Confirmation Year 2

• Weekly Sunday Mass: Mandatory Sign in at Mass or Submit Reflection sheet if attending Mass at another church.  
• Confirmation Classes: Teens are expected to attend all classes.  There are 20 classes in total. 
• Choose a Confirmation Saint & Sponsor - Due by December 8, 2024.
• Sponsor Form - Due by January 5, 2025. For your sponsor to complete and submit.
• Letter to Bishop Hennessey  - Due by January 12, 2025. 
• Interview with Father Dan - Due by April 11, 2025.  Teens will select a Confirmation ceremony at their interview. 
• Confirmation Rehearsal - Dates TBD. Sponsors should attend rehearsal but a parent may attend in sponsor's place.  

Weekly Mass attendance is required. Teens should attend the 6pm Mass on the Sundays when we have class and they can attend any Mass on other Sunday.

Teens must sign in every time they attend Mass at St. Rose or St. Agnes. Sign in sheets are located at the entrance of the churches.

Sunday Mass Schedule:

• St. Rose of Lima, Topsfield
  • Saturday: 5:30 PM
  • Sunday: 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM, & 6:00 PM
• St. Agnes, Middleton
  • Saturday: 4:00 PM
  • Sunday: 11:00 AM

Whenever teens attend Mass at another church, they should submit a Mass Reflection Sheet.

Choose a Saint & a Sponsor

You will choose two people to stand with you on your Confirmation day and to walk with you on your journey of faith for the rest of your life. 

• Sponsor: One of these people is someone living here on Earth, who is a role model in the Catholic Faith - this person is called your "sponsor." They will stand at your side on the day of Confirmation, and present you to the Bishop to be Confirmed. They commit to helping you on your mission to become a saint.
• Saint: The other person is a Canonized Saint living in Heaven. Whichever Saint you choose will then have a special task of interceding for you in Heaven. You will take the name of this Saint on your Confirmation day and your sponsor will present you by this new name, to the Bishop.

For more information or to submit your assignment, click here.

After asking someone to be your Confirmation Sponsor, please ask them to complete this form and bring or mail it to our parish offices (22 Boston St. Middleton, MA 01949). Forms are due December 15, 2024.

Confirmation Sponsor Form

Confirmation Candidates must write a 1-2 page letter to Bishop Robert Hennessey, stating their desire to be confirmed and answering certain questions.

Letter instructions and online letter submission can be found here.

December & March, during Class
St. Rose of Lima Church, Topsfield

All teens in Confirmation Year 2 are required to attend two penance services - one during Advent and one during Lent.

If a teen is unable to attend class on these days, he or she must attend Eucharistic Adoration and do an Examination of Conscience on the following Monday, 6:00-7:00 PM.

Before Confirmation, teens will have an interview with either Fr. Dan or Fr. Karlo.

All interviews will take place at St. Rose in Topsfield.

At least one parent must attend the interview with their teen.

Teens can sign up for an interview time after submitting their letter to Bishop Hennessey. During the interview, teens will choose a Confirmation ceremony time. 

At the time of your interview, please plan on being at St. Rose for 1 hour. This will include a time to prepare with Sue, present to one of our priests, and choose your Confirmation time.

Teens should think of this interview as more of a presentation. During the interview, teen need to:

1. Recite 4 Catholic Prayer: Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and Act of Contrition
   Find the words to these prayers here. Be sure you have memorized all of these before your interview.
    
2. Define the words "Sacrament" and "Grace"
   This video, this video, and this video will help you understand the definitions below, so you are able to have a conversation about them during your interview.
   • Grace Definition: a free, undeserved gift from God
   • Sacraments Definition: "The seven sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us. The visible rites by which the sacraments are celebrated signify and make present the graces proper to each sacrament. They bear fruit in those who receive them with the required dispositions."
     • 5 Key Points:
       • Sacraments are efficacious signs of grace - There is something we experience with our bodies/senses in each sacrament and something we experience in our souls in each sacrament. That visible, tangible "sign" helps us understand what is happening to our souls. The sign is not just a symbol; it is "efficacious," which means it has a real effect. The effect on our souls is called grace. Grace is a free, undeserved gift from God. 
       • Sacraments were given to us by Jesus Christ - we can trace every sacrament back to Jesus and read about when He gave us the sacraments in the bible.
       • Sacraments are entrusted to the Church - We receive the sacraments through the Church. Priests, deacons and bishops administer most sacraments. 
       • Through the sacraments, divine life is dispensed - We receive God's own life within us through the sacraments.
       • There are 7 Sacraments - The 7 Sacraments are Baptism, Holy Communion (Eucharist), Confirmation, Reconciliation (Confession), Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony (Marriage). Read more about the 7 Sacraments here.
          
