Missionary Discipleship Formation & the Sacrament of Confirmation
High School, Grades 9-12
Curriculum:
Our Missionary Discipleship program is designed to empower
our teens to live out their call to discipleship in the everyday world. We have
a two year curriculum that, if fully engaged in, will help to open them up to
receiving the Holy Spirit via the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Spring of
the second year. In brief, the two year program consists of the following:
Year 1 (typically 9th Grade): Alpha Youth. During this first year, the primary curriculum is the
Alpha Youth Series (https://alphausa.org/alpha-youth-series),
which allows the youth to explore the big questions of life and faith in the
context of intentional small group communities. In addition, they are
introduced to the “4 Essential Elements of Healthy Christian Discipleship,”
including sessions specifically aimed at teaching them how to pray.
Year 2 (10th Grade and up): Youth for Justice. The second year of the program
intentionally connects the Gospel to the everyday world, utilizing the Youth
for Justice Series (https://justfaith.org/youth-for-justice/).
The participants will take what they learn and experience in the program and
create prayer services at various points in the program year. The year
concludes with a couple of Sponsor-Candidate sessions that are an immediate
preparation to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. The celebration of
Confirmation for this year’s group is scheduled for Tuesday, May 9, 2023 at
7:00pm at the Cathedral of Saint Paul.
Retreat or Immersion
Experience: All youth in the program are asked to participate in either a
retreat, service immersion experience, pilgrimage, or mission trip prior to
receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. These are designed with the intent of
giving the participants a deeper experience of living out their discipleship.
Retreat and immersion experience options will be provided at the orientation,
as well as posted on this page in the coming weeks.
A complete
list of expectations and paperwork needed to participate in the celebration of
the Sacrament of Confirmation will be distributed at the orientation session,
as well as posted on this page in the coming weeks.
2022-23 Program Options and Dates:
Sunday
Evenings from 6:30-8:00pm
Parent-Teen Orientation: October 2
Fall Sessions: October 9, 16, 30,
November 6, 13, 20
Winter Sessions: December 4, 11, 18, January 8, 22, 29, February 5, 26
Spring Sessions: March 5, 12 April 16, 23, 30
Wednesday Evenings from 6:30-8:00pm
Parent-Teen Orientation: October 5
Fall Sessions: October 12, 26 November 2, 9, 16, 30
Winter Sessions: December 7, 14, January 4, 11, 25 February 1, 8, 15
Spring Sessions: March 1, 15, April 12, 19, 26
Online/At-Home Option
We recognize that for a variety of reasons, a
traditional onsite formation experience is not possible for some teens, so we
do make an at-home option available. Materials will be made available on a
schedule that mirrors the Sunday evening program schedule. The opportunity to
have regular gatherings via Zoom will be made available if we have adults
willing to volunteer for that role.
Family Support:
Weekly
family reminders will be e-mailed, along with links to suggested online videos
and supplemental curriculum.
Communication:
Flocknote
will be the primary mode of communication for all participants. You will
receive these communications via e-mail. This will be the mode of communication
used to communicate class cancelations, such as weather related closings, etc.
Formation of Groups:
Groups
will be formed based on space capacity for social distancing and the number of
available adults serving as small group leaders. Small group leaders will need
to be recruited and trained and will receive a leader guide along with on-going
weekly support.
Needs:
Adult
leaders (2 per group). All families that provide a small group leader or
catechist for one of our programs will receive a full tuition break for the
entire family.