The Sacrament of Confirmation
As the Catholic youth matures and becomes a candidate for confirmation the
preparations assist the child to encounter the grace of God through the outpouring of
the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
At Our lady of Victories , we confer and celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation in
the Eleventh Standard. The Bishop will confer the Sacrament of Confirmation in the
month of January or February.
To be Confirmed Candidates must Freely Accept the Following Responsibilities:
Rite of Enrolment:
Every child and family who desires to receive the Sacrament is expected to attend and
participate in the Rite of Enrolment. This ceremony allows the student, parent and
parish to engage mutually in a covenant, a promise that each will do its part to lead the
student to Confirmation.
Class Attendance:
Class attendance is of critical importance during Sacramental preparation years.
Failure to meet class and Mass requirements may result in the delay of receiving the
Sacrament.
Sacrament of Reconciliation:
Prior to receiving Confirmation, each candidate will be given the opportunity to receive
the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We would encourage candidates to use the Dialogue
form of confession i.e. meet a priest and discuss issues of life that affect them. The
candidates will be informed about their individual confessors.
Service Hours:
Jesus was constantly serving others, and teaching His apostles to do the same. On the
very night he was betrayed, He bent down and washed the feet of his apostles, and told
them, “As I have done, so you must do “.
Service must be an integral part in the life of all adult Catholics. Likewise, we must
ensure that serving others is an important part of the formation of our Confirmation
candidates. Hence we expect the candidates to serve the Parish, The Neighbourhood
Youth Group and the Small Christian Community.
All candidates are required to complete at least 50 hours of service within the parish
and the community. Students are encouraged, of course, to do more than the minimum
required 50 hours.
Saint Report:
Saints are an important part of our Catholic tradition, our guides in our spiritual life,
models of Christian living and intercessors with our Heavenly Father. Confirmation
students are asked to choose a saint who is a particularly good role model and guide for
them. Their saint can guide and help them to live a good Christian life. In order to gain
knowledge of the saint whom they would like to study the students will complete a
written report, about four A4 size computer sheets, on the life of that saint.
Letter to the Parish Priest:
In every parish, it is the privilege of the Parish Priest to call forth and present the
candidates for Confirmation to the Bishop, following a recommendation from the
Director of the Confirmation Programme. Each candidate must write a letter to the
Parish Priest, requesting the conferral of the Sacrament of Confirmation.
“Day of the Spirit ” Reconciliation:
Recollection day is an important day to reflect and introspect God’s love in our lives
and to grow in love for him. Through this day of recollection the candidates are helped
to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives.
Reflective Recollection:
The reflective style recollection will be held towards the end of the confirmation
programme, just before receiving the sacrament. The purpose of this recollection is to
help the candidates to reflect on their lives with the help of various topics and themes
discussed during the entire Confirmation Programme. This day of recollection is a
climax to the entire preparation programme.
Confirmation Test:
An important part of being an “adult Catholic” or a full member of the faith community
is knowledge of the basics of the Faith. Teachers and catechists work very hard to
ensure that the most basic principles of the Catholic faith are taught and understood. A
Confirmation Test will be held to ascertain that the candidates have acquired a better
grasp of the matter. Students must clear the test satisfactorily to be confirmed.
Confirmation Rehearsal :
The candidates will be performing many special rituals during the actual Confirmation
celebration, and it is imperative that they are well prepared. The Sponsor (God Parent)
will be determined by the Parish Priest and the director of the Confirmation
programme.
The Confirmation Mass:
The celebration of Confirmation takes place through the ‘Laying on of Hands’ and the
Anointing with Sacred Chrism; thereby the Gifts of the Holy Spirit are imparted to
them. No flash photography is allowed during any part of the ceremony. Likewise,
videography is also not allowed.
Interaction with the Animator and the Group:
The candidates will be divided into groups for better interaction and group work. Each
group will be assigned an animator who will act as a “Guide” or a “Sponsor” all
through the year. The candidates are encouraged to keep in touch with their animator
and participate in the activities organized in the respective groups. These would help
the candidates to know the youth group members and also grow in spirituality with the
help of the animator.
Active Participation in the Areawise / Neighbourhood Youth Group:
After the Synod of 2001, Youth has been taken as one of the three main priorities in the
Archdiocese. In order to reach out to as many youth as possible, the diocese has
initiated a new methodology of Neighbourhood / Areawise Youth Group (NYG’s). All
the candidates must be part of their respective (NYG’s). They have to regularly attend
the Youth meetings; training programmes and get -together organized by the respective
(NYG’s) as well as by the Parish Youth Council.