Confirmation Sacramental Record

Complete the following form to provide important information for keeping your Sacramental Record up to date.  

What About Sponsors?

Why must I choose a sponsor for Confirmation?

The Confirmation sponsor is someone who will serve as a positive Catholic role model to help you grow in your faith and who will present you to the bishop during the Confirmation ceremony. You should choose someone who is strong in their Catholic faith who can help you grow closer to God. Ask them to turn in the necessary documentation. They should attend at least the Confirmation practice and Confirmation itself, but are welcome to attend any other events or meetings as well.

What is the role and responsibility of a Confirmation sponsor?

“...it is for the sponsor to see that the confirmed person acts as a true witness to Christ and faithfully fulfills the obligations connected with this sacrament” (Code of Canon Law 892). A sponsor should not be selected to honor them, express familial connection, or to thank someone for favors done. A sponsor is someone who can help the confirmation candidate grow in their faith and serve as a guide and example of Christian life.

What qualifications must one meet in order to be a sponsor?

The Code of Canon Law states that one must meet the following requirements to be a sponsor:
  Be a Catholic who has received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. 
  Be at least 16 years old 
  Not be a parent of the candidate 
  Be a Catholic in good standing who is not bound by any canonical penalty             

  Be one who leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken

In order to illustrate the unity of confirmation & baptism, it is desirable that, if possible, one of the
candidate’s godparents also be the sponsor for confirmation, though this is not strictly necessary.

How are these qualifications verified?

To verify that the above qualifications are met, we ask that the person you choose to be your sponsor sign an “Affidavit of Suitability” and also have it signed by their pastor. It is imperative that sponsors fulfill the above mentioned criteria and so are asked to affirm that by signing this document. If they can not, in good conscience, sign this document, please take steps to find someone to be your sponsor who can.
A copy of this document is provided in your packet or can be downloaded on the St. Thomas Website.
Once completed, the “Affidavit of Suitability” is due to me by November 1, 2015.

How Do I Go About Actually Doing Service?

How do I go about doing these acts of service?
The are several ideas and organizations in our area where you may be able to fulfill your service obligations. This is by no means an exhaustive list. It is meant to give you some ideas. Do your own research, find a way that you can help someone in need, directly or indirectly.
Some things, you can do on your own throughout the course of your daily life. Other things will require that you make a phone call and set up a time to go and serve at a particular organization or ministry.

Can you give us an example of how to fulfill this requirement?
Sure! It could look something like this:

1. Called a food bank and helped sort food with my parents on a Saturday—Feed the Hungry
   
2. Visited a nursing home and played games with the residents—Visit the sick/imprisoned
   
3. Served as an usher at a funeral at St. Thomas Aquinas—Bury the Dead
   
4. Prayed before the Blessed Sacrament for family and friends—Pray for the living and the dead
   
5. Tutored younger students after school—Instruct the ignorant 

Here are a few examples and ideas for performing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy . This list is by no means extensive. Try and think of other ways where you might be able to bring the love of God to people in need, either directly or indirectly. Feeding the hungry can be handing a bowl of soup to a homeless man, but it can also be deliberately collecting canned goods from your neighbors to donate to the food bank. Being a good listener for a friend who had a bad day can be just as meaningful as spending time with someone who recently lost a loved one.

Corporal Works of Mercy

       Feed The Hungry

• -Volunteer at North Texas Food Bank: http://www.ntfb.org 214-330-1396
  
• -Volunteer at Minnie’s Food Pantry: http://www.minniesfoodpantry.org 972-596-0253
  
• -Volunteer at God’s Food Pantry: http://www.godsfoodpantry.com 972-633-9777
  
• -Volunteer at a Catholic Charities food pantry at the Brady Senior Center or Neuhoff Senior Center http://www.catholiccharitiesdallas.org Maureen Dunlap: 214-520-6590 ext. 123
  
• -Contact a local community garden and ask how you can help them grow or harvest food.
  
• -Serve a meal at Austin Street Shelter: http://www.austinstreet.org 214-428-4242
  
• -Prepare or serve food for The Soup Mobile: http://www.soupmobile.org 1-800-375-5022
  
• -Help the Missionaries of Charity organize food for the needy on a Wednesday morning:
  214-374-3351
  
• -Serve a meal at The Stewpot: http://www.thestewpot.org Jean Jones: 214-746-2785, ext. 320
  
• -As a family, volunteer with VNA Meals On Wheels for homebound seniors:
  http://www.vnatexas.org/volunteer/ - Katherine Krause: 214-689-2639
  
• -Go grocery shopping for someone who finds it hard to get out.
  
• -Make some sack lunches and drive around as a family to hand them out to people on the street.

• Give Drink To The Thirsty

• -Plan a fundraiser for Charity:Water or some other water relief organization
  
• -Hand out water to the runners of a race, especially one that may be a fundraiser for charity
  
• -Purchase some bottles of water and drive around as a family to hand them out to construction
• workers and the homeless.

• Clothe The Naked

            -Volunteer at a local thrift store sorting clothing (St. Vincent De Paul, Good Will, ReSale by CCA). 

