Confirmation
September 2024 Update: Registration for our Confirmation preparation for 2024-25 opened on June 18, 2024 and is now closed as we are currently at capacity for our 2024-2025 confirmation prep year. If you would like to register and be placed on a waiting list, please do so here. We are delighted to accept more students if we are able to fill more parent volunteer roles for small group table leaders during our workshops this year. Training will be provided! Please reach out to Veronica Groom if you are interested in discussing this opportunity further!
Welcome! Wherever you are on your journey of faith, your family matters to us. We hope you experience the love and support of our community during the Confirmation process.
The Archdiocese of Boston has recently lowered the normal age of reception of the sacrament of Confirmation to around the ages of 13-14 (or 8th grade). We will be making this transition over the next 2 years. Currently, confirmation preparation is open to everyone in grades 9 and above. It is a one-year process that begins in November 2024 and ends in October 2025. The Confirmation Mass will be held in October 2025.
The Archdiocese of Boston has recently lowered the normal age of reception of the sacrament of Confirmation to around the ages of 13-14 (or 8th grade). We will be making this transition over the next 2 years. Currently, confirmation preparation is open to everyone in grades 9 and above. It is a one-year process that begins in November 2024 and ends in October 2025. The Confirmation Mass will be held in October 2025.
Information about our Confirmation Process
What is Confirmation?
Confirmation is a sacrament, which is a concrete or visible sign that makes God’s grace especially present to us. As a “sacrament of initiation,” Confirmation completes the initiation into the Catholic church that begins with baptism. In the sacrament of Confirmation we receive a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live more intentionally as a disciple of Jesus within the church.
Why get confirmed?
At New Roads, we’d like to invite you to consider this “why” for Confirmation: a commitment to following Jesus within the church community is the best, surest way to what Jesus calls an “abundant life” (John 10:10), a life of meaning, passion, and most of all, love.
What does it mean to be prepared?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which summarizes many of the Church’s official teachings, shares two essential results of Confirmation preparation: The candidate is “prepared to assume the role of disciple” (1319) and embraces “a sense of belonging...to the parish community” (1309). In other words, being prepared for Confirmation means the candidate has already started to take steps as a disciple of Jesus within our local church community.
Preparing for and being confirmed is about a loving relationship with God and the church community. We’ll ask candidates--in the form of a written reflection--how they have each prepared to be confirmed, how it has affected them, and if they feel ready to present themselves to the bishop for Confirmation, allowing each candidate to demonstrate their integrity and commitment.
Program Requirements
Workshops: The purpose of the workshops is to help your family reflect on your membership in our community. We want you to feel like you belong here and we hope the workshops help with that. All workshops are mandatory and held in person at St. Joseph on Sundays from 7:00 to 8:30pm.
Workshop 1: Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 7:00pm *Candidate and at least one parent/guardian required to attend*
Workshop 2: Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 7:00pm
Workshop 3: Sunday, February 2, 2025 at 7:00pm
Workshop 4: Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 7:00pm
Workshop 5: Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 7:00pm
Workshop 6: Sunday, September 14, 2025 at 7:00pm
Service: Options for service ideas and opportunities during the year of preparation will be discussed at our orientation meeting on November 17th, 2024.
Written reflection: Due in September 2025, by candidate and parent
Candidate: A 500-word statement about what the candidate did to prepare.
Parent: A 500-word statement about how the parent supported the teen’s preparation.
Sponsor: All candidates should choose a sponsor who models what it’s like to live as a disciple within the church. We ask that sponsors be chosen at least a month before Confirmation.
Confirmation Mass and rehearsal: October 2025 (date TBA)
If you have any questions about our program or problems filling out the registration form, please email Veronica Groom at [email protected].
Confirmation is a sacrament, which is a concrete or visible sign that makes God’s grace especially present to us. As a “sacrament of initiation,” Confirmation completes the initiation into the Catholic church that begins with baptism. In the sacrament of Confirmation we receive a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live more intentionally as a disciple of Jesus within the church.
Why get confirmed?
At New Roads, we’d like to invite you to consider this “why” for Confirmation: a commitment to following Jesus within the church community is the best, surest way to what Jesus calls an “abundant life” (John 10:10), a life of meaning, passion, and most of all, love.
What does it mean to be prepared?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which summarizes many of the Church’s official teachings, shares two essential results of Confirmation preparation: The candidate is “prepared to assume the role of disciple” (1319) and embraces “a sense of belonging...to the parish community” (1309). In other words, being prepared for Confirmation means the candidate has already started to take steps as a disciple of Jesus within our local church community.
Preparing for and being confirmed is about a loving relationship with God and the church community. We’ll ask candidates--in the form of a written reflection--how they have each prepared to be confirmed, how it has affected them, and if they feel ready to present themselves to the bishop for Confirmation, allowing each candidate to demonstrate their integrity and commitment.
Program Requirements
Workshops: The purpose of the workshops is to help your family reflect on your membership in our community. We want you to feel like you belong here and we hope the workshops help with that. All workshops are mandatory and held in person at St. Joseph on Sundays from 7:00 to 8:30pm.
Workshop 1: Sunday, November 17, 2024 at 7:00pm *Candidate and at least one parent/guardian required to attend*
Workshop 2: Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 7:00pm
Workshop 3: Sunday, February 2, 2025 at 7:00pm
Workshop 4: Sunday, March 2, 2025 at 7:00pm
Workshop 5: Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 7:00pm
Workshop 6: Sunday, September 14, 2025 at 7:00pm
Service: Options for service ideas and opportunities during the year of preparation will be discussed at our orientation meeting on November 17th, 2024.
Written reflection: Due in September 2025, by candidate and parent
Candidate: A 500-word statement about what the candidate did to prepare.
Parent: A 500-word statement about how the parent supported the teen’s preparation.
Sponsor: All candidates should choose a sponsor who models what it’s like to live as a disciple within the church. We ask that sponsors be chosen at least a month before Confirmation.
Confirmation Mass and rehearsal: October 2025 (date TBA)
If you have any questions about our program or problems filling out the registration form, please email Veronica Groom at [email protected].
Fee
The fee for our program is $100 per candidate. Click here to pay online with a credit card, ApplePay, Venmo, PayPal, or ACH. Or please make your check payable to your parish (“St. Joseph” or “St. Luke”) and mail it to: New Roads Catholic Community, 130 Common St, Belmont, MA 02478. Please include the candidate’s name on your payment. Financial assistance is available if needed--just let us know on the registration form.
The fee for our program is $100 per candidate. Click here to pay online with a credit card, ApplePay, Venmo, PayPal, or ACH. Or please make your check payable to your parish (“St. Joseph” or “St. Luke”) and mail it to: New Roads Catholic Community, 130 Common St, Belmont, MA 02478. Please include the candidate’s name on your payment. Financial assistance is available if needed--just let us know on the registration form.
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