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Life in Christ: My Spiritual Growth Plan
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Links to Life in Christ: My Spiritual Growth Plan
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Prompts to be Answered by Confirmation Candidates
A message for 2024 Confirmation Candidates and Sponsors
Life in Christ: My Spiritual Growth Plan
August 09, 2024Over the last few months, I have been working on an alternative model for the Confirmation Capstone Project for students in Grades 9 and 10 to complete as they prepare to freely seek the sacrament of Confirmation from Archbishop Thompson on Sunday, October 27. Having the opportunity to spend time and to teach as a catechist with this curious and spirit-filled group – for many it can be said of their faith that the well is deep – I have found their questions about how it is a challenge to live out the life of Christ beyond the walls of the church.What I have learned is that many of these young Catholics have moral compasses that are strongly calibrated, while some of their peers find their compasses spinning out of control. While they may feel drawn to help a friend or family member in need, is not often easy to watch someone you care for in the struggle. Some have come to realize the greatest way to be present or relate to might be only in praying for God’s will for them and to be a listening ear, and not to become their friend’s or family member’s moral or spiritual mechanic.To begin work on this new model, “Life in Christ: My Spiritual Growth Plan,” the candidates received an email from me on Friday, August 9, outlining the details and how to begin. If any candidate has already begun work on the capstone project using the previous model, you are welcome to submit that. It is due on the Tuesday after Labor Day, September 3. If you are using this model, please confirm this in an email to me at pastor@myparishfamily.church by August 14.For the new model, I have recalibrated the capstone project with a series of writing prompts for the candidates to answer. There are three sections, each with a corresponding deadline. Candidates must have completed Section 1 to be presented at the Rite of Election scheduled for Sunday, August 18, at the 8:30 a.m. Mass at St. Meinrad Parish. This date was shared with you already and your sponsor should also have this date. If for some reason your sponsor is not able to be present, you must have a proxy. Please contact Jessica Fischer with any questions regarding your proxy being present at this Mass. Following the Rite of Election, there will be a brief meeting for you and your sponsor, beginning 15 minutes after Mass in the Parish Office.Live your faith in your daily lives, at home and in school; and show true Christian love to your schoolmates. Be patient and understanding, pray for each other, help each other; obey the voice of your conscience, and strive for Christian unity with all. — Pope Paul VIBe Proactive and Practical: To complete the “Life in Christ: My Spiritual Growth Plan,” it is suggested that candidates review each prompt and prepare their answers in a separate document such as Google Doc or Word for each section before transferring the answers into the online form for final submission. Your answers should be similar to what you would submit for an English assignment. Keep in mind that your answers are your own and reflect on your moral character.- While the use of Chat GPT and other AI chatbots may seem like an opportunity, the platform you will use to submit your answers will monitor and report any use of AI. If this does happen, sponsors will be notified and a meeting with the sponsor, candidate and pastor will take place before the candidate can continue preparation for the sacrament.
- When you finish the form, be sure to click/tap Submit button located at the bottom of the form. (If you are using your smartphone, some phones require that you use the desktop mode in order to view the Submit – or turn your phone sideways.) You will receive a notification that your prompts have been received.
Spiritual Autobiography: The first section of prompts is due by Saturday, August 17. Candidates can submit the prompts any time before the deadline. After completing the prompts, candidates are encouraged to incorporate many of their short answers into their letter to Archbishop Thompson.Letter to Archbishop Thompson: After completing the third section on your Spiritual Growth Plan, you will again receive the instructions outlining what you must include in your letter to Archbishop Thompson, introducing yourself and outlining why you and others believe you are ready to freely receive this sacrament. Your letter is due in PDF format before Saturday, September 14.Sponsor Information Needed: Please complete the form below before Wednesday, August 14, with the name of your sponsor, with their primary phone number and email address. Some of you have already shared with me this information, when first asked to do so in January 2024. I appreciate this, but I am asking everyone to please resubmit this information so that we have a complete and updated list. Soon your sponsor and parents will receive an invitation to respond to some similar writing prompts about their witness of your spiritual growth and readiness to receive this sacrament.As Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. It was here Jesus began to teach what is known as the Sermon on the Mount – The Beatitudes – followed by six examples of conduct for a Christian disciple.Each example deals with a commandment of the law. In doing so, Jesus tells all present to “let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes.”’ (Matthew, 5:37a). You receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation is your “Yes” to your Baptism. As you present yourself for this sacrament, I hope you realize that you are communicating to Archbishop Thompson, me, your pastor, your sponsor, and the faithful that you freely choose to live out your Catholic faith. This visible sign speaks to all that we can count on you and look to you to be a witness for Christ as one filled with the Spirit of Light, Strength, and Love. Until now, your faith has been a single focus experienced through the loving support of your parents and godparents, all working together toward the common goal of helping you to know, love, and serve God! A promise made for you by them on the day of your Baptism.More than 2,000 years ago, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles in the Upper Room and has guided the Church ever since. The Spirit that the Apostles received then is the same Spirit that fortifies thousands of people in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis each year through the Sacrament of Confirmation.Remember, every time you and I gather for Holy Mass, the Holy Spirit transforms the gifts of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. The Spirit forms us in prayer through the Word and sacraments received, guiding the Church and her grace to teach without error.And it is the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who continually empowers you and I, the Church, to boldly share the Gospel message through the ministry of charity as we live out the mission, our vocation. The Church teaches that through the Sacrament of Confirmation, there is a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the faithful giving strength to share the Good News.Pray for your classmates, your sponsor, and the gift of people God has placed on your path since the first days of your life as you prepare to complete the Sacraments of Initiation. I am praying for you and trust that with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, your life will be different after you are confirmed. Expect it and live it! Never forget that Christ is counting on you.The prompts focus on three areas:- Section 1: Your spiritual autobiography
- Section 2:: A reflection of your life in Christ, considering what you have learned through your lessons, focusing on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sacred Scripture, and sacred Tradition (the prompts are open book, and you are free to use any of these resources as you answer).
- You may also work in peer groups for this section or with your sponsor.
- Section 3: Identify through your spiritual growth plan the ways in which you plan to share your gifts, received at Baptism and strengthened at Confirmation as you complete the Sacraments of Initiation, with your parish family and greater community.
If I can be of assistance as you continue in your formation, contact me. I am here to help and look forward to witnessing you pass another milestone in your faith journey. Pray for me.In Christ, I am
Pastor -
Begin HerePlease answer these prompts with 2-3 complete sentences each. Please remember to use the resources you have – talk to your godparents, parents, sponsor, and other spiritual mentors who were present for those first moments in your life.
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FAQs about a candidate's letter to Archbishop ThompsonSince a candidate's letter is meant to address each young person’s journey and preparation for receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, the letter must be in the form of a letter; not a “form letter” or question and answer sheet.
If they are not in the form of a letter, the archbishop will insist that they be rewritten. This letter is meant to be more than just a statement from the young person asking for the sacrament.
The candidate's letter is to reflect on their life in Christ, considering what they have learned through their lessons, responding to the focused prompts provided about the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sacred Scripture, sacred Tradition, and Catholic Social Teaching.
Candidates are encouraged to make use of the prompts they have prepared in Sections 1 through 3 and are free to make use of these resources as they prepare their letters.
The candidate's letter to Archbishop Thompson must include and reflect the following details:- must be in the form of a letter; not a “form letter” or question and answer sheet
- must be in the form of a narrative style and include the date prepared, appropriate greeting and salutation, and is to be signed by the candidate in black ink
- must respond to the prompts provided
- must not exceed 2 pages, 14 font, double-spaced
- must be typed and received in PDF format by September 14