All high school students who would like to complete their sacraments of initiation by preparing for Confirmation need to have two years of faith formation, at the high school level, before direct preparation for Confirmation. Catholic school students receive these two years of high school formation at their Catholic schools. All other students need to attend faith formation at their parish, to fulfill this requirement. At Annunciation, we use the YDisciple program. This program teams small groups of teens with one or two adult mentors into a discipleship group. This group journeys together for two years to explore Scripture and other important topics. The term "Direct Prep for Confirmation" refers to the short period of time (usually just a few weeks) where we bring our faith formation students and our Catholic school students together for immediate preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

About Confirmation

The sacrament of Confirmation is a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the candidate to strengthen their baptismal vocation and to awaken the gifts necessary for active participation in the life of the Church. In the scriptures, the Holy Spirit bestowed upon the apostles the gift of courage: to tell the Good News, to share the faith, to boldly proclaim the “mighty deeds of God who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). It is imperative that every disciple seek out the gifts of the Spirit offered gratuitously through the sacrament of Confirmation.

Pre-Requisites for Confirmation (at the high school level):

1. Participation in religious education classes in a parish setting or a Catholic high school that is comprehensive and systematic, ideally for at least 2 years. (This is our YD program).
2. Readiness and willingness. Readiness and Willingness cannot be determined by the calendar alone. The process for determining readiness and willingness is one in which the individual who is seeking to enter a Confirmation preparation process is encouraged to dialogue with family, sponsors, parish priests, and catechetical ministers. Indicators of readiness include:
   • weekly participation in the Eucharist and the prayer life of their faith community.
   • an adequate grasp of the basic content of the Catholic faith (acquired through participation in a parish or Catholic high school program or other approved process)
   • the ability to freely request the Sacrament of Confirmation and to give the reasons for the request to their pastor in a written letter. This letter should include identification of their unique gifts and a willingness to share these gifts with the community; an openness to ongoing growth in faith and a commitment to Christian service.