Sacrament of Confirmation

In keeping with diocesan guidelines, a preparation program for parents, sponsors, and candidates begins in September. The Diocese of Jackson confers the sacrament of Confirmation on those who have completed their sixteenth year. The preparation program includes a bi-weekly class, a weekend retreat, completing a service project, and involvement by parents.

Older youth, college students, and adults who seek the sacrament of confirmation will undergo their a separate program of preparation determined specifically for them by the Rector, which may include attendance at the weekly RCIA class on Thursday evenings.

The Sacrament of Confirmation:

• Confers in us the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
• Gives us the grace to live our faith on a daily basis even in the face of rejection or Opposition.
• Binds us more closely to the Church.
• Unites us more firmly to Christ.
• Increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us, enriching us with the Spirit’s special strength.
• Empowers us to spread and defend the faith by word and action.

Requirements for Confirmation of Adolescents:

• It is expected that those seeking the sacrament of Confirmation will live according to the precepts of the Church, including weekly attendance at the Sunday Mass and on Holy Days of Obligation.
• Candidates must be sixteen years or older (as determined by the Diocese of Jackson).
• The law of the Church specifies that Confirmation is the right of all the Baptized and is to be given to those who are disposed, who request the sacrament freely, and who are aware of what the sacrament entails.
• Likewise, Church law stipulates that the pastor has the obligation to ensure that all candidates for Confirmation are adequately prepared and catechized. In Saint Mary parish, this requirement is fulled by attendance at the bi-monthly Confirmation classes on Wednesday evenings.
• The parish requests that all candidates for Confirmation attend a weekend retreat scheduled by the parish prior to the celebration of the Sacrament.
• Each candidate must have a sponsor who is themselves a Baptized and Confirm Catholic in good standing.
• Likewise, each candidate must chose a saint who will serve as their patron and under whose name they will be confirmed.
• Ultimately, the pastor assumes responsibility for the formation of the candidates for Confirmation. Those who are approved by him to receive the sacrament will be directed to write a letter to the Bishop to request that the sacrament be conferred upon him or her.