Saint Benedict’s Parish and School Confirmation

Workshop 2018

Aims:
• To provide a structure and space for parents and students to learn about
Confirmation.
• To affirm parents in the faith experience that the will share with their children.
• To familiarise candidate, parents and sponsors with the Confirmation ritual.

Preparation:
• Chairs formed in a circle (10-12 chairs per circle)
• Handouts
o Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Scripture and final prayer
o Ceremony running sheet
• Name tags and markers in the middle of the circle
• Presentation PowerPoint
• Pencils for parents and children to make notes
• Microphone
• Whiteboard and Marker
• Put gift titles around the room

Important Points:
• State start and end time
• Present clearly and correctly answer all questions
• Say each student’s name once and move around the room
• Share handouts (parents and children)
• Open and close properly

Child and Parent workshop

Introduction (Assistant Principal: Mr. Beins – 4 minutes):

• Thank parents and children for attending workshop – “it’s great to have you here in
attendance”
• Welcome Father Nelson Po, parents and children (candidates)
• Reminders: Write yourself a name tag, make you are sitting next to your parent(s)
and ensure that your phone is switched off for the workshop.
• Housekeeping: Location of toilets and fire exits (muster point)
• Explain the workshop purpose: Go through the outline of the confirmation ceremony
and explore in depth the different aspect of confirmation.
 • Say that there will be a handout outlining the ceremony and some time to answer
any question or queries
• “Let us begin tonight’s gathering with a prayer

Prayer (Parish Priest: Fr. Nelson Po – 3 minutes):
• On PowerPoint slide
• Microphone

Presentation of Candidates (Year 6 teacher: Mr. Adams – 5 minutes):
• In Baptism, the priest asks the parents what they want for the baby or child and they
will respond ‘to be baptised’
• Parents turn to your child and children ask your parents why they wanted you to be
baptised.
o Get three parents to share their answers
• Now students when you are presented in the confirmation ceremony, the
Archbishop will ask you to stand “please stand” – students stand, he will introduce
you and commend you on your dressing then ask the congregation to applaud you.
He will ask you to sit down.
• Turn to your parents and talk to your parents about why you are getting confirmed.
o Get three students to share their answers

Homily (Year 6 teacher: Mr. Adams – 2 minutes):
• Both ritual masses, the Archbishop or priest will give a homily – talking about the
readings and then discuss baptism and confirmation
• Read the traditional reading that will be said at the mass (Pentecost) and then that
the reason that wind and fire is used at confirmation is based around the story of
Pentecost.

Baptismal Promises (Assistant Principal: Mr. Beins – 8 minutes):
• When you were baptised, certain promises were made, they were not your
baptismal promises they were your parents. At your confirmation, you are making
these promises yourself. You are saying, “Yes, I agree to the promises my parents
made for me at my baptism and I re-confirm that decision.
• Read the baptismal promises (on the screen) and ensure that students say the “I do”
loudly and clearly
• Get students to stand up and read out baptismal promises – students respond
• This is the language of the Church – we need to understand what it is asking.
 • Reject or renounce – Reject things that move us away from being a good person or
away from following God’s call.
• Turn to your parents and discuss three (3) things you will want to reject as you grow
into adulthood that are going to help you in your life.
• Make sure you have three as I will ask everyone for one rejection that Mr. Adams
will put on the board.
o Call each student to say one and write on board – Cut board in half, write
rejection as heading of left side
• What are somethings that you accept into your lives – Talk in your group and come
up with one that you all hold in common. –
o Write up on board responses
• When you do your Baptismal Promises at your Confirmation – I want you to think of
the list we have made together.

Laying on of Hands (Assistant Principal: Mr. Cottrell – 8 minutes):
• Next important part of the Confirmation ceremony.
• The celebrant (priest or Archbishop) will stand at the Altar and raise their hands over
all the candidates after he asks you to stand.
o This recalls that very time at Pentecost when all of Jesus’ disciples were
together and the Holy Spirit appeared and filled them with God’s gifts and
grace. The same spirit which is passed onto you.
o Parents, you are passing on that Holy Spirit to your children through your
good example at home and in the community.
• Parent, I want you to lay your hands on your child’s head as I read this prayer and
think about all the things you truly want for your child.
o The words to this beautiful prayer is used in the ceremony, when you hear it I
encourage you to remember all those things you want for your child.
• Read Prayer

Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Year 6 teacher: Miss. Kernaghan – 14 minutes):
• The prayer just read, contained the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
o Mr. Cottrell to hand out sheet one per parent and child.
o Look at the gifts in more detail – go through PowerPoint slides
• Point to gift titles around the room.
o These are alive and well within each child tonight.
• Parents, look at the gifts and decide which is the strongest in your child. Talk to your
child about why you have chosen this gift and a time they displayed it – 2 mins
o I want your child to stand in front of that gift you have chosen.
 o Ask one student from each gift to have their parent express why they chose
this for their child. Students go back to their places.
• Students I now want you to see what gift is the strongest in your sponsor or parent.
– 2 mins
o Choose on sponsor or parent from each gift and students to explain why.
o Go back to their seats

Naming and Anointing and Sign of Peace
(Assistant Principal: Mr. Cottrell – 7 minutes):
• In both Baptism and Confirmation, your name is particularly important.
• I wonder why you were given the name you have? Take a few moments parents to
talk to your child about why you gave them this name - 2 mins
• Ask for five (5) responses from parents.
• In Confirmation you have chosen a Saint.
• Now when you go up to Archbishop Costelloe, you will hand his helper, the
Confirmation card with your details on it.
• You will greet His Grace and say (in a nice strong voice); ‘My name is ___________’.
• Archbishop Costello will take the oil and make the sign of the cross on your
forehead, saying, __________, be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit’. And you
will say Amen. (In that time you will be thinking about all the gifts that we have
talked about).
• Archbishop will then say, ‘Peace Be with You’ and either touch your cheek or shake
your hand and you will reply with – ‘And with your Spirit.’
• During this time your sponsor will have their right hand on your right shoulder –
sponsoring you to the celebrant.
• Now I want parents to practise naming and anointing your child because you as
parents and models for your children want this to happen just as much as Father
Nelson and the Archbishop do.
o **Sponsors, practice placing your hand on the candidate’s right shoulder**

Sponsors - Guidelines (Assistant Principal: Mr. Beins – 3 minutes):
• Outline the guidelines for sponsors as determined by the Catholic Church on
PowerPoint

Conclusion (Catechist Co-ordinator: Miss. Belinda Norris – 5 minutes):
• Hand out the full rundown of the celebrations/information and say that if there is
any questions to talk to her after the workshop.
• Thank everyone for their attendance
• Closing prayer – On handout
• Ask parents to help stack up chairs, if possible.