            -Work together with some friends and their families to “Adopt-A-Family” for Christmas. 
           -Sort clothes & donations at a crisis pregnancy center such as Birth Choice or White Rose:
           http://www.whiterosewomenscenter.org or http://www.birthchoicedallas.org/ 

         Shelter The Homeless

             -Help with a Youth Project at Habitat for Humanity: http://www.dallasareahabitat.org 

            -Help Texas Refugee Services set up an apartment for incoming refugees:

              http://refugeeservicesoftexas.org/Dallas.html 214-821-4422
            -Volunteer with Buckner to help orphans and families in need:
             http://www.buckner.org/locations/tx-dfw.shtml volunteers@buckner.org 
            -Volunteer at Genesis Women’s Shelter or their Benefit Thrift Store: 
             http://www.genesisshelter.org 214-389-7701

       Visit The Sick/Imprisoned

           -Visit and spend time with those in a nursing home or hospital 
            -Knit or crochet hats for cancer patients or premature babies. 
            -Organize a toy, book, or blanket drive for Children’s Medical Center with friends, school or family. 
            -Visit an elderly neighbor who may be lonely, spend time with them and help them with chores. 

       Bury The Dead

           -Volunteer to serve at a funeral and/or funeral reception at St. Thomas Aquinas. 
           -Look in the obituaries for people who may have died without any family and attend their funeral. 
           -Pick up trash or help with landscaping at a local cemetery.
           -Visit or make a meal for someone who has recently lost a loved one

Spiritual Works of Mercy

• Instruct The Ignorant

• -Tutor a friend or younger students after school 
• -Volunteer in the religious education classes of younger children 
• -Help teach kids about Jesus during Vacation Bible School 
• -Volunteer with a children’s literacy program at the local library 
• http://www.dallaslibrary2.org  or literacy@dallaslibrary2.org 
• -Volunteer as a helper in an ESL class (English as a Second Language) 

        Counsel The Doubtful / Comfort The Sorrowful

• -Visit and spend time with those in a nursing home or hospital.
  
• -Visit an elderly neighbor who may be lonely.
• -Spend time with a friend or family member who recently lost a loved one.
• -Encourage someone who may be grieving by your words or by sending them a card.
  

  Admonish the Sinner

• -Speak up when your friends are doing things you know are wrong.
  
• -Stand up for someone who is being picked on or bullied.
  

  Bear Wrongs Patiently

• -Try to control your anger or frustration.
  
• -Choose to avoid gossip when the opportunity to participate in it arises.
  

  Forgive Offenses Willingly

• -Don’t hold a grudge.
  
• -Make amends with a sibling you may have fought with.
  
• -Forgive a friend who may have done something to hurt your relationship.
  

  Pray For The Living And The Dead

• -Pray for an end to abortion as a family outside of an abortion center for an hour.
  
• -Look in the obituaries for people who may have died without any family and attend their funeral.
  
• -Spend time in Eucharistic Adoration praying for others.
  
• -Deliberately offered up the grace you receive at Mass for the benefit of someone else.
  
• -Visit a cemetery and lay flowers at the graves and say a prayer for the repose of the souls of the people buried there.
  
• -Pray a Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet for someone you know, for the suffering, or the pope. 
  

How Do Service Hours Work?

What are the service requirements?

Complete 30 hours of service in preparation for the sacrament. The work you do should fall under the category of one of the Corporal or Spiritual Works of Mercy.  Perform service from at least 4 different Works of Mercy.

Why should I do service during Confirmation prep?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that preparation for Confirmation should help enable a Christian to assume the apostolic responsibilities of the Christian life (CCC #1309). Further, it is the Church’s responsibility to discern whether or not a person is responsive to God’s grace and suitably prepared to receive Confirmation by looking for signs in that person’s life; one of which is manifested by our acts of charity and serving those in need.

How are these service expectations different?

These service expectations are different because the service you perform must help someone in need by fulfilling one of the Works of Mercy. Christian service is about deliberate moments of compassion performed out of love for those who are in real need. In this way we encounter Christ in those whom we serve and bring the love of Christ to them through our actions. For this reason, each act of service you perform should fall under one of the Corporal or Spiritual Works of Mercy in some way. Volunteering to pick up trash at a local park is nice and should be done, but it’s not a Work of Mercy. On the other hand, taking time to sit and visit with an elderly neighbor who may be lonely would definitely qualify!  The Works of Mercy are things that we should naturally do as Christians. This is meant to help you recognize and reflect, and act upon those things in your life. 

What are the Works of Mercy?

Corporal Works of Mercy
Feed the hungry
Give drink to the thirsty
Clothe the naked
Shelter the homeless
Visit the sick
Visit the imprisoned
Bury the dead

Spiritual Works of Mercy
Instruct the ignorant
Counsel the doubtful
Admonish the sinner
Bear wrongs patiently
Forgive offenses willingly
Comfort the sorrowful
Pray for the living and the dead

How to Log Service Hours

In preparation for Confirmation, you are asked to complete 30 service hours.  You will keep track of your service hours online using Track It Forward.

First, you will need to create an account, using the link I will send you via email.

Then, you can add service hours using the form on this page.  Choose the appropriate Work of Mercy that your service fits into.  If the Work of Mercy you performed is not listed in the drop-down, you can add it using "Add New Work of Mercy" at the bottom of the menu.

In "Notes," include one to two sentences describing the service you performed.

Aim to participate in at least four different Works of Mercy over the course of the 30 hours.

Welcome!

I'm happy to welcome you to the last portion of your preparation for full initiation into the Catholic Church.  This website will help you keep track of important information for Confirmation, as well as providing resources to help you grow in your faith during the last months of spiritual preparation.