Confirmation - St. Giles

If you did not catch the statement or attend the May 5 th Information meeting, it is your responsibilityto know what is expected of you in this Confirmation preparation process.If you at any time this year you have questions/concerns about Confirmationtasks/assignments/expectations CONTACT ME! (mecasselman@stgilesparish.org / 708-383-4185 ext 103/drop me a note via the parish office or the Religious Ed. office.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++CONFIRMATION PREPARATION TWO YEAR PROCESSBelieve it or not, you actually began your preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation during 7 th grade!Whether you were in the school or religious education program every 7 th grader spent a great deal of timein their respective religion class learning about the person of Jesus of Nazareth as well as the teachingsand Traditions of our Catholic Christian faith through the Confirmed in the Spirit text!Once the Confirmation Class of 2013 celebrated their Confirmation you OFFICIALLY entered into year twoof YOUR PREPARATION with the first task being the Information Meeting on Sunday May5th.What you need to know from that meeting whether you were able to attend or not is outlined below andmay also be found on the parish Confirmation webpage:http://www.stgilesparish.org/Sacraments/ConfirmationCandidate.html+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++SUMMER PROJECTS:1) Gift Workshop: You are to participate in one GIFT DISCERNMENT WORKSHOP which beganSaturday May 11 (9-11am / 12-2pm) and will be offered Sunday May 19 (12-2pm / 3-5pm) andadditional date is being sought for late June this year.This workshop is designed to assist you in discovering/ affirming / naming your individual gifts andtalents. This information is especially helpful when selecting the type of service you may choose todo. If you have not reserved a space for one of these workshops please do so as soon aspossible.2) Service Component: The goal here is for YOU to develop A HABIT of service to others. Whileeach candidate is asked to perform 3-4 hours of service a month, it is only a goal to strive

toward not a set number of hours to be acquired. The quality of the service experience is ofgreater value than the number of hours attained;; however, candidates are required to keep aTRACK of their service by keeping a journal/blog/box of notes.CANDIDATES ARE TO BEGIN THEIR SERVICE COMPONENT over the summer months.Not sure where to start? Visit the Service opps. Page of the parish website for ideas:http://www.stgilesparish.org/Sacraments/ConfirmationServices.htmlService Fair: It is our hope this year, 2014, to host a SERVICE OPPORUNITY FAIR withrepresentatives from each of these parish and community organizations for candidates and theirparents to explore, ask questions, and hopefully VOLUNTEER to be of service! The date /time forthis event is still be finalized and will be announced via email/voicemail to all Confirmation 2014candidates as soon as possible.3) SPONSOR SELECTION: The Role of the Sponsor in the preparation for Confirmation is quiteimportant. The sponsor is YOUR direct mentor/guide who will monitor, encourage, and note yourfaith growth during the preparation period. The sponsor and candidate are expected to be inregular communication with into theiradult journey within Catholic Christian faith. It is recommended that the candidate select theirsponsor by the end of August and the parish Religious Education office be notified via the Parents are to completethis form for the candidate!Guidelines for the selection of a sponsor along with a description of their role may be found on theConfirmation webpage www.stgilesparish.org/SACRAMENTS4) Name Paper: It is highly advisable for YOUR to begin research for the Name Paper assignmentover the summer months. YOU should search for a saint YOU identify with by discovering aquality, gift or talent the saint possessed that YOU too possess, or wish to develop in youself.(The Gift Discernment Workshops are very helpful for YOU to actually name these qualitiesYOU possess or wish to develop in yourself.)5) Record Your Experience: JournalingThe act of writing allows the time and space for our YOU to uncover the presence ofGod in YOUR life. As you move to new understandings and uncover new questionsregarding their faith during this year of preparing for Confirmation this journal will

help -your spiritual lives that can be saved for futureconsideration.WHEN TO MAKE JOURNAL ENTRIES:YOU should make entries in YOUR journal/ notebook/ blog/ digital diary or jot anote to be kept in a box or folder after each service experience, each Confirmationevent, each assignment and small faith group gathering.Entries could include:Summary of the experienceHow the experience made the candidate feelWhat the experience helped them realize or understand betterWhere t.KEEP YOUR ENTRIES OF EXPERIENCES UP TO DATE AS IT WILL PROVIDE WAY FROYOU TO PREPARE FOR YOUR FINAL PROJECT- MY CONFIRMATION YEAR++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Service Opportunities to Consider for this Summer:Hometown Nazareth Candidates are invited to attend the WEDNESDAY MAY 15 PLANNINGMEETING here at ST. GILES 7PM TO 8:30PM IN MC DONOUGH HALL. Candidates are able toassist as group leaders, fun-games assistants or shopkeepers, set up crew, take down crew.Our actual HOMETOWN NAZARETH EVENT WILL BE THE WEEK OF July 21 -26 / from6:30pm -8:30pm here at St Giles ParishContact Mrs. Casselman for more info 708-383-4185 or mecasselman@stgilesparish.orgHoof it for Hephzibah : Join us for the 13th Annual Hoof It For Hephzibah held onMemorial Day, Monday May 27, 2013. 5K Fun Run/ Walk-Fun for the whole family. For moreinformation or to sign up visit the site below: http://www.hephzibahhome.org28 th ANNUAL HUNGER WALK - SATURDAY JUNE 29 TH : benefitting the Greater Chicago FoodDepository, which supplies all the food pantries/soup kitchen in Cook County! For moreinformation or to sign up visit the site below:http://www.chicagosfoodbank.org/site/TR/Events/HungerWalk?fr_id=1370&pg=entry=====================================================================

END OF SUMMER TASK:Small Faith Groups:The August/September update you are to select a SMALL FAITH GROUP to participate in each month.These groups meet for 75 minutes during the last week of each month, as indicated on the Confirmation2014 calendar. These gatherings provide YOU the opportunity to discuss the various Confirmationassignments, share YOUR experiences of being a person of service, reflect on YOUR personal faithunderstandings, and explore the scriptures in light of YOUR preparation process. These group gatheringswill challenge YOU to delve deeper into YOUR understanding of our Catholic faith and what that means inYOUR life.PLEASE NOTE:ALL CONFIRMATION TASKS WILL BE ASSIGNED AT THESE SMALL FAITH GROUPS ANDASSIGNMENTS TURNED INTO THE PARISH SACRAMENT COORDINATOR- MRS. CASSELMANThis update will also be posted to the parish website:http://www.stgilesparish.org/Sacraments/ConfirmationCandidate.htmlAND ON THE CONFIRMATION BOARDS LOCATED IN BOTH THE GLEESON & FRAWLEYBUILDINGS