Confirmation

What is Confirmation Prep?

In the Diocese of Syracuse, Confirmation preparation takes place during a teen’s sophomore year of high school and has certain requirements as set by the bishop. These include group sessions, attendance at a retreat, service projects, and continued participation in Faith Formation or attendance at a Catholic high school. Here are the basics of how the Holy Cross program fulfills these requirements:

Group Sessions

• Confirmation Group Sessions are monthly large-group sessions for all the Confirmandi.
• Group Sessions take place on Sundays from 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM, which includes attendance at Sunday Mass and pizza dinner.
• Confirmandi will also participate in an Opening Mass/Blessing, the Fall Festival, & a Sponsor/Confirmandi Dinner.
  

Retreats

• During the year of preparation, participants are required to choose 1 of 3 retreat options.
  • July 12-14, 2024 - Steubenville Youth Conference at Franciscan University. Details here.
  • November 8-10, 2024 - High School Retreat at Frost Valley YMCA. More details to come.
  • November 23, 2024 - The Diocesan Catholic Youth Conference hosted by the Diocese of Syracuse. Location and time TBD. (Last year it was held from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at Sacred Heart Church in Cicero.)

Faith Formation Classes(Exempt for Catholic school students)

• Classes take place weekly on Tuesday mornings from 6:45 AM - 7:40 AM during the school year. Breakfast is provided, and busing to school is available for all JD students.
• In addition to our morning classes, there is also an evening alternative that meets bi-weekly at Holy Cross as a mentor/discipleship group called Lux Mundi. Please contact Steve if you are interested in this alternative.
• You will need to register both for Faith Formation, as well as Confirmation Prep.

Service Projects

• Confirmandi will need to participate in both a service project in the parish and in the community.
  • In the Parish - Students will sign up for a parish service project that will be completed during the school year. An example of these might be helping with Breakfast with Santa, Lectoring, or serving at the Ash Wednesday Soup Supper.
  • In the Community - Students will have to initiate and execute their own service work in the community. I will provide a list of ideas for them at the beginning of the year.
    ***Please note that we require at least an 80% attendance rate in each of these requirements in order to count for completion of the Confirmation Preparations**

Calendar

• The Confirmation Prep calendar for 2024-2025 is available here.

Sacramental Certificates

Sacramental certificates (Baptism, First Penance, First Eucharist) must be on file at Holy Cross prior to receiving Confirmation. If your child was baptized and/or received their previous sacraments at a church other than Holy Cross and you have not previously provided it to Holy Cross, please submit it as soon as possible.

Registration Details

Registration for Confirmation Direct Prep 2024-2025 is now open. Use this link or the button below to open the registration form. If you have a question about registering for Confirmation Prep, please contact Steve Nepil at steve@holycrossdewitt.org.

• The Sacramental Prep program fee is $125 per student. Program fees help offset program costs like food, supplies, activities, and materials. No one will be excluded from participating due to finances. If you have a question about financial aid, please contact Fr. Kurgan via the parish office at (315) 446-0473.
• If your child is not enrolled in a Catholic school or Faith Formation program yet, please also register for Faith Formation.
• The registration deadline is June 1, 2024.