9502 Fourth Street NW, Albuquerque, NM 87114
Phone: (505) 898-5253  Fax: (505) 898-0496
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church
Since 1907
Religious Education - Confirmation
NATIVITY OF THE
BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

2011-2012
Religious Education Program

CONFIRMATION HANDBOOK

(Please keep this handbook in a convenient location,
as it will provide useful information throughout the school year.)

This handbook contains current policies instituted to help coordinate and facilitate the Confirmation program at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church. They were drafted by the Director of Religious Education, Deacon Michael A. Illerbrun and approved by Fr. Juan Mendez. These policies are very important to our program, as the success of our Confirmation catechists is dependent on how well these policies are understood and followed. Please take time to review them. If you have any questions or need clarification please contact us at 898-5253 x 1 or 2.

Deacon Michael A. Illerbrun
Director, Religious Education

Parent Participation:
Parents, as the primary catechist for your candidate, you are always encouraged to participate in their Confirmation year.  We are always in need of parents to drive for our field trips.  If you can drive, you must attend one of the Abuse Awareness Training for Adults classes offered by the Archdiocese. This is a requirement of the Archdiocese. See attached schedule for dates and times. Please feel free to call us at any time to volunteer or to ask any questions you may have.  Our goal is to provide you with the information you need to feel comfortable entrusting your children to us.

Here are the planned dates for our ceremonies this year. Each ceremony will also require a mandatory practice session prior to the event.

Reconciliation - Any day prior to Confirmation.  Specific sessions will be offered for each class, but if you can’t attend, please ensure you attend SOMEWHERE.

Confirmation – Practice – 19 Apr, 7 pm – St Joseph’s on the Rio Grande - Ceremony – 24 Apr, 5:30 pm – St Joseph’s

Our Confirmation catechists are volunteers who teach our children about the Catholic faith. The Director of Religious Education is responsible for providing training and guidance to them as necessary. He will ensure that all parish policies are complied with and will provide additional direction as needed.

Confirmation Requirements:
Candidates’ ordinary age for confirmation in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is during the High School years.

The confirmation name will be that of a Saint.  Baptismal name may be used as long as it is the name of a Saint.  Each candidate may choose a male or female saint, but understand that some names do not have male and female versions.  In that case, the chosen name will be assigned at confirmation, regardless of the candidate’s gender.  For example, if you choose St Francis as your saint and you are female, we can give you the female variant of Frances.  However if you choose the name of Mary and you are male, you will most likely receive the name of Mary, as there is no equivalent male version of that name.

Pastors (or their designate) and parents are to determine that the person to be confirmed has chosen freely to receive this Sacrament.

In the latter stages of preparation, each candidate will indicate by letter to the Archbishop, his or her desire to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Candidates for confirmation will be expected to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) prior to the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation.  The Confirmation “A” class will be scheduled for reconciliation at 3 pm on 24 March 2012. The “B” class will be scheduled for reconciliation at 3 pm on 31 March 2012.  The “C” class will be scheduled at 3 pm on 14 April 2012. (See the Act of Contrition and the Proper procedure for reconciliation at the end of this handbook.)

It is desirable that the one who was the sponsor at Baptism be the sponsor for Confirmation

If the sponsor is from outside the Albuquerque area, one of the parents must substitute for the sponsor during all sponsor-candidate activities.

THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMENTS MUST BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO CONFIRMATION.  FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING REQUIREMEMENTS WILL RESULT IN RECOMMENDATION TO THE PASTOR THAT YOU BE HELD OVER FOR CONFIRMATION IN THE NEXT YEAR.

Candidates will undergo a preparation period of study, prayer and retreat. Each candidate will be required to attend one retreat in the fall and is expected to participate in the  spring pilgrimage to the Santuario in Chimayo.  The Archdiocesan Youth retreat is scheduled this year for 21-22 October at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Albuquerque. There will be an Advent retreat in the fall and two Confirmation retreats in the spring of 2012.  ANY of these retreats will satisfy the requirement, but we recommend that you attend the Youth Conference at Nativity. Additionally, we will be conducting the pilgrimage to the Santuario in Chimayo this year on 25 February 2012. 

