Resources Confirmation
Information and resources related to the sacrament of Confirmation
Information and resources related to the sacrament of Confirmation
Welcome,
To the parents, pastors, clergy, and lay catechetical leaders who are involved in Confirmation preparation – thank you! We learn in the Catechism that “Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit – his actions, his gifts, and his biddings – in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life.” This is important and beautiful work; we are grateful for your efforts.
You have likely heard that the Cardinal decided to lower the normal age of reception of the sacrament of Confirmation in the Archdiocese of Boston from around the age of 16 (or 10th or 11th grade) to around the ages of 13-14 (or 8th grade).
What follows is a set of resources and information to help you implement this change within your parish. As the Cardinal points out in his letter, the Secretariat for Evangelization and Discipleship supports parishes throughout the Archdiocese; don’t hesitate to reach out for guidance on navigating this change in the age for Confirmation and with your efforts to evangelize and catechize people of all ages.
Come Holy Spirit!
Bishop Cristiano B. Barbosa
Cabinet Secretary for Evangelization and Discipleship
Bishop Mark O’Connell
Vicar General
The Cardinal has decided to lower the normal age of reception of the sacrament of Confirmation in the Archdiocese of Boston from around the age of 16 (or 10th or 11th grade) to around the ages of 13-14 (or 8th grade).
The text of the official decree implementing the change is available at this link and updated Confirmation guidelines are now available at this link.
Confirmation dates – It is expected that it will be possible for parishes to request additional Confirmation dates with Episcopal Vicars and Bishops through May 2027. While it is also possible for pastors to request delegation to convey the sacrament of Confirmation to account for the need for additional Confirmations, the preference is to request additional dates.
The expected phase-in period is 3 years and pastors have discretion on how they may wish to manage the change in their parishes until May 1, 2027.
The Cardinal has decided to lower the normal age of reception of the sacrament of Confirmation in the Archdiocese of Boston from around the age of 16 (or 10th or 11th grade) to around the ages of 13-14 (or 8th grade).
If you have particular concerns or questions as a parent, parish faith formation leader, or member of the clergy which you would like to see addressed in this FAQ document that are not at this time then please do not hesitate to contact us – contact info is available in the bottom tab on the left.
Parents, families, and Confirmation candidates – please understand that your parishes did not receive notice of this change before you did and that they need time to discern and implement a plan for this change in your parish.
The expected phase-in period is 3 years and pastors have discretion on how they may wish to manage the change in their parishes until May 1, 2027.
Parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston have until May 1, 2027, to complete their transition from the normal age of Confirmation being around the age of 15-16 (grades 10-11) to around the age of 13-14 (grade 8). Pastors of parishes may exercise their discretion in how they manage the transition period between 2024 and May 2027.
Parish leaders have requested some suggested models or timelines for implementing this transition. Here below are three possible models for consideration, roughly following the transition plans mentioned above.
This document provides a brief overview which can be used as a guide for preparing candidates of any age for Confirmation. It should be adapted depending upon the circumstances of the candidates – their age, previous formation, and other similar factors. Some candidates may have already received extensive catechetical formation and be actively practicing the habits of the Christian life. Some candidates may have received little previous catechetical formation and may not be actively practicing their faith. A parish must consider how best to account for these differences through the formation it offers. For more information on required confirmation preparation timelines, please see the decree announcing the change in the normative age of reception and the Archdiocesan Confirmation guidelines document.
Any program of formation should not be limited to catechetical or academic formation but also include invitation and instruction in how to participate in the life of the Church as an expression of lived faith in the person of Jesus Christ. It should not be expected that candidates for Confirmation have memorized particular prayers or information on the Christian life such that they might be able to repeat them back or pass a test on the information below. The expectation is that candidates have an earnest desire for the sacrament, openness to living a Christian life, and have been exposed to some of the information and practices below at some point leading up to or during their preparation.
Please see this document for more basic information on available curricula: Confirmation Curriculum Summaries.
Below please find links to various available curricula for preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation for those in grades 6-8. While this list is extensive, we are aware that it does not list all available options. We welcome your suggestions and feedback on the following and other available curricula. If available, you’ll also find below links to recordings of curricula overviews publishers hosted for the Archdiocese of Boston or individual contact information for you to reach out for more information.
Those who lead Confirmation preparation are invited to join any or all of the following drop-in meetings with the Faith Formation and Missionary Discipleship team to discuss the implementation of the change in age of Confirmation, ask questions, and share ideas. Meetings will be held on the second Thursday of each month September-December at both 2-2:30pm and 7-7:30pm.
