Confirmation Preparation (for teens)

  • The Age of Confirmation Is Changing in the Archdiocese of Boston

    Click here for more information!

  • Important Resources

    Confirmation Step 1 - Request to Receive Confirmation

    Confirmation Step 2 - Sponsor and Name Information, Retreat Selection

    Confirmation Step 3 (NOT YET ready for spring 2025) - Preparation Conclusion Questions, Review Renewal of Baptismal Promises

    Decision Point:

    Decision Point - Videos and Home Faith Reflections - Sessions 1-6

    Decision Point - Videos and Home Faith Reflections - Sessions 7-12

    Quick Links:
    Confirmation Preparation Process in the Concord-Carlisle Catholic Collaborative

    Confirmation Sponsors: Requirements, Choosing a Confirmation Sponsor

    Confirmation Names

    Confirmation Mass Information 

  • Confirmation Mass Information

    Confirmation Mass 2025

    Confirmation 2025 will be held on Saturday, May 10 at 11:00am. Candidates and sponsors will be expected to arrive at 10:30am.

    There will be a Confirmation rehearsal for candidates and sponsors on Friday, May 9, in the evening (time to be announced later). The rehearsal will be followed by a dinner for candidates and sponsors, organized by the group of teens who will receive Confirmation in the spring of 2026.


    Confirmation will be celebrated by Bishop Reed (Auxiliary Bishop for our region) at St. Bernard Church of Holy Family Parish (given its larger size to accommodate the number of candidates we project having). This Confirmation Mass is for both Holy Family and St. Irene parishes in our collaborative.

    Candidates and sponsors will sit together in reserved pews, with most pews in the church available as open seating for family, friends, and guests.

    Due to the timing of the Confirmation Mass, candidates and attendees are advised to have some food prior to attending (we don't want anyone to pass out at lunchtime!).

    Please note that St. Bernard Church is air-conditioned.

    Parking is somewhat limited in the parking lot behind the church. Additional public parking is located around the Church. Please allow extra time to arrive, park, and get to Church.

    What Should I Wear for Confirmation?

    Candidates for Confirmation and their families often ask about what clothing is appropriate for the ceremony.  It is suggested that you think of what you would wear for Easter Mass, than be one step more dressy. Hair should be prepared to keep the forehead open, as the Bishop will be making a cross with oil on the forehead. Please do not wear a hat, as even dress hats often get in the way. There should be no gum or food in the church.

    Guys’ Details:
    Suits are fine, sport jacket is good, neither is necessary.
    Nice pants, can be khakis, but no jeans, no cargo pants.
    Collared shirt, better if it’s a dress shirt.
    Ties are fine (with appropriate content).
    Dress shoes – no sneakers.

    Girls’ Details:
    Comfortable dress shoes, but with no big heels, as they are too easy to trip on.
    Skirts and dresses are fine, but not required, and please be mindful of modesty.
    Conservative makeup.
    Flowers are fine.

  • Requirements for Confirmation Sponsors:

    The Code of Canon Law (Church Law) specifies the requirements for serving as a sponsor at Confirmation (Canon 893) are the same as those for godparents at Baptism (Canon 874): a sponsor may not be the parent of the person being confirmed, a sponsor must be at least 16 years old, a sponsor must be fully initiated (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist) in the Catholic church, a sponsor should live a life of active faith in the Catholic Church, and if married a sponsor needs to be in valid Catholic marriage.

    It is preferred that a baptismal Godparent will be the Confirmation sponsor, although ultimately the choice of sponsor is that of the candidate, who may choose someone who meets the qualifications above.

    While it is preferable that sponsors attend the Confirmation liturgy, it is possible to have a “proxy” stand in for the absentee sponsor (this "proxy" could be a parent). This has always been the case, but has been more common due to the pandemic.

    Confirmation sponsors will be communicated with directly by the Coordinator of Youth Ministry, Tony.

  • Confirmation Preparation Process

    All teens preparing for Confirmation should:
    A. Attend scheduled sessions and complete Home Faith Reflections (online forms, below) to make up missed sessions. All teens receiving Confirmation should complete all twelve sessions of Decision Point.
    B. Complete online steps (website buttons) and schedule meetings with Tony for Confirmation Conversations. These conversations are meant to discuss where each teen is at in his or her own faith journey.
    C. Choose a Confirmation sponsor (more below), possibly choose a name (more below) - indicate in Step 2.
    D. Participate in opportunities for ministry and mission.
    E. Attend one Confirmation retreat (sign up in Step 2)

  • Choosing a Confirmation Name

    Your name gives you your identity. It tells others who you are. When you were baptized, your parents chose your name.

    It is a common custom, though not required, for someone to choose to be Confirmed under the name of a Saint or figure from the bible at the time of their Confirmation. This occurs in the bible when a significant change happens in a person: Abram becomes Abraham, Jacob becomes Israel, and Saul becomes Paul, to name a few.

    How you use this Confirmation name is up to the candidate, though it would be the name by which a candidate is presented to the Bishop during the Rite of Anointing portion of the sacrament of Confirmation.
     

    Catholic.org

    Franciscan Media

  • Background Information

    When teens receive the sacrament of Confirmation in the Archdiocese of Boston, it is frequently offered at the conclusion of a preparatory program.  In the Concord-Carlisle Catholic Collaborative, prerequisite discipleship formation preceeds immediate Confirmation sacramental preparation. Together, these are Teen Faith Formation.

    Usually Confirmation takes place at the conclusion of these preparations in the spring of the second year of participation. Although often done in the recent past during grades 9 and 10, anyone of High School age (even 11th & 12th grade) who seeks to commit himself or herself to being a life-long follower of Jesus is encouraged to register.

    Teens attending Catholic High Schools should speak with Tony Carbrello, Coordinator of Youth Ministry, about participating only in the immediate Confirmation sacramental preparation process, though the teen would be encouraged to particpate throughout all of the collaborative's Youth Ministry.

    Because of the pandemic, teens in the high school graduating class of 2025 should speak directly with Tony Carbrello, Coordinator of Youth Ministry, to focus on immediate sacramental preparation.
     
    Tony wants to thank Gates D., CA '15, for his excellent artwork that contines to bless this ministry.