EACH CANDIDATE is REQUIRED to attend the Nativity youth group for the entire Confirmation year.  The youth group will meet every first Sunday of the month, beginning with 1230 Mass in the church, followed by the meeting in the Pastoral Center.  Each candidate is required to attend all meetings in order to be confirmed.  Each candidate is REQUIRED to sign-in so that Debra can keep track of their attendance.  If they do not sign-in, they will not receive credit for attendance. We understand that emergencies sometimes arise.  Contact Deacon Michael at 898-5253 x 2 if one of these situations occur.

Once again this year we will be scheduling monthly Saturday offsite Christian service visits.  Our service projects will include the Fiesta, the Good Shepherd Center, a Byzantine Rite Catholic Church, a luminaria tour in Rio Rancho, the Casa de Rosa, the Santuario in Chimayo and the Roadrunner Food Bank.  We encourage all candidates to attend all of the offsites, if at all possible.  Each event offers a unique experience for the candidates and should be experienced. Each Candidate is required to attend at least 4 of the offsite fieldtrips. 

If for some reason a candidate cannot attend the required service visits (sickness, overseas missionary trip etc.) he/she may substitute four hours of church or community service to replace only one of the required visits. Ministry Experience Evaluation forms for the candidates are available in the religious education office and must be completed after each ministry.  Each form requires a signature from the responsible adult who supervised the event.  Candidates are to bring their completed forms to the religious education office for recording in their file. 

There are many opportunities throughout the year for Confirmation candidates to contribute to the community through service.  We encourage you to participate because it is the right thing to do, not because you can claim credit for the service.  The Fiesta and the Christmas party are worthy causes to help the church.  Please take advantage of these opportunities.

Academic Requirements and Evaluation

Each candidate will receive instruction on and be expected to demonstrate their proficiency in the following areas: Nicene Creed, Prayer to the Holy Spirit, Gifts and Fruits of the Holy Spirit, Parts of the Mass, Affects of the Sacraments and definitions of Confirmation and the Sacraments.  An evaluation is scheduled for the 15th of April 2011.

Curriculum:
The curriculum the teachers use is approved by the Director of Religious Education and the pastor. In selecting appropriate curriculum, we must follow the guidelines from Archbishop Michael Sheehan and the Office of Religious Education of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. Standards for curriculum are set by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops with recommendations for approved texts that we must follow. We are very concerned that the candidates are taught the essentials of our Catholic faith and our treasured Traditions as well as the sacramental and spiritual aspects of our faith.

Required Prayers:
All candidates will be expected to memorize two basic prayers essential to the Catholic faith.  They will need to memorize and demonstrate proficiency for the following prayers as well as the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit:

Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Nicene Creed (New Version)

Since the Creed is the synopsis of the Roman Catholic faith, we will be concentrating more on the meaning of the Creed rather than through memorization by sheer repetition.  Therefore, we will be studying the Creed to provide the candidates with the knowledge of what the church professes and what they profess every week at Mass.

Confirmation Saint Report Guidelines:
Candidates will provide a written report on the Saint they have chosen for their Confirmation name.  The purpose of this report is to give the candidate the opportunity to learn about the life and work of their chosen Saint.  The report must be at least one page in length, single-spaced, Times New Roman font with 12 Pitch.  If you do not have a computer, please contact the office for alternatives. We have computers available in the Pastoral Center.  Although the research will be done on the Internet or with books, the report must be written in your own words.  Please answer the following questions when constructing your report.

1. What is the name of your Saint and why did you choose him/her?
2. When and where did this person live?  What were the dates of birth and death?
3. In what type of family did they grow up?  Provide information about family members  
   such as number of family members, type of occupation, devotion to the Church, etc.
4. What were the circumstances of their conversion experience? (What happened in their
   life to draw them to God?)
5. What was the talent of this Saint?  What miracles are associated with your Saint?
6. If this person was martyred, what was the cause of their death?
7. Is your Saint a Patron Saint?  What is he/she a Patron Saint of?  (See the Saint list for
   help.)
8. Is there a Shrine to your saint?  If so, where is it/are they located?
9. Is your Saint incorrupt?  If so, where is the body located?

