Confirmation
Parents Meeting
All students and their parents must attend an initial family meeting before the first day of Sacramental classes on Wednesday, October 9th, 2024.
Your initial family meeting will last approximately 15 minutes and
at least one parent must attend with the student.
If you are a new family to our parish with a student desiring the sacrament of confirmation, please contact Kathy Harmon or Yolanda Ruiz.
Here at St. Stephen Catholic Church, we strive to support students and parents throughout the Confirmation process.
- Receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation is a 2-year process:
- All students must complete the High School 1 class prior to the Confirmation sacramental preparation class. Students entering 9th grade and older may attend the High School 1 class.
- Students entering the 10th grade and older may attend the Confirmation sacramental preparation class with completion of the High School 1 class.
- During the 2nd year of preparation, there are 3 meetings with either the Confirmation Coordinator, priests, or Director of Faith Formation.
- The purpose of these meetings is to get to know the families, continual support for each student, and give the catechists feedback on what teachings need to be emphasized or clarified.
- There will be a meeting at the beginning of the process, the middle of the year, and a final meeting before the Confirmation Mass.
- Students are highly encouraged to attend the Confirmation Day of Reflection (typically in the spring semester) hosted by St. Stephen and the Emmaus retreat hosted by the Diocese of Fort Worth.
- There might be classes in which the Confirmation Sponsors will be requested to join.
- The invitation will be announced during the year.
For more information, don't hesitate to get in touch with the Confirmation Coordinator, Emmafae Lemons at 682-582-8207 or via email at emmafae@saintstephencc.org, Director of Faith Formation, Kathy Harmon at 682-582-8211 or via email at kathy@saintstephencc.org, or
Asistente de Formación de Fe Español Yolanda Ruiz at 680-582-8206 or via email at
yolanda@saintstephencc.org.
Confirmation is the completion of baptismal grace, with the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon us that we may come to fullness with Christ. The word "Christian" means "Anointed" and comes from that of Christ himself, whom God "anointed with the Holy Spirit".
In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is "sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit" and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ. Anointing with oil during the rite of Confirmation is a sign of consecration and invitation-- or 'opening'--for the Holy Spirit to 'come in' and 'indwell' within us. By this anointing, the confirmand receives the "mark", the seal of the Holy Spirit.
1303 From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:
— it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation, which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!" 117
— it unites us more firmly to Christ;
— it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
— it renders our bond with the Church more perfect; 118
— it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross;11
"Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God's presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts."120
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
