Initiating our young disciples
with the fire of the Holy Spirit
“It must never be forgotten that our reception of Baptism and Confirmation is ordered to the Eucharist…In this regard, attention needs to be paid to the order of the sacraments of initiation. Different traditions exist within the Church…Yet these variations are not properly of the dogmatic order, but are pastoral in character. Concretely, it needs to be seen which practice better enables the faithful to put the sacrament of the Eucharist at the centre, as the goal of the whole process of initiation.” – Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis, #17-18
Our Confirmation Research pilot is open to all St. John children who will be 9 years old by May 1, 2023
In 2024, St. John was granted permission from Archbishop Lori to begin a research pilot for a 9 year old Confirmation process for families. This process will not affect our 13 year old+ Confirmation process. It is also not required for all 9 year olds at St. John to experience this pilot.
To start our research pilot, we are hosting a kick off event with the world renown liturgist Fr. Paul Turner. Fr. Turner will be speaking on the historical development of the Sacrament of Confirmation and what the implications are for modern sacramental formation. This event is free and open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Sacrament of Confirmation. We ask that you kindly RSVP so we can provide enough light refreshments.
Listen to Fr. Mark Bialek (pastor) and Stacy Golden (Director of OFFYAM, Archdiocese of Baltimore) explore the reasoning behind the 9 year old Confirmation pilot
Registration for our Confirmation Research Pilot will open after our December Parent Meeting (Date TBD). Formation Sessions will begin in early 2024.
Questions? Contact us!
faithformation@sjwest.org
410-848-8443