Confirmation Goals, Hopes and Guidelines: For Parents

Confirmation is the traditional Rite of Initiation into the life of the Church. It is an important stage in one’s spiritual growth and development. It is to be taken on with a serious spiritual disposition. However, it is also an opportunity for celebration and joy as your child finds their place, identity and voice in the life of the Church.

We hope to make Confirmation at St. Matthew’s an important celebration of your child’s first public profession of faith. We want this event to be such that the Confirmand experiences God’s grace being poured into the soul in new and exciting ways. And our hope is that the experience of the Sacrament of Confirmation will provide a solid foundation for your teenager’s further spiritual growth.

In order to achieve such sacred space, we will provide teaching and grammar in the fields of Scripture, Ethics, and Theology (speech about God), as well as a thorough explication of the Episcopal catechism. Alongside teaching our hopes include; fostering healthy learning environments, developing lasting friendships within the Church, establishing the Church as a place of spirituality, safety and glory, and extending the love of Jesus to each and every member of the class and the community.

Beyond this, our expectations are that the Confirmand will attend church on a regular basis and come to enjoy the power and beauty of the liturgy; that the Confirmand will help lead God’s people in worship by participating in the Sunday Services by means of prayer, preaching, and processing with the clergy as acolytes; and that the Confirmand will help in the life of the community by participating in volunteer service activities. Above all else, our hopes are that the Confirmand will come to understand the power of the Gospel

In order to achieve these ideals, we hope that you, as parents and as sponsors, will provide support and mentorship for your child. We hope that you will continue to help with teaching and modeling the Christian life for your child. As well, we encourage you to join in sharing your spiritual journey with the church and with your children.

Confirmation, to reiterate, is an opportunity for joy and celebration, learning and growth, and community and comfort. We hope that this will be a positive and vital step for your child, as well as for yourself as you continue in your own spiritual walk.