Ceremonies for 2024

DATES 

Ceremony of Light – Thursday 14th March 2024 at 6.30pm

Confirmation – Friday 19th April 2024 at 11am

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Preparation Programme Newsletters

2024: Confirmation Newsletter

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A Short Guide to The Sacrament of Confirmation

This ‘Short Guide to Confirmation‘ is designed to help you and your child prepare for the day when they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. We encourage you to spend time with your child and read this guide together. You will receive a printed copy of this booklet when you register your child for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Registration forms are sent out in September each year.

Your child will take part in a comprehensive Confirmation Preparation Programme in their school. This programme is a collaborative initiative between the schools and the parish. The programme helps each child discover what receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation means for them individually & as a group. The programme runs from October to February and includes talks, videos, activities, visits to the church for Mass and a confirmation retreat.

You can access the digital copy of the guide here. This guide gives a basic framework for the Confirmation Preparation Programme: A Short Guide to Confirmation

If your child is due to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and you feel you would like to be part of the Confirmation Preparation Team, please let us know by emailing: halstonstreetoffice@gmail.com or phoning Parish Office 01 873 7004 | Sacristy 01 873 0675.

God bless you and your family as you prepare together for this great event.

Fr Richard Henrick OFM CAP.

Parish Priest

Confirmation – What you Need to Know (You Tube – Little Way Sunday School)

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the Sacrament of Confirmation?

Confirmation celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit. In the Acts of the Apostles chapter 2, verses 1 to 13, we read of the Apostles receiving the Holy Spirit. They had been hiding after Jesus’ death, afraid and uncertain. The coming of the Holy Spirit with his gifts inspired them and enabled them to take the step of preaching the good news.

We are made members of God’s family at Baptism. At Confirmation, our Baptism is completed or “sealed” by the Holy Spirit and we are called to be Christian witnesses, just like the apostles. The whole of our Christian living and the life of the Church, too, are sustained by the same Spirit.

Who Can Receive Confirmation?

Any Baptised Catholic wishing to advance on the path of developing their faith. For young people, this is usually part of the 5th/6th class primary school programme.

For adults who were not confirmed as children, it means taking part in the Rite of the Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.)

What is a Sponsor?

A sponsor stands behind the candidate for Confirmation at the Confirmation ceremony and places their hand on the shoulder of the candidate as a sign that they will support them in living out their baptismal promises. However, the role of the sponsor is not just for one day. The sponsor undertakes to assist the confirmed person in growing in the fullness of their faith and in their membership of the Catholic Church.

A person qualifies as a sponsor by being a reasonably mature adult, who is at least 16 years old, and has already received the Sacraments of Initiation, (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) themselves. The Confirmation sponsor may be one of the people who was a sponsor at Baptism (subject to the notes here).

Who can be a Sponsor?

(Ref. Code of Canon Law §874) To be admitted to undertake the office of sponsor, a person must:

• be appointed by the candidate, or by the parents or whoever stands in their place, or failing these, by the parish priest or the minister;
• to be appointed the person must be suitable for this role and have the intention of fulfilling it;
• be not less than sixteen years of age, unless a different age has been stipulated by the diocesan Bishop, or unless the parish priest or the minister considers that there is a just reason for an exception to be made;
• be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has received the blessed Eucharist, and who lives a life of faith which befits the role to be undertaken;
• not be either the father or the mother of the candidate.

What Name should I choose for my Confirmation name ?

The tradition of taking a new name at Confirmation emphasises the new identity of a Christian being called to witness to their faith. People are encouraged to take the name of a saint or a person from the Bible who inspires them in some way.

What is the oil used at Confirmation?

The oil used is called the Oil of Chrism. It is olive oil mixed with balsam that is blessed by the bishop and priests of the diocese in the Cathedral at the ‘Chrism Mass’ on Holy Thursday. The Sacrament is conferred with the anointing with this ‘Oil of Chrism’ on the forehead as the Bishop says ‘Be sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit’.