Youth Confirmation
"For by the Sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence, they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.” (LG 11; cf. Rite of Confirmation, Introduction 2)
Youth are confirmed at their parish through their religious education program, typically between seventh grade and sophomore year of high school. Policies and resources are listed below. Please contact your parish catechetical leader for more specific information about your parish’s program.
Confirmation Policy
This is the official policy of the Archdiocese of Chicago regarding sacramental preparation for adolescent candidates seeking confirmation.
Confirmation Policies and Procedures Fact Sheet
This short fact sheet highlights why the current confirmation policy was created and the purpose that it serves.
Confirmation Guidelines
This document provides guidelines to accompany each individual policy statement to elaborate on what each policy statement encompasses and provide guidance on how to best execute each element of the Confirmation Policy.
Supplemental Confirmation Preparation Program
In order to support parishes and schools in the confirmation preparation process, the archdiocese offers this optional supplemental preparation program, Embracing the Call of Jesus. It features sessions adapted from Maryknoll’s Unit One, Encountering Jesus, from their Missionary Discipleship Institute and focuses specifically on embracing the call to know, love and follow Jesus. Embracing the Call of Jesus is not intended to be a standalone program; it must be done in conjunction with the parish’s comprehensive confirmation preparation program to be a useful vehicle for preparing adolescent candidates to receive the sacrament of confirmation.