Program Information

Baptismal Certificate:

If you did not receive the sacrament of Baptism at St. Mary's, you will need to contact the parish of your Baptism and have them mail a Baptismal Certificate (including notations for First Communion and Reconciliation dates) to St. Mary's at the following address:

St. Mary's

5118 St. Mary's Ln

Altus, AR 72821

Attention: Paul LeBlanc

Attend Confirmation Lessons:

You must attend all 24 "Chosen: Your Journey to Confirmation" lessons.  View the lesson schedule in the section below.  Provisions for missed lessons will be considered on a case-by-case basis by contacting the Confirmation Team.

Service Hours:

Each Confirmation candidate must complete at least 20 service hours prior to Confirmation.  Service hours must be signed off by a parent or other adult.  Service hour ideas and opportunities are as follows, but not limited to the following:

• Serving at Mass

• Attending Server training (Date to be announced) 

• Make a Holy Hour (Eucharistic Adoration is offered every Wednesday after Mass at 6:30 pm-7:30 pm) 

• Singing in the choir or playing an instrument at Mass

• Working in your community as a volunteer

• Working at your school or sport event as a volunteer

• Working at a soup kitchen, food bank, or other community service organization

• Visting the sick and homebound

• Visiting the elderly at their home or in a nursing home

• Assisting your family with extraordinary tasks (not regular chores or normally required tasks)

• Cleaning up around the church, school, cemetery, city, park, or other public area

• Special provision made for 1 service hour for each Rosary said with a special intention (5 service hour limit for this provision)

• Make an appreciation card for Fr. Polycarp, Fr. Pius, or Deacon Brian

• Write a Journal Reflection: (Turn in all reflections to Confirmation leaders)

  • 1. Write about why you chose your Confirmation Saint 

  • 2. Write a reflection on the gospel of the week 

  • 3. Choose any scripture passage and write a reflection 

• Many other creative ideas or extraordinary tasks 

Letter to Bishop Anthony Taylor:

In the days of the early Church, it was often customary to approach the leader of that community, and formally request a Sacrament.  We approach Confirmation here at St. Mary’s in similar fashion.  Therefore, we require each Confirmation candidate to write a letter to Bishop Anthony Taylor to request the Sacrament of Confirmation.  This can be a one-page letter, illustrating to Bishop Taylor what you have experienced during this time of preparation, and why you think you are prepared to receive it.  You should include ways your faith has grown, ways the Holy Spirit has worked through you, and how you plan to live out the Sacrament in your life.  The letter should be one page (single-spaced), free of grammatical errors, and something you’d be proud to show your parents.  If you have any questions, please contact the Confirmation Team.

* Sample Letters 

Confirmation Retreat: 

Attending a Confirmation retreat is required.  If you cannot attend the Confirmation retreat scheduled by St. Mary's, then you must attend one at another church.  Please contact the Confirmation Team for other approved Confirmation retreat opportunities.

Interviews:

Each Confirmation candidate will be scheduled for a Confirmation interview to assess their desire and readiness for Confirmation.

Lesson 1: Why am I here? (An Introduction to Chosen)

Lesson 2: What makes me happy? (Discovering God as the Source)

Lesson 3: What’s your story, God? (A Look at Salvation History)

Lesson 4: How do I know God is real? (Understanding Divine Revelation)

Lesson 5: Who is Jesus? (The Person and Mission of Christ)

Lesson 6: Why be Catholic? (Discovering the Church Jesus Founded)

Lesson 7: Where am I going? (A Look at the Four Last Things)

Lesson 8: How do I get there? (The Power and Purpose of the Sacraments)

Lesson 9: When did my journey begin? (Baptism, Your Initiation into God’s Family)

Lesson 10: Why tell my sins to a priest? (The Healing Power of Confession)

Lesson 11: How does God help when it hurts? (Anointing of the Sick and Redemptive Suffering)

Lesson 12: Who is the Holy Spirit? (Meeting the Third Person of the Trinity)

Lesson 13: What does the Holy Spirit do for me? (Gifts for the Journey)

Lesson 14: Why have I been chosen? (Sealed and Sent in Confirmation)

Lesson 15: Why do I have to go to Mass? (Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist)

Lesson 16: What does it mean to say “I do”? (Marriage, a Sign of God’s Love)

Lesson 17: Who’s calling? (Holy Orders and Vocational Discernment)

Lesson 18: Are you talking to me? (Getting to Know God Through Prayer)

Lesson 19: Who is Mary? (Meeting the Mother of God – and Your Heavenly Family)

Lesson 20: What would Jesus do? (The Beatitudes as a Path to True Happiness)

Lesson 21: Do I have what it takes? (Building Virtue – Your Spiritual Workout)

Lesson 22: Why wait? (God’s Plan for Love and Sex)

Lesson 23: How do I build the kingdom? (Saying Yes to the Mission of Christ and His Church)

Lesson 24: Where do I go from here? (The Journey Continues)

Your sponsor is a huge part of this incredible process. They should be someone that beautifully represents the Catholic faith to you, and someone that you would like to model your life after.  Your sponsor will journey alongside you answering questions, accompanying you as a disciple and witnessing to the deep love of Christ. 

A sponsor must have these qualifications:

• be a Catholic who is at least 16 years old

• have received the Sacrament of Confirmation

• be a person who “leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on"

• not be a parent of the candidate

• In short, a sponsor should be a fully initiated Catholic who is faithful to Christ and his Church.