Two useful websites are www.americancatholic.org or www.usccb.org.  Feel free to search for your own useful Saints website.

Archbishop’s Letter Requirements:
Each candidate will be required to write a letter to the Archbishop.  The Archbishop is interested in the candidate’s answers to general questions about the candidate and their relationship to the Church.  More details will be provided by the Archbishop later in the year.  This letter is due to the R.E. Office not later than 25 March 2012.

Sponsor Requirements:
Each candidate will need to consider people for their confirmation sponsor.  Their chosen sponsor must:

Be a baptized member of the Catholic Church
Be at least 16 years old
Have made their First Communion and received the sacrament of Confirmation
If married, been married in the Catholic Church
Not be cohabiting (living with someone, outside of marriage)
Normally attend Mass on Sunday’s and Holy Days of Obligation
Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once per year
Go to Holy Communion at least once per year in the Easter season
Be in communion with the Holy See. 
Be supportive of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church

The purpose of your sponsor is to provide spiritual support and an example to your child in the context of the Roman Catholic Church. They should expect to help the parents raise the child in the good practice of the Catholic faith.  It is not a position you should bestow on someone for the purpose of “honoring” them, unless they meet all of the above requirements.  Therefore your chosen sponsor should be someone who will be in regular contact with your child throughout their lives.  Obviously that is easier to accomplish if your sponsor lives in close proximity to your family, but that does not make it impossible to ask someone who lives out of town to be your sponsor. 

The sponsor may be a member of Nativity parish or any other parish within the Church.  We need to know the name and contact information for your sponsor by 20 November so we can contact them to attend planned sponsor-candidate events.  If they are not a member of Nativity of B.V.M. parish, we must receive a permit from their home parish, verifying their membership in that parish.  This permit must be accomplished before Christmas break.  If you know your sponsor will be from another parish, please make plans early to have their home parish contact our office to complete the required paperwork in time for the ceremony.

Classroom Behavior:
Good behavior is a critical requirement for our program. This is a religious education program. As such, candidates are expected to be respectful to their teacher, their fellow candidates and the facility.  All of our teachers are volunteers and are offering their time and talent to our children.  They should not have to deal with behavior problems. Improper behavior will not be tolerated.  If the problem persists, the following consequences will occur.

After a period of time in which the teacher has attempted to deal with the issue in the classroom, he or she may feel the problem is beyond their control.  A candidate who is identified by the teacher as disruptive to the classroom will be sent to the front office where they will be supervised for the rest of class.  If the disruptive behavior occurs a second time, the candidate’s parents will be called to pick up their child if necessary.  We will work with the parents to try to resolve the issue, but if the disruption occurs a third time, the candidate will be asked to leave the program.

Attendance:
CLASSES: Attendance will be taken weekly for all classes. If a candidate is unable to attend please call 898-5253 x 1 to inform Debra of the absence. If a candidate’s absence is not called in, Debra will be calling to find out why they were not present.  All missed classes are expected to be made up.  If the candidate is absent you should cover the material for that week with your child.  If you do not have the appropriate materials, please stop by the office to pick them up.

Weather Conditions:
In the event of inclement weather that would preclude the safe transport of candidates or catechists, classes will be canceled.  Because of the limited means of communication between our staff and the parents, the following methods of notification will be utilized.  The director will send a mass e-mail to all parents who have provided an e-mail address.  Additionally, we will institute a phone message to all parents without e-mail, notifying them of the cancellation.  Finally, we will post the cancellation on the parish Webpage at www.n-bvm.org .  At all times the safety of the candidates is paramount.  If you feel it is too dangerous for them to attend class, by all means, keep them home.  We can always make up the classwork.

Special Activities:
There may be times when special activities are planned for the candidates. We will inform the candidates of any such activities well in advance.

