Religious Education
Confirmation Preparation (High School)

The point of all our learning is to draw closer to God without whom all knowledge is meaningless.

General Information

St. Mary’s High School religious education spans four years from freshman to senior year of high school. It consists of a 2 year confirmation program with an ongoing expectation that confirmed students will continue to be actively involved in the various ministries of the parish. Training is offered for confirmed students to become lectors, Eucharistic ministers and retreat leaders. Starting in the fall of 2007, interested juniors and seniors will be invited to meet once a month to work on community service projects, do scripture based learning and faith sharing.

Preparation for Confirmation begins in the freshman year of High School with students expressing their desire to be confirmed participating in a Rite of Election in the spring of their sophomore year. The Confirmation ceremony is held in the fall of junior year.

Our Confirmation program is a comprehensive religious education and youth ministry program. Equal importance is given to the three core segments of the program:

Scripture based learning

Candidates develop an understanding of their Christian heritage together with a study of the doctrines and traditions of the Catholic Church. This happens primarily in the classroom during the Sunday night class sessions. Both the Old and New Testaments are studied with special attention paid to the gospels. Students are encouraged to discuss, reflect upon and actively engage in the study of Scripture.

Learning through reflection and faith sharing

Students attend retreats and explore different prayer forms, as a means of experiencing God’s presence both within themselves and in others, in stillness as well as the hustle and bustle of daily life. This happens both in the classroom and during the retreats. We explore different prayer forms such as lectio divina and meditation and hope to instill a sense of the sacred amidst the ordinary.

Living the faith

Mindful of the message of Matthew 25 (“Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me - truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”), St. Mary’s offers opportunities for service throughout the year. Students in the confirmation program are required to complete at least two service activities a year, offered by St. Mary’s in order to be eligible for confirmation. In the spirit of James 2, 14-17 we acknowledge good works born of faith as being central to our Catholic Christian identity. To this end we encourage an attitude of love and concern for all people expressed through local and global outreach.

11th Grade Service Opportunities

James 2, 14-17: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have work? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”

Lectors: Confirmed candidates wishing to become lectors (readers of the Word) will be trained by Fr. Adam. Lectors are required to serve every 5-6 weeks. For more information please contact Fr. Adam at reida@stmarysparish.org.

Eucharistic ministers: Confirmed candidates wishing to become Eucharistic ministers will be called to serve in this important ministry about once in 7-8 weeks (week-ends only). You may also be asked to serve at Christmas or Easter if you are available. For further information please contact Fr. Adam at reida@stmarysparish.org.

Retreat leaders: Confirmed candidates who wish to become retreat leaders do so under the supervision and training of Harry Duchesne, who is our Retreat Director. Training sessions are held typically a month or so before the date of the first week-end retreat. For further details please contact Harry Duchesne at hduchesne@knightdik.com .

Ongoing service opportunities: Please watch the bulletin for announcements of service activities such as the ‘Crop Walk’, ‘Walk for the Homeless’, ‘Share the Bounty’ etc.

Rite of Election mass for Confirmation candidates:

This will be held in the spring of 2009 for current 10th grade students, who wish to be confirmed in the fall of 2009. This is a mass in which candidates make known their decision to receive the sacrament of Confirmation before family and the larger community of believers. Further details will be announced closer to the date.

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Schedule/Calendar (2008/2009 School Year)

Schedule of Classes for 9th and 10th Grades

All classes are from 6:45p.m – 8:15p.m

Calendar of Events

• Sep 14 - Mandatory orientation meeting for parents: 6:45 to 7:45pm, in the church
• Sep 28 - Mass for students: 5:30pm, in the church
• Feb 25 - Ash Wednesday Service: either 4:30pm or 7:00pm in the church
• April 9 - Holy Thursday Service: 7:00pm in the the church
• April 10 - Good Friday Service: 7:00pm in the church
• April 11 - Easter Vigil Mass: 7:30pm in the church
  or
  April 12 - Easter Sunday Mass: 7:30am, 9:00am or 11:00am in the church

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Contact Info

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Expectations of Candidates

1. Willingness and desire to be confirmed.
2. Knowledge of Scripture and an understanding of how this permeates our lives as Catholic Christians.
3. Demonstrated willingness to put faith in action – ie. completing at least two service opportunities offered by St. Mary’s during the course of the year.
4. Regular attendance at Sunday mass, Holy week services and other days of obligation throughout the liturgical year.
5. Attendance at one of the 2 overnight retreats.
6. Submission of letter of intent to be confirmed stating:
   • why the student wants to be confirmed; what helped him/her make this decision; what it means to him/her to be saying “yes” to a lifetime of faith in Jesus.
   • Sponsor’s name
   • Confirmation name (chosen Saint’s name) with a short paragraph on why this particular name was chosen.
7. Attendance at all class sessions. Absences must be made up. Teachers must be notified of all absences in advance.

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Service

Serving others in our local community and throughout the world is a real way of experiencing our faith, and putting into practice all that we share in the classroom. As a Christian individual living in today’s world, service needs to be an ongoing experience, a part of one’s life, not just a one time “mandatory” thing. St. Mary’s confirmation program hopes to instill this responsibility in our students, and with parents’ help and support, confirm young adults who embody the Christian example of “love in action.”

