Thank you for your interest in entering into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and witnessing to Him through the power of the Holy Spirit! (If you are an adult seeking the Sacrament of Confirmation, please contact the parish office.)
“The Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist — are intimately bound together and form a single initiation by which persons enter into the life of faith and more fully realize their role in the mission and ministry of the Church. In seeking to foster the initial faith of catechumens in the person of Jesus Christ, catechesis leads to conversion and a genuine profession of faith.” In other words, the Sacrament of Confirmation, like all of the Sacraments, serve no other purpose than to lead us into an ever-deepening relationship with Jesus Christ, and “through, with, and in Him” into the life of the Trinity.
“Confirmation of young people in the Diocese of Scranton will be celebrated primarily in the 8th or early 9th grade. Direct preparation for Confirmation is to take place at the parish where the young person presently worships and/or is registered. Catholic schools do not offer preparation programs for Confirmation, but actively invite eligible young people to seek Confirmation in their own parish.”
If a youth entering 7th grade (or older) desires a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and to bear witness to Him by being empowered by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, then he or she is ready to begin formation to receive the Holy Spirit in the Sacrament of Confirmation.
It cannot be overstated how important parents’ own relationship with Jesus is in influencing their child’s relationship with Jesus! In order for you as parents to guide your child into relationship with Jesus, your own relationship with Jesus must first and foremost be rooted in participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on Sundays, and from that, permeate your home and family life throughout the week!
For a Catholic Christian’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ, participation in Sunday Mass is the foundation on which the entire Christian life is built, and also the foundation on which the candidate for Confirmation will build his or her preparation to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Basic requirements for all young people desiring to be sealed by the Holy Spirit in the
Sacrament of Confirmation at St. Joseph the Worker Parish:
1) Candidate must be registered by September 1st by completing this Online Form.
2) Candidate’s Baptismal Information or Certificate must be submitted to the parish and verified.
(If you have a certificate, please email or mail a copy of it to Caleb Cochran at the parish office. If you do not have a certificate, you must include your child’s Baptism Date, Parish, & City in your child’s registration, so that we are able to verify with the Baptismal Parish)
3) Parents must attend the Sacramental Parent Meeting in the fall
(Please check our Faith Formation Schedule for the exact date each year)
4) Candidate must have Mass Participation Cards signed
You will receive (or may already have) Mass Participation Cards for your child. These small cards will help you continue to guide your child into “full and active participation ” in the Mass, and establish a commitment to life-long relationship with Jesus Christ during the coming two years of formation. You are the most important Catechist in your child’s life! In this time of journeying ever-closer to Jesus Christ, the commitment to complete the Mass Cards will help you discern if your child is ready for a committed relationship with God. And if you are ready, as a parent and family, to support your child in their relationship with God after the Sacrament of Confirmation has been received. The last thing we want is for your child’s Confirmation to be a “graduation”! Being sealed with the Holy Spirit is only beginning the Confirmand’s life-long mission of spreading the Gospel of “God with us” and an eternity spent in relationship with Jesus!
Father Bechtel has emphasized the non-negotiable requirement to have these Mass Cards signed, because regular participation in the Sunday liturgy is so essential to the life of a Christian. Participation in the Mass is taught in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2180 & 2181, and is excused only for “a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.” (If shared parental custody of a child prevents the child from participation, please note those circumstances on the card, so that we are aware.)
If Mass is missed often, or as a regular pattern, without serious reason, then receiving Confirmation may be deferred until the candidate is ready to commit to a regular, life-long, relationship with God.
Please present the card to Father Bechtel after Mass each week (or Holy Day), so he can sign it beside the appropriate date listed. If Father is unavailable, Deacon John Bubb or a Catechist can sign it.
If you happen to forget the card, then a signed bulletin from that week is fine too.
If travelling out of town, or participating in Mass at another parish, please take the card along, and ask the priest or deacon at that parish to sign the card, or a bulletin from that parish.
As each side of each card is completed, please email a photo of it to Caleb Cochran.
(Please include a photo of any signed bulletins as well.)
5) Candidate must participate in two years of Faith Formation at the Parish leading up to receiving the Sacrament. All Candidates for Confirmation, including SJNRA students, must register at SJWParish.com/FaithFormation, and participate in Sunday morning formation and service.
6) Candidate must select a Sponsor who meets the eligibility requirements established by the Catholic Church. (These requirements will be explained at the Parent Meeting.) In addition, the sponsors must be able to participate in the preparation process and willing to serve as a guide, confidante and listener. This assumes the local residency of the sponsor and that he or she has a positive and comfortable relationship with the candidate.