancer and Virgo; it is one of the constellations of the zodiac. . It was my grandfather's name, and he was a role model for being a Catholic and a family man. John Carroll Nowata, Okla. Augustine. He transformed from a malcontent mal·con·tent adj. Dissatisfied with existing conditions. n. 1. A chronically dissatisfied person. 2. One who rebels against the established system: and sinner to a father of the church, and he's still controversial! T. Cheryl Meis Mableton, Ga. General Comments This subject reminds me of the old joke: The young assistant pastor asked the old priest how they could rid the church of all the mice. His reply: "Just confirm them--you'll never see them again." Helen Wittman Lewiston, Idaho We cannot change the meaning of a sacrament in order to "keep the kids." Perhaps another rite of passage rite of passage n. A ritual or ceremony signifying an event in a person's life indicative of a transition from one stage to another, as from adolescence to adulthood. ritual could replace it. David Dzienz Hawthorne, N.Y. I was confirmed in fourth grade. My primary memory is fear prior to the Mass and relief after. It certainly would have been more meaningful at an older age. Janice Mackay Kalamazoo, Mich. I feel strongly that the sacrament of Confirmation should be conferred in the eighth grade. High schoolers get too busy in too many other things, and it is difficult to get them together. Father Gregory Chamberlin Evansville, Ind. A few years ago, our parish religious education program placed reception of Confirmation and Eucharist at second grade. The following year only two third graders returned for religious education. Carol Bearss, S.F.C.C. Boyne City, Mich. The apostles didn't receive their Confirmation (at Pentecost) until after they received their First Communion (at the Last Supper). Father Anselm Zupka, O.S.B. Cleveland, Ohio AND THE SURVEY SAYS ... 1. I was confirmed in: 7th-8th grade. 38% 5th-6th grade. 21% 2nd-4th grade. 19% High school. 14% I was not confirmed. 0% Other. 8% Note: Table made from bar graph. 2. Looking back, I believe I was old enough to appreciate the sacrament when I received it. Agree 50% Disagree 42% Other 8% Note: Table made from bar graph. 3. I wish I had been older when I was confirmed. Agree 44% Disagree 48% Other 8% Note: Table made from bar graph. 4. I would prefer to see the sacraments of initiation The Sacraments of Initiation are those rituals by which one comes to be one of Christ's Faithful. Catholics According to Canon 842 §2 there are three Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. follow the order in which they were originally celebrated: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. Agree 19% Disagree 75% Other 6% Note: Table made from bar graph. 5. At my parish, the Confirmation program is for: High school. 46% 7th-8th grade. 27% 2nd-4th grade. 7% 5th-6th grade. 4% I don't know. 12% Other. 14% Note: Table made from bar graph. 6. To me, Confirmation is more about someone confirming their own faith and choice to be Catholic than about the bishop confirming that he or she has been baptized bap·tize v. bap·tized, bap·tiz·ing, bap·tiz·es v.tr. 1. To admit into Christianity by means of baptism. 2. a. To cleanse or purify. b. To initiate. 3. . Agree 81% Disagree 10% Other 9% Note: Table made from bar graph. 7. I have served as a Confirmation sponsor or catechist cat·e·chist n. A person who catechizes, especially one who instructs catechumens in preparation for admission into a Christian church. [French catechiste, from Old French, from Late Latin . Yes 70% No 28% Other 2% Note: Table made from bar graph. These results are based on survey responses from 206 U.S. CATHOLIC readers and website visitors. |
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