September 12th, October 10th, November 14th, and December 12th
2-2:30pm
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87160032579?pwd=MEeEqccrAYbil8e0lBWo1JncaTvlK4.1
September 12th, October 10th, November 14th, and December 12th
7-7:30pm
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82159764755?pwd=2kxXKpA8XENJkFFg7vVYnHIcYc7Z6u.1
It is possible for individual people and parishes to request exceptions to the normative age of reception of the sacrament of Confirmation at age 13-14 in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.
Please see below for information on what to include in such a request as a parish or individual candidate.
Parishes, collaboratives of parishes, and particular cultural communities may request to continue offering Confirmation at the age of 16. Requests are taken seriously but will be granted in limited and particular circumstances only. Requests from parishes, collaboratives, or communities should include:
Please submit requests in writing addressed to Bishop Cristiano Barbosa and send them to Patrick Krisak at pkrisak@rcab.org and Diane Campbell at dcampbell@rcab.org.
Individual people (preferably in cooperation with their families) aged 7 to 13 may submit a request to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation before the normal age of 13-14 to their parish pastor. Pastors should take such requests seriously but may or may not grant them. Pastors are welcome but not required to consult their regional Episcopal Vicar or the Secretariat for Evangelization and Discipleship when considering such requests.
Requests from individual candidates should include:
Interested in listening to someone read and comment on what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say about Confirmation? Join Fr. Mike Schmitz as he reads and comments!
The Archdiocese of Boston hosted 7 listening sessions in February and March 2024 with parish clergy and faith formation leaders to hear from them on the following questions:
A summary of what we heard at those sessions is available at this link.
Patrick has worked for the archdiocese since 2014. He works in the areas of faith formation, ethnic communities, pastoral planning, evangelization, discipleship, and leadership. Patrick has worked previously in parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere as a Director for Evangelization, Director of Religious Education, and Coordinator of Youth Ministry. He and his wife have two sons.
Liz is first and foremost, a daughter of God. She is married to her best friend, Tony, and enjoys his help with preparing couples for marriage. She has three adult children and loves being “Nana” to her grandkids. Liz started serving in ministry when her children were small as many moms do. Eventually, her pastor asked her to run the high school faith formation program. Equipped with a bachelor’s degree in business from Worcester State College, she knew she needed more theology. After certificates in catechesis and youth ministry, she moved on to get her Master of Theological Studies from Saint John’s Seminary. Before coming to the Archdiocese of Boston in 2016, Liz was the director of youth and young adult ministry for the Worcester Diocese. She has been blessed to serve on team for Cursillo, lead pilgrimages to Marian sites, and mission trips locally and abroad.
Chris is originally from Caldwell, New Jersey and has lived in Massachusetts since 1991. He is a graduate of Boston College with degrees in both Theology and History. After college Chris began a 31-year career in the life insurance industry where he worked in sales, distribution, and account management for the estate planning and charitable giving market. Throughout his professional career Chris was also actively engaged in serving his parish in a variety of roles including working part-time as a parish youth minister, volunteering in faith formation for both children and adults, serving on the parish RCIA team as catechist and sponsor, and coordinating parish-wide evangelization efforts by running the ChristLife series.
In 2017 Chris left the corporate world and transitioned his passion for the gospel into a full-time position with the Archdiocese of Boston, where he seeks to support parishes in the mission of forming and equipping disciples for the work of evangelization.
Chris and his wife Krissy currently live in Attleboro, MA with their sons Brendan and Kolbe.
Rosemary is originally from Hingham and, after living in Minnesota and Florida, returned to the area to attend Boston College. After graduating with a degree in Marketing and Human Resources, Rosemary made Boston her home and enjoyed work in human resources roles within financial services for over a decade.
In response to the Lord’s call to use her leadership and organizational development experience coupled with her love for Christ to serve the Church directly in her daily work, Rosemary pursued a Master of Arts in Ministry from the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization, complemented with study through Loyola University in Rome and the Theology of the Body Institute in PA, and joined the Archdiocese of Boston.
In addition to an interest in igniting a love for Christ in others through the new evangelization, she has a particular interest in the Theology of the Body, the dignity of human life, the intersection of faith and business, and the intersection of faith and culture. She loves visiting with the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration and meeting Him in each individual encounter until we see Him face to face!
Born in El Salvador, Wendy came to the United States when she was three years old, and ever since then, she has called Massachusetts her home.
Raised in a beautiful Catholic family, Wendy volunteered her teenage years to youth ministry and volunteered for mission trips locally and abroad.
Wendy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Northeastern University and later pursued a career in public relations. Today, Wendy has more than ten years of experience in the field of public relations.
In addition to her new role at the Archdiocese, Wendy continues to serve as an active member of St. Mary of the Annunciation in Cambridge, Massachusetts, along with her husband Deacon Franklin Mejia, and their two children, Gabriel and Isabella.
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