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.
Spirit Day
- Spirit Day is a multi-parish, day retreat for teens who are about to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation. Through the power of the Holy Spirit and the faith of the parish community, the goal of the Spirit Day Confirmation Retreat is to provide an opportunity for Confirmation candidates to experience an inner spiritual awakening that will inspire them to strengthen their relationship with Christ and his Church.
- If you are new to Spirit Day retreats and are interested in learning more, please reach out to Emily MacDonell at [email protected]. The planning process begins at least six months in advance of the retreat and requires a team of parishes to put together the retreat. We can help you connect to one of the active Spirit Day sites across the Archdiocese or form a new Spirit Day site with interested parishes, so contact us ahead of time if you are interested in joining or forming a Spirit Day site.
- If you are currently planning a Spirit Day retreat for this year, please click here to share some details about your upcoming retreat
Virtual Confirmation Retreat
- In order to assist Catechetical Leaders in preparing adolescents for the sacrament of confirmation during the pandemic, the Archdiocese of Chicago developed a virtual confirmation retreat resource in partnership with Twenty-Third Publications. This leader's guide, available in Spanish and English, will provide necessary tools to facilitate a virtual retreat and is flexible enough to be adapted to each parish's unique situation.
- If you are looking to collaborate with neighboring parishes to deliver a joint virtual confirmation retreat, please reach out to your vicariate Lifelong Formation Coordinator to get connected with other Catechetical Leaders.