Service is work that makes a meaningful difference outside of your normal social/family circle providing others with your time, skills, and thoughtful work in order to move towards our Christian vision of peace and justice

10th Grade Requirement

Two service experiences offered through St. Mary’s confirmation program. Each class will be assigned two service opportunities during the year. These count towards the requirement. If there is space available in other opportunities we welcome you to sign-up for those as well, especially if you have scheduling conflicts with your class’s dates! Space in many of these projects is limited so sign-up early. New opportunities will be announced as the year progresses.

Next to each project below is the name of a 10th grade CCD teacher. That teacher’s class is assigned to that particular project. I understand there will be scheduling conflicts!! That is why it is imperative that you return the form on the back stating whether you will be able to attend your class’s project, and if you cannot, that you select an alternative day of service. You may choose a date that another class is assigned to as long as there is room! Remember: Two of these projects are required in order to be confirmed.

9th Grade Requirement

Students in their freshman year are required to participate in 2 service opportunities offered through St. Mary’s Confirmation program. Students may choose from the options given below:

• St. Anne’s Human Services: They are open all Saturdays of the month, 9a.m. – 12 noon. Their food pantry also needs help from 5:50p.m. – 7p.m. on every 3rd Monday of the month. St. Anne’s serves several poor families in the area and any assistance you provide will be greatly appreciated.
  • Students should be dropped off at the Thrift Shop, at the back of the church. Please verify the pick-up time with a supervisor inside the shop.
  • Please ask the supervisor to “sign off” on your service hours at St. Anne’s. Please bring the documentation to class and hand it to the teacher.
  • Please note: Parents do not have to call ahead as St. Anne’s has already been notified with regard to our students volunteering there.
• 4 volunteers needed for Donations Clearing House Furniture Drive at St. Mary’s on October 18th from 8:50a.m. – 12p.m. Please e-mail Gina Kuruvilla at kuruvillag@stmarysparish.org if you are interested.
• 4 students needed to clean up the parish vegetable garden on October 18th from 9a.m. – 12p.m. Please contact us at the above e-mail address if you are interested.
• Walkers needed for CROP WALK on October 19th. Please call 508 842 0899 for details.
• St. Mary’s Family Festival on Sep 19-21. (We had a very good turn-out – Thank you to all those who helped make the festival a success!)
• Letter Carriers’ Drive – May 9, 2009. This is a great way to help out in the community. Students are required to work in two hour shifts; they help sort food cans at St. Anne’s Fr. Smith Center and then help transport them to St. Anne’s Food Pantry, located on the same premises. For more details or to donate food please contact Bridgid Rubin via e-mail at rubin@townisp.com

2008/2009 Service Schedule for 10th grade students

St. Mary’s Summer Service Trips 2009 - For 15-18 year old high school students

Young Neighbors in Action - t.b.d.

A week-long Catholic service-learning program for teams of older adolescents

Young Neighbors in Action is an exciting, integrated service-learning experience for parish and school teams of older youth. Young Neighbors is more than a week of service. It is an extended program that provides the experiences, skills and learning needed to make change possible.

Habitat for Humanity - t.b.d.

Habitat for Humanity provides opportunities for students to spend a week in the summer, building a house in partnership with a HFH affiliate in the United States. Students connect with new people in a new place, improve their carpentry skills and learn how to make a difference in their community.

Camp Sunshine - Casco, Maine - t.b.d.

Camp Sunshine supports children with life threatening illnesses and their families. The camp addresses the impact of a life threatening illness on every member of the immediate family – the ill child, parents, and the siblings. Students who go to CS return with a new appreciation of life and what we so often take for granted. For more information please go to www.campsunshine.org

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10th Grade Confirmation Retreat Information

Where:

Prindle Pond Conference Center
Charlton, MA
(508) 248-4737

When:

• Nov 7, 8, 9, 2008
• Dec 5, 6, 7, 2008

Cost:

$120

Confirmation retreats at St. Mary’s are directed by Harry Duchesne, who has been in youth ministry for over 23 years. He is helped by a retreat team of about 23-25 students who act as peer leaders. These students are enthusiastic about their faith and eager to share it with the retreatants. As with everything else we do the aim of the retreat too, is to build and strengthen our relationship with God. It is done in a fun way, through music, games, and frank discussion.

Students who are initially reluctant to go on retreat come back asking if they can go to both retreats.

Please note:

• The week-end retreat at St. Mary’s is a Confirmation requirement.
• Students are required to go on one retreat only.
• Students are required to be signed up by Oct 1st, 2008.
• If the cost of the retreat presents a problem please let us know and we will gladly waive the fee.
• Checks should be made payable to St. Mary’s Church with “Confirmation retreat” written in the memo section of the check.
• Checks should be mailed to: Attention (Gina Kuruvilla), “Confirmation retreat sign-up”, St. Mary’s Church, 20 Summer St., Shrewsbury, MA 01545.
• After registrations have been received you will receive a package containing detailed information regarding the retreats. You should receive this no later than 2-3 weeks prior to the retreat.

If you have questions or concerns please call Gina Kuruvilla at 508 842 0899 or Harry Duchesne at 508 753 6353.

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2008 Confimation Photos

Click on any of the small pictures to see a larger version of that picture. Once you're looking at a large version, then you can click the blue "arrow" buttons to see the next/previous picture in the album.

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Copyright © 2002-2008, St. Mary's Parish, Shrewsbury MA.
This page last updated on 11/22/2008.