Dress Code Requirements:
Please ensure your candidates are modestly dressed and avoid “fad” styles when attending religious education classes. Please ensure your candidates do not wear halter tops, strapless tops or inappropriate tank tops.  This includes, but is not limited to, excessive display of cleavage and inappropriate messages or designs on clothing.  T-shirts will be provided as necessary for any inappropriately dressed candidate to use during class.  If dress, shorts or skirt lengths for our females is inappropriate or inappropriate crotch or shorts/inseam lengths for males is an issue, parents will be called to bring appropriate attire for the candidate to change into prior to attending class.

Cell Phone Policy:
The use of cell phones during class is not allowed.  This kind of distraction is not conducive to learning.  Cell phones will be turned off during class.  Any cell phones used during class (including talking, text, MP3s or web surfing) will be confiscated and returned after class.  If cell phone use becomes a chronic problem, parents will be asked to pick up their candidate’s phone in the office.

If there is an emergency, please call the office at 898-5253 extension 1 or 2.  Your message will be delivered or your candidate will be pulled from class to talk to you as necessary.  In either case we will ensure your candidate is available for any emergencies that may develop.

Catechism Boundaries Policy:
Candidates are not allowed outside of the school building during class time without parental permission.  This is a liability issue with our insurance coverage and must be complied with.  In the event of an emergency that requires a candidate to leave the building during class, parents please call the office at 898-1441 extension 1 or 2.  Candidates are to report to the office prior to leaving the school building.

Supply Requirements:
Books and supplies are required for each class.  The catechist will provide the book, or appropriate material.  Supplies include pen or pencil, paper or notebook and any other supplies requested by your catechist for the particular class.  If the candidate forgets any of his/her supplies notify the Catechist.  We will attempt to provide appropriate replacements as necessary.  This service is by exception, not as a regular occurrence. Please carry your required materials in a pocket folder. 

Parish Website:
We are attempting to put as much information as possible regarding the religious education program on the parish website.  Our weekly newsletters are posted on the website as well as registration materials and any other critical information. Please check the parish website at www.n-bvm.org for more information and ongoing updates.

Prayer to the Holy Spirit:

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love.  Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the Earth. Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same spirit help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation.  We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

The gifts of the Holy Spirit help yu live a life of virtue, keep your friendship with God strong and guide you in critical situations when you find it hard to cope with problems or  make decisions.  The gifts are:

WISDOM – Enables you to see life from God’s point of view and recognize the real values of persons, events and things.

UNDERSTANDING – Gives you insight into the truths of the faith and being a follower of Jesus and it helps to make right choices in your relationships with God and others.

RIGHT JUDGEMENT (Counsel) – Helps you seek advice and be open to the advice of others.

KNOWLEDGE – Helps you know what God asks of you and how you should respond.

COURAGE (Fortitude) – Enables you to stand up for your beliefs and to live as a follower of Jesus.

REVERENCE (Piety) – A gift that helps you love and worship God.

WONDER AND AWE (Fear of the Lord) – Helps you recognize the greatness of God and your dependence on him.

Fruits of the Holy Spirit:

Personal benefits granted those open to the Spirit’s influence. Fruits of the Spirit are:

Love (Charity)FaithfulnessJoyModestyKindness Goodness

PeacePatienceSelf-controlChastityGenerosityGentleness

The Nicene Creed:

I believe in God the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.  For us men and for our salvation He came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.  For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilot, He suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.  He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.  I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.  Amen

Confession Formula:
Father forgive me, for I have sinned. My last confession was _____________.
Reveal your sins to Father and discuss as appropriate.
Penance
Act of contrition
Absolution
Dismissal
Act of Contrition: Oh my God, I am sorry for my sins with all my heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against You whom I should love above all things. I firmly intend, with Your help, to do penance, to sin no more, and to avoid whatever leads me to sin.  Our savior, Jesus Christ suffered and died for us.  In his name, my God, have mercy. AMEN.

The Confirmation age for the Archdiocese of Santa Fe is high school age.  Our program is only one preparation year and one Confirmation year long, so it is imperative that your child attends every class! Our Confirmation ceremony will occur on 24 April 2012. Please pray for our Confirmation candidates while they go through a process of academics, retreats, pilgrimage, Christian service and youth ministry throughout the year. This is a challenging program, so they can use all of our prayers.