Welcome to Pymble Catholic Parish Confirmation Program 2024
Please read the information provided prior to registering.
At Baptism your child began a life-long journey and a way of life. At Confirmation, the graces received in Baptism are sealed with the reception of the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit. This sacrament enables your child to better participate in the worshipping and apostolic life of the Church. The words that Jesus shared with His disciples at Pentecost apply to each one of us at Confirmation, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come down upon you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8).
Confirmation is open to children, referred to as “candidates”, who are in Year 3 and above, who have been baptised Catholic.
When choosing whether or not to embark on this programme, please consider the age and maturity of your child: if you feel your child would benefit from partaking in the program at an older age, then do so.
Children must be baptised prior to enrolling in this sacramental programme.
Candidates who have been baptised in other Christian denominations must make a Profession of Faith to Catholicism prior to partaking in this program.
Registrations for this program open on 1 March 2024. Due to the timetabling of events in preparation for this sacrament, late registrations cannot be accepted.
Candidates are required to provide a baptismal certificate, choose a Catholic sponsor, and a Saint name for Confirmation during the enrolment process.
Candidates choose one Catholic sponsor. A sponsor must be at least 16-years of age and a fully initiated Catholic, meaning they have made their Catholic Sacraments of Initiation. Sponsors act as a spiritual guide for your child, and should therefore be practicing Catholics.
A Saint name is chosen to act as your child’s “Saintly friend”. A Saint can be someone whose life journey resonates with the candidate or has significance to them.
The Confirmation program consists of the following obligations which a parent and the candidate must attend for successful completion of the program. The candidate’s sponsor, when possible, is encouraged to attend these as well. This consists of: three formation sessions, one of which includes the Parent and Candidate Welcome Meeting; Presentation Mass; Confirmation practice; and Confirmation celebration.
Parent and Candidate Welcome Evening. This is the first session (Session #1) on Thursday 4 April, 6:30pm - 7:30pm, at Sacred Heart Church, Pymble. Parents and candidates are requested to attend.
Preparation Programme: Two additional formation sessions over 4-weeks in April & May with either a nominated home-based group or the parish-facilitated group.
- Home-based family group is parent-driven, run and orchestrated, with other families that are typically from the candidate’s school. The dates, times and locations are determined by the group.
- Parish-facilitated group is orchestrated by members of the Pymble Sacramental Team at the Parish Office at Sacred Heart Church, Pymble. Expect session to run for 90 minutes. The dates are as follows:
- Session #2 options (choose one):
- Saturday 6 April at 4pm,
- Sunday 7 April at 1030am (following the 9:30am mass).
- Session #3 options (choose one):
- Saturday 4 May at 4pm,
- Sunday 5 May at 10:30am (following the 9:30am mass).
- Session #2 options (choose one):
Presentation: This Mass presents the candidates to the greater parish-community and celebrates this milestone over the weekend of Saturday 6 / Sunday 7 April.
Confirmation practice: Practice for the celebration is on Thursday, 23 May at Sacred Heart Church: timing TBC. There will be two practices on offer: attend the practice that best suits you and your family.
Confirmation celebration: Sunday 26 May at Sacred Heart Church, with celebrations at 11:30am and 1:30pm. You will be prompted to choose the celebration that best suits your family when registering. Please note that candidate capacity at each service is limited. The duration of the Confirmation celebrations are 75 to 90 minutes.
If your child has additional needs, please contact the office so we can work with your family to find the best way to support you and your child during preparation for the sacraments.
INFORMATION YOU NEED FOR ENROLMENT:
- The name of the candidate making their Confirmation. Therefore, enter your child's name in the Candidate's First Name and Candidate's Last Name section: not your name. Ensure your child's name is spelt correctly and as you want it to appear on their certificate.
- A Confirmation name: as above: a Saint name.
- A copy of your child's baptism certificate. Please e-mail a copy of this to sacraments@pymblecatholicparish.org.au prior to the Welcome Evening. If your child was baptised in a non-Catholic Christian denomination, they will need to make a profession of faith prior to Confirmation.
- Have the postal address of the parish where your child was baptised. This is a very important piece of information: due to canon law of the Catholic Church we ARE REQUIRED to send a letter confirming your child has made their Confirmation to the church where your child was baptised. Ensure you fill in all of the fields properly when booking in on-line: this may seem tedious but it is necessary.
- A Catholic sponsor for your child: as above.
- If you are hosting or facilitating a group, have the time, day and location of the group you intend to offer. Remember, depending on availability, the church does have rooms for group preparation sessions. If you know of others participating in Confirmation, please reach out to them prior to enrolling to organise a group.
ENROL:
- When booking in, please book one (1) child at a time. If you have more than one child making their Confirmation, book each child individually to ensure we have all of the necessary information for each participant.
- The cost for the Sacrament of Confirmation programme is $80 per child. This charge is not for receiving the sacrament: the Parish needs to make a charge for each sacramental programme to cover the costs of providing books and resources.
If you are experiencing financial hardship or require assistance, please contact the Sacramental Team for a confidential correspondence at sacraments@pymblecatholicparish.org.au.
The information provided is collected and handled in accordance with the Catholic Diocese of Broken Bay’s Privacy Policy available on the Diocese and Parish website www.pymblecatholicparish.org.au
During preparation, as well as at the Confirmation Mass, photographs of participants and attendees may be taken, and may then be used on either Pymble Catholic Parish's website or the Parish's social media. The use of photos will be done so in a strictly ethical and respectful way. Any questions regarding this, please contact the office.