Post-Confirmation Reflection

A33DT2Congratulations to all of the 8th graders who were Confirmed yesterday, including my class of 10 students! I pray that they will feel the abundant graces of the Holy Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit, flowing in and through them all the days of their lives!

As promised, I put together a guided reflection that I’m going to use tonight to help the young people reflect on yesterday’s experience. I think this will give them an opportunity to sift through all of the hustle and bustle of yesterday and zero in on the actions of the Lord that were at the center of this sacramental experience.

I’m sure it was hard for the kids to take it all in as it was happening yesterday. It didn’t help that the sound system in the church is not the best and that the wireless microphone the bishop used for his homily was not working! About halfway through the homily, the associate pastor came to the rescue with another working microphone but, unfortunately, a great deal of his message was lost at this point. Finally, and I don’t want to be too critical here, but the fact that the bishop went on for about 40 minutes didn’t help either! He spent about 20 minutes doing some dialogue with the kids (this was when the mic wasn’t working) and then about 20 minutes of sharing his thoughts on the sacrament. I think the kids’ attention eventually drifted.

That’s why I think it’s helpful to take some time, post-confirmation, to reflect on the actions of the Rite and to help them to recognize the graces that penetrate any of these minor distractions.

Feel free to use this guided reflection and to adapt it to suit your own needs. I hope you find it useful.

Confirmation Guided Reflection

BTW, I plan to segue from the guided reflection into the song, “I’ll Stand by You” by the Pretenders (also covered by Carrie Underwood).

About Joe Paprocki 2742 Articles
Joe Paprocki, DMin, is National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press, where, in addition to his traveling/speaking responsibilities, he works on the development team for faith formation curriculum resources including Finding God: Our Response to God’s Gifts and God’s Gift: Reconciliation and Eucharist. Joe has more than 35 years of experience in ministry and has presented keynotes, presentations, and workshops in more than 100 dioceses in North America. Joe is a frequent presenter at national conferences including the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, the Mid-Atlantic Congress, and the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership. He is the author of numerous books, including the best seller The Catechist’s Toolbox, A Church on the Move, Under the Influence of Jesus, and Called to Be Catholic—a bilingual, foundational supplemental program that helps young people know their faith and grow in their relationship with God. Joe is also the series editor for the Effective Catechetical Leader and blogs about his experiences in faith formation at www.catechistsjourney.com.

4 Comments

  1. Hi Joe:
    This reflection is just what I need to work with our P.R.E.P. Confirmation candidates for their first class back after Confirmation. When the Bishop says Peace Be With You–shouldn’t the candidates now be responding “And With Your Spirit” instead of AND ALSO WITH YOU! I can’t wait to use this on Sunday. Have a great week.

    • Hi Karen and thanks for your kind words. YES, the candidates should now be responding “And with your spirit!” I taught this class before the Roman Missal changes!

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