Confirmation is an affirmation of your membership in the Catholic Church. Sometimes teenagers (and adults!) aren't clear about what it means to be a Catholic, or how being a Catholic is different from being a Christian, or how being Christian is different from just being a good person. The next exercise is meant to help clarify those distinctions.

A. What Is A Catholic?
There are many people we associate with being Catholic. Others we associate with being Christian. And, of course, many other people we fail to connect with any religious affiliation. We simply view these people as "good."

Name five famous Catholics, living or dead.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Now name three famous Christians.

6.

7.

8.

Label the three words A, B, and C to fit the diagram.
9. Animal =

10. Dog =

11. Beagle =

Now apply the diagram to these three categories:
12. good Christian =

13. good person =

14. good Catholic =

Using the same diagram, mark each item listed below to indicate if it applies to:
A - all good people

B - good people who are good Christians

C - good Christians who are good Catholics

Multiple answers are possible.

People who

15. __________tell the truth

16. __________call God "Father."

17. __________believe there are three persons in God.

18. __________pray to Mary as God's Mother.

19. __________celebrate the Lord's Supper (eucharist).

20. __________are against abortion.

21. __________love Jesus and follow his teachings.

22. __________believe in the real presence of Jesus in Eucharist.

23. __________respect the sexuality of themselves and others.

24. __________accept the Pope as the head of their church.

25. __________celebrate the seven sacraments.

26. __________take vows of poverty, obedience and celibacy.

27. __________worship a Supreme Being.

28. __________accept the Bible as the word of God.

29. __________pray.

30. __________obey lawful authority.

31. __________care for the poor, the sick, the lonely.

32. __________forgive those who offend them.

33. __________celebrate Mass on Sundays and holydays.

34. __________confess their sins to a priest.

35. __________love their families.

36. __________believe that Jesus rose from the dead.

37. __________celebrate Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.

38. __________honor Peter, Francis, Augustine, Clare, Mary, Elizabeth as saints.

39. __________expect their priests to be celebrate,

B. Belonging to the Church

a. Benefits
Think about the reasons for belonging to the group called the church. Why would a person want to belong to any church or religion? Why to a Christian church? Why to a Catholic Christian church?

• Some reasons for belonging to any church or religion:
  sense of security
  sense of belonging
  sense of direction
  support in efforts to be good
  positive group pressure
• Reasons for belonging to a Christian church;
  all of the above
  belief in Jesus Christ and his teachings
  personal relationship with Jesus
  desire to be like Jesus and other Christians
  it is the tradition we were brought up in
  belief in its moral teachings
• Reasons for belonging to the Catholic Christian church
  all the reasons from the first two groups
  baptism into the Catholic church
  belief that it is the one church established by Jesus Christ
  belief that the doctrines of the Catholic church are true
  belief in a full sacramental life
  belief that the Catholic church offers the best guidance in living the Christian life

b. Requirements
Most (if not all) churches have definite requirements for membership, definite standards which distinguish members from non-members. Some of the requirements or expectations for belonging to the Catholic church are found in the following chart. Links to additional information under each category is included.

Creedal/Belief:
The Catholic Church requires a belief in the basic truths of the faith as expressed in the Christian creeds and in Catholic doctrine. It also requires the acceptance of the teaching magisterium of the church.

Moral
The Catholic Church expects its members to live according to the commandments of God and the laws and moral teachings of the church.

Racial or National
The Catholic Church is officially against any racial or national criteria for membership. It is a universal church, open to everyone.

Service
The Catholic Church expects its members to offer Christian service within the parish structure and also in the broader community. Members are expected to be especially responsive to the needs of the poor.

Financial
Church members are expected to support their church. However, no one is excluded from membership on this basis

Ritual/Sacramental
Baptism is required for membership. The church has laws governing the worthy reception of all the sacraments. Members are expected to try to understand the meaning of the church?s rituals & to develop a full sacramental life.

Attendance
The Catholic church requires participation in the eucharistic liturgy on Sundays and holy days. It expects members to participate in prayer services, celebration of the sacraments, and to a lesser degree, social and other parish functions.

Age
There are no age requirements for membership in the church. However, there are age requirements for participation in some of the sacraments.