3. Explain what the Sacrament of Confirmation is and why you want to receive this Sacrament
   This video, this video and this video may help you with this.
    
4. List the 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
   • Knowledge
   • Wisdom
   • Understanding
   • Counsel (Right Judgement)
   • Fortitude (Courage)
   • Piety (Reverence)
   • Fear of the Lord (Wonder and Awe)
      
5. Share which Saint's name you will take at Confirmation and what you know about this Saint. (where the Saint is from, what they are the patron of, what you admire about this Saint, what miracles are associated with this person, interesting stories about this person's life, etc.)
    
6. Share who you chose to be your Confirmation Sponsor and what it is about the faith of this person that made you select them.

Confirmation Candidates are required to attend a rehearsal.  Sponsor should attend rehearsal with their candidate, but a parent may attend in a sponsor's place as necessary, otherwise, it is not necessary for a parent to attend. Rehearsals will take approximately 1 hour. 

Confirmation Rehearsals: Tuesday June 3rd 2025

• St. Agnes Parish (Middleton) - All Candidates being Confirmed at St. Agnes attend the rehearsal in the church at St. Agnes at 5:30pm
• St. Rose of Lima Parish (Topsfield) - All Candidates being Confirmed at St. Rose attend the rehearsal in the church at St. Rose at 7:30pm

Confirmation dates, times & locations:

St. Rose of Lima (Topsfield) - Friday June 6th, 2025 5:00pm or 7:00pm

St. Agnes (Middleton) - Saturday June 7th, 2025 10:00am or 12:00pm

Candidates and Sponsors should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to their scheduled start time ready to participate. Please be aware that it is possible that the celebration may begin slightly earlier at the discretion of the Bishop.

Teens can select a Confirmation ceremony after submitting their Letter to Bishop Hennessey and completing their interview with one of our priests.

Arrival: Confirmandi and Sponsors should arrive 30 minutes before their Confirmation ceremony and check in with a catechist. 

• After a quick review, ushers will seat Confirmandi, sponsors, and guests. Confirmandi will sit with their families.
• Confirmandi should sit on the aisle seat, with sponsors next to them and parents after that. Other guests can fill the rest of the pew or sit in overflow seating in the back of the church or hall.
• All Confirmandi and guests should stay outside until instructed to enter the church by an usher. (If it is raining, we will gather in the church hall.)

Guests 

• Each family will have 1 pew to fill. You can comfortably seat about 6-8 people in each pew. 
• If you have two or more children receiving Confirmation at the same ceremony, you will be allowed 2 pews.
• Additional friends and family may sit in the back of the church or overflow seating in the church hall on a first-come basis.

Live-Stream

Masses at St. Rose will be live-streamed for loved ones to watch at home at https://agnesandrose.org/live

Unfortunately, St. Agnes does not have the ability to live-stream.

Ladies:

• Dress, skirt, or dress pants with a nice top
  • Dresses/skirts at or below the knee
  • No crop tops, no short skirts, no shoulders exposed (wear a jacket or cardigan if needed)
• White is preferable, but not required

Gentlemen:

• Button down shirt (tucked in)
• Tie
• Dress Pants or Khakis
  • No rips, no stains, no jeans
• Dress shoes

Confirmandi will not wear gowns this year.

The length of a Confirmation Ceremony is based on how many candidates are being confirmed at that time and how long the bishop speaks during his homily. Typically, Confirmation ceremonies are about 45 minutes long. If you are making reservations or planning a party after Confirmation, you should factor in about 15 minutes more for photos after the ceremony.

Candidates should arrive 30 minutes before their Confirmation ceremony. That means candidates will be at the church for about 1.5 hours.

If your sponsor is unable to attend at the last minute, you will need to find another sponsor who meets all of the requirements of a Confirmation sponsor. The Church does not allow for a proxy to stand in for a previously chosen sponsor. A parent cannot be a sponsor. 

If you cannot find a sponsor in time, a priest or one of the Confirmation class leaders can step in.

Review the requirements of a sponsor on the Confirmation Sponsor Form

If you need to change your sponsor, please email Susan Saumsiegle at [email protected] or Melisa Hughes at [email protected].