The Called to Community part of the scheme is a welcome into the community into which a young person is Confirmed.

 

This time is spent in parish (or multiple parish) groups.

 

The aim is to show young people what the Church community can offer them; and in return what young people can bring to that same Church community.

 

The theology of the Sacrament will have been covered in schools in the Called to Serve section of the scheme so this time will allow parishes to focus solely on what Confirmation means for a young person in the everyday life of the Church.

 

It will be a chance for them to see the good work the Church does and explore what roles and opportunities the Church can offer.

 

It will also allow parishes to speak to young people about their hopes and dreams, fears and anxieties.   

 

 

 

The sessions below are designed to give you an idea of things you can do with the young people in your parish or deanery as part of the Diocesan Confirmation programme.

These ideas are not, and should not be seen as, a comprehensive programme that can or should be followed every week.

The Confirmation programme for the Diocese has been designed specifically to allow for flexibility in its delivery; taking into account the different resources, both human and practical, that each deanery can call upon.

You can choose to use as may or as few of these ideas as you want. And you are also, obviously, free to use our own resources and ideas.
Each session is aimed to last about an hour.

 

As the formal catechetical instruction has been done in school this stage need not be too long: maybe four weeks would allow for young people to learn more about the Church community into which they will be Confirmed and the people in that community and the place they can find in the Church through the Sacrament. 

There are sample icebreakers that can be used at the start of each session as a separate document.

There are sample prayers that can be used at the end of each session as a separate document. Good practice would suggest that each session should end with some social time: whether that is snacks and drinks with music on an iPod or something a bit more structured such as a trip to McDonald's or even watching a film.

Sessions can be downloaded as a PDF or you can simply follow the session on your phone. The sessions have been deliberately created to be as easy to use and follow as possible. There are not many resources needed to run any of the sessions.

 

If you would prefer a more structured four week programme there is a more comprehensive programme to follow that can be sent to a parish by emailing [email protected] 

You should remember that these sessions are not designed to offer a formal catechetical instruction. That side of things is done in school by qualified teachers in a specific learning environment. The RE teachers at school have Diocesan resources available for that instruction.