Confirmation Resources
2020
Programme Outline
The structure of You Shall Be My Witnesses is based on the sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
· What we believe!
· What we celebrate!
· What we live!
· What we pray!
There are Five Sessions:
Session 1 Belonging
How do I belong?
Session 2 Believing
What do I believe?
Session 3 Being a Christian
How can I be a Christian?
Session 4 Becoming a Witness
How do I share the Good News?
Session 5 Beginning Again
What happens next?
Note:
This programme is usually delivered in a parish setting with volunteers who facilitate the programme. Parents are encouraged to join in at the end of each session for prayer. Children are asked to complete some tasks and worksheets at home and these activities provide a conversation for both the parents and children around the topics discussed in each session. In the light of the current situation I would like to encourage all members of the family to provide the support and encouragement needed to prepare your child/children for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Acknowledgement:
I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to Maeve Mahon, who developed the You Shall Be My Witnesses programme for parishes and for giving us permission to use this wonderful resource in a new way to help our Confirmation candidates prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Suggested Activity
Create a Prayer Space
Providing a Sacred Space
In order to deliver each session, I invite you to create a sacred space in your home. This sacred space will also serve as a focus of prayer at the end of each session.
You will need:
A candle (battery is safe)
A white or red cloth
A cross or Bible (or both)
Session 3
Being a Christian: How Can I Be a Christian?
Start the session by lighting the candle and saying the opening prayer together.
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us, especially upon ___________________ (child’s/children’s name (s)) as he/ she/they prepare for the sacrament of confirmation. Amen
If we are going to take Confirmation seriously, we have to believe that it will make a difference in our lives; that it will have an effect on the way we live; that it will influence the kinds of decisions we make. But the most important thing to remember is that we don’t have to do this on our own, that there is help and support for us.
THE HOLY SPIRIT AS HELPER
Do you remember how the Apostles felt when Jesus was crucified?
They were scared
They felt alone
Some of them left Jerusalem
Some of them hid away.
But Jesus had promised them that he would not leave them alone, that he would send them a helper, someone who would give them the strength to continue the work that he had begun.
Jesus sent us His Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit came to the Apostles when they were most frightened. They Were all hiding in a room because they were afraid to go outside. They were afraid that they would be recognised as friends of Jesus and that they would be arrested and put to death.
The story of Pentecost tells us what happen whey the Apostles were given the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Read the story carefully with your parents, read it slowly and read it twice.
Acts 2:1-6 International Children’s Bible (ICB)
The Coming of the Holy Spirit:
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak different languages. The Holy Spirit was giving them the power to speak these languages.
There were some religious Jews staying in Jerusalem who were from every country in the world. When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all surprised, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
The Holy Spirit helped the Apostles to have the courage to go out among the people of Jerusalem and tell them about Jesus. Later on, in the Acts of the Apostles we are told that:
Acts 2:41-42 International Children’s Bible (ICB)
Then those people who accepted what Peter said were baptized. About 3,000 people were added to the number of believers that day. They spent their time learning the apostles’ teaching. And they continued to share, to break bread, and to pray together.
On the day of your Confirmation you too, will be gifted with the Holy Spirit, the same Holy Spirit that came to you in Baptism. This time the Gifts of the Holy Spirit will be given to you and these gifts will help you to live like followers of Jesus. The bishop or priest will say the following prayer. Read it with your family.
Send you Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide. Give them the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of Right Judgement and Courage, the Spirit of Knowledge and Reference. Fill them with the Spirit of Wonder and Awe in Your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen
RITE OF CONFIRMATION
Did you notice that this prayer asks God to send the Holy Spirit to do two things?
To be their helper and guide.
Which gift do you think is the most important?
(Discuss these questions with your family)
The Gifts of The Holy Spirit
· Wisdom
The gift of wisdom helps us to look at things from God’s point of view. When we look at things from God’s point of view it is easier to make the right decision about how to treat others and how best to live our lives.
· Understanding
The gift of understanding asks us to look at the world we live in through the eyes of faith. This will encourage us to create a just world, where all are treated equally and fairly.
· Right Judgement
The gift of right judgement asks us to be open to other gifts of the Spirit, wisdom, knowledge and understanding, so that we may always act in a way that will make the world a better place.
· Courage
The gift of courage helps us to accept the challenge of being a person of faith- it is not an easy choice to make. We must be in the service of God, dare to stand out from the crowd, be proud to be a child of God.
· Knowledge
The gift of knowledge lets us see God in everything – the people around us and the world in which we live. This will cause us to think and act differently.
· Reverence
The gift of reverence asks us to honour, respect and give thanks and praise to God. If we do this then we will also honour and respect all people because they are created in the image and likeness of God
· Wonder and Awe in God’s Presence
These are the gifts that help us be aware of the greatness of God. They encourage us to take time to reflect on the glory of God, which can be seen all around us and in each one of us. They remind us in a special way to take great care of the environment and to work to keep it safe from destruction.
It is important to remember that these gifts are not like birthday or Christmas gifts. These gifts do not break, you cannot lose them, they don’t go out of date. You can however, forget about them and of course you might choose not to use them and that would be a real shame.
These kinds of gifts live in you, in your heart and in your mind; they help you to be the best person you can be. But you must choose to use them; no one else can do that for you.
Activity
Look at the following situations and choose which gifts might be most useful to use.
Attached are the situations.
Closing Prayer
Send your Holy Spirit upon us to be our helper and guide.
Give us the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding,
the Spirit of Right Judgement and Courage,
the Spirit of Knowledge and Reverence.
Fill us with the Spirit of Wonder and Awe in Your presence.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Bringing Parish Home
Killaloe Diocese has created this wonderful resource that gives some advice on how we can ‘Bring Parish Home’ during these uncertain and difficult times.