This year, 2026-2027 we are confirming 7th & 6th grade students. Our Confirmation Program is parish-based, meaning that students from the Parish School, other Catholic Schools, Home School programs, and Parish Faith Formation meet together for activities and instruction. Our goal is to get you to the starting point, Confirmation Day, for continued involvement in the Church & relationship with Christ. 

Those who are entering into Confirmation preparation must also be in a Catholic School or age-appropriate Parish-based Faith Formation or an approved religion curriculum for Home-School families who do not attend public school. In addition to regular religious education and Confirmation preparation classes, ongoing Mass attendance is a necessary part of the Confirmation journey and our lives as Catholics. 

Our program also has a family focus. While it is our young people preparing for the sacrament, we encourage the whole family (parents, siblings, and sponsors) to have a special role in this important journey to Confirmation and beyond. In our first and last sessions of the program, parents and sponsors join us for prayer, sessions, reflection, and discussion. These are small ways in which we encourage candidates to incorporate their parents and sponsors into their journey. 

Sponsor Information

Confirmation candidates are asked to choose a sponsor. Sponsors take an active part in the preparation of the candidate by accompanying the candidate through the various phases of the preparation process. In our program, sponsors are asked to take a more active role by participating in 2 of the in-person sessions. If a sponsor is out of state, the candidate and sponsor can complete the discussion/reflection that takes place during class at another time. 

Sponsors must be at least 16, Confirmed, and eligible to participate in the Sacramental life of the Church. Forms are available below and must be signed and sealed by the sponsor's parish. 

*Sponsor forms are due by October 26th in class*

Cost

There is a $50 Confirmation donation asked which helps to cover to cost of session materials and costs surrounding the reception of the sacrament itself.

An invoice will be sent to you at a later date after your child is registered. You do not have to pay at the time of registration. If you would like to pay using cash or check, please make checks payable to St. Stephen Church and drop them off to the Pastorate Office located at Holy Spirit Church or bring them to the first class.

Please do not let finances keep you from registering your child for Confirmation preparation classes. We are happy to work with you and your family to ensure our classes are available to all. Please contact Aubrey Youngs at [email protected] if you need assistance with the Confirmation donation. 

Confirmation Name Saint Project

Each year for Confirmation, candidates are asked to choose a Confirmation name. This can be their Baptismal name, the name of a saint they admire, a Confirmation name passed down in the family, etc. They are asked to do a brief report of the saint they choose explaining a little bit about the saint and why they chose them as their Confirmation name. Below are the instructions for the project. 

Saint Projects are due on October 26th with sponsor forms. 

Beyond Confirmation

In the years following Confirmation, newly confirmed youth are encouraged to continue in their weekly Mass attendance, ongoing and continued age-appropriate faith formation, and Christian service.  In particular, youth are invited to be active in a parish-based ministry to share their gifts as missionary disciples in their Church community and beyond!  Many opportunities are available for a variety of interests.  

To get involved in a ministry, please contact Ms. Aubrey at [email protected]

Service Experience Reflection

In the new format of Confirmation Preparation for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, community service for Confirmation looks different than it has in the past. It is no longer required for the Confirmation candidate to earn a minimum number of community service hours in order to receive the sacrament. 

However, because service to the Church and to others is an essential part of our lives as Catholics, they are called to participate in some type of community service activity or project and write a brief reflection as a response. The reflection should include what type of service they participated in, what they liked or disliked about it, who they served, how they felt they were Christ to that person/those people, and if it is a service they would or plan to participate in again. 

This reflection will be submitted and shared in a small group setting at their last Confirmation session. There is no restriction on what type of service is performed or how long it is. The goal is for the candidate to experience serving a person, a group of people, or an organization in response to our lifelong call of being a disciple of Christ and serving those around us. 

It is the hope of our Pastorate and the Archdiocese that this shift in emphasis from a required amount of hours on a checklist to a genuine service experience being a disciple of Christ will help them to grow in their relationship with God, ignite in them a passion for serving others, and enhance their Confirmation preparation journey by bringing the focus to the reception of the Sacrament and what it means to them. Below are the instructions for the reflection. 

Service Reflections are due December 14th in class. 

Click here to view the schedule of "aging down" to 4th grade for Confirmation