St. Philip the Apostle Parish: Program and Policy

PROGRAM PHILOSOPHY

Faith is fundamentally God's gift. It is God's personal offer of love and grace to each of us individually and to the community of believers we call church. Faith is also a human act. It is the response of trust, commitment, and submission that we make to God, both as individuals and as community.

St. Philip's Confirmation Preparation Program is designed to help our young people develop the seeds of faith that were given to them at baptism and to enable them to gradually accept for themselves the gift of faith which they have been given by God.

An emphasis is placed on understanding the past, living the present and planning for the future as members of the Catholic Church. The two-year program is designed to:

empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today;
draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community;
foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Attendance Policy

Catechists will take attendance at each meeting and will call the Rel Ed Office each week with the names of those absent.
Candidates are permitted two absences during each program year.
Absences are counted for small group sessions, service projects, and required events.
Make up assignments need to be completed for each missed session. They are available online and are to be completed and turned into your catechist the following week. Candidates missing three or more sessions within a single year will need to repeat the year.

Behavior Policy

Candidates are expected to diligently, courteously and actively participate in all small group sessions. They are to come to sessions fully prepared as directed by their catechists. This means that they are to bring the required materials to these sessions and are to complete the assigned readings and/or activities. We are very proud of the behavior of the young people in general who have been part of the program in the past. Should any behavior problems or inattentiveness arise, the following "3 Strike Approach" will be used:

The catechist will speak directly to the candidate as to the nature of the problem and what must be done in order to correct the situation (strike 1).
If the situation continues, the catechist will notify the Confirmation Coordinator, who will meet with the candidate, his/her parent(s), and the catechist (if possible) to discuss what must be done to resolve thet situation (strike 2).
If the situation still persists, the catechist will again notify the Confirmation Coordinator, who will in turn, notify the Pastor and request that the candidate be removed from the program (strike 3).

Cancellation of Small Group Sessions

The authority to cancel a small group meeting due to weather conditions or other unforeseen circumstances belongs to the Confirmation Coordinator and individual catechist. All phone calls concerning this subject should be directed to the catechist.

If a catechist decides to cancel a group session for any reason, the following procedure is followed:

The catechist first notifies the Confirmation Coordinator.
The catechist then contacts each candidate by phone.
The catechist will reschedule the canceled session and notify both the Confirmation Coordinator and the candidates.

Parent Participation
Parents are encouraged to be actively involved with their son/daughter('s) preparation for this sacrament.
We ask parents to:
Discuss the material presented in small groups with their teen.
Provide transportation to all meetings and activities.
Bring their teen to Mass each weekend.
Pray for their own son/daughter as well as the entire program.
Attend parent meetings as they arise.

In addition to the above, parents are asked to volunteer in one area of the program. Parent volunteer forms are included in the yearly registration packet. Confirmation catechists and Molloy Center receptionists on Sunday morning session dates are especially needed.

Please note:
The Pastor and/or Confirmation Coordinator recommends candidates to the Bishop for Confirmation. This will be done provided the candidate has fulfilled all requirements as outlined in this policy handbook.


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