10th Grade Faith Formation

10th Grade: Confirmation Preparation
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church Youth Ministry is committed to the reality that young people are an important and integral part of our parish community. The youth program seeks to foster the maturing of faith in the youth of our parish and the surrounding community.
 
We affirm the gifts of our youth and we foster opportunities for young people to share their gifts with the larger community. The spiritual and social needs of the youth are to be met with the committed leadership, guidance, and support of our parish adults. The adults and youth of our parish are therefore provided with the opportunity to grow together in Christian faith.
 
Through a variety of programs, events, and outreach, we seek to draw young people into responsible participation in the life, work, and mission of the parish community.
 
We believe this ministry is to, with, by, and for young people and is a blessing for the entire community.

Goals of Confirmation Preparation

1. To empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today.
2. To draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community.
3. To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person. 

 
Effects of Confirmation
Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:
·  It roots us more deeply in the divine filiation [becoming adopted sons and daughters of God] which makes us cry, “Abba! Father!”
·  It unites us more firmly to Christ
·  It increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us
·  It renders our bond with the Church more perfect
·  It gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.

PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their youth. Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. (Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), 2223, 2226)
Parents are the primary religious educations of their children. This responsibility calls you, as parents to:

• Participate in weekly liturgies
• Pray together as a family using required prayers for a particular grade level as a guide
• Be a living example of your Catholic faith
• Participate in family and parent activities in the parish
• Prepare your children for the Sacraments at home.

Weekly Small Group Sessions: In 10 ^th Grade, students will learn about the Creed, History of the Catholic Church, and Sacraments.  Students will be placed in a small group led by an adult mentor. Groups will meet weekly at St. Joe’s beginning the week of September 15-22. It is our hope that the small group setting will allow for small group leaders to reach the young people at their level, and for flexibility to better meet their needs.  Students will have the option of choosing between one of five small group meeting times.

1. Wednesday morning 7:30-8:30 a.m.
2. Wednesday evening 7:00-8:00 p.m.
3. Sunday morning 11:15-12:15 p.m.
4. Sunday afternoon 5:00-6:00 p.m.
5. Sunday evening 7:45-8:45 p.m.

Sunday Night Large Group Sessions: Students will come together periodically on Sunday evenings for opportunities to grow in prayer, participate in the rituals of the Confirmation Process, and have an opportunity to dive deeper into tough topics with time for question and answer sessions. Knowing that parents are the primary educators of the faith, parent/teen sessions will provide opportunities for rich encounter to open the door for continued conversation outside of the faith formation classes. Sunday evening sessions include the following:
9/8/19                   Parent/Teen Intro Session
9/22/19                Teen Large Group Session –Discernment/Safe Environment
10/13/19              Parent/Teen Session -Presentation by Deacon Ralph Poyo            
11/17/19              Teen Large Group Session -Q AND A        
12/15/19                Parent/Teen–Commitment to the Creed
1/05/12                Teen Large Group Session -Q AND A
1/26/20                Praise and Worship, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Reconciliation Introduction to the Sacraments
3/9/20                   Teen Large Group Session -Q AND A                                        
4/5/20                   Parent/Teen Session –The Triduum
 
As part of their Confirmation program, 10^th grade youth will participate in the following:

1. Attend the Kick-Off Retreat –Sunday, September 15 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Park Rapids.
2. Participate in service in the community, parish and in Sunday Liturgy.  Students will participate in three service experiences in the parish, three service experiences in the community, and two liturgical ministry experiences. Ample service opportunities will be provided within their small group or can be done on their own. See service form for more information. The Service Reflection Sheet is due in class on Sunday, April 5, 2020.
3. Attend all three Triduum Services April 9, 10, and 11, 2020 and write a Triduum Reflection –Due Sunday, April 19, 2020

 
At St. Joe’s we aim to provide a program that is experiential in nature, allows students to apply their faith to their daily lives, share in a safe environment, and space to wrestle with the topics of faith. The Sacrament of Confirmation is part of the journey in faith. We recognize that no two students are at the same spot in their journey. We ask that you be open to the Holy Spirit working through the Church, and take advantage of the many opportunities offered of you.
 
Communication to Youth and Families: We realize that there are a lot of pieces to our Confirmation program which is why we make a commitment to frequent communication to youth and parents. Each week you will receive communication in the following ways:

• Weekly E-Mail with grade specific updates
• Bulletin update
• Remind Text messages
• Social media updates

 
The safety of your children is our utmost concern. Small Group leaders and the youth ministry team follow all Diocesan Safe Environment guidelines and are up to date with safe environment certification including background checks.
 
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Melissa Hund-Cerna, the Coordinator of Faith Formation and Youth Ministry. mhundcerna@stjoesmhd.com; 218-236-5066 (office) 701-367-3345 (cell)