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Confirmation

The prophets of the Old Testament foretold that God's Spirit would rest upon the Messiah to sustain his mission. Their prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus the Messiah was conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus on the occasion of his baptism by John. Jesus' entire mission occurred in communion with the Spirit. Before he died, Jesus promised that the Spirit would be given to the Apostles and to the entire Church. After his death, he was raised by the Father in the power of the Spirit.

Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighborhoods, society, and the world. ...We receive the message of faith in a deeper and more intensive manner with great emphasis given to the person of Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to give the Holy Spirit to the Church for building up the community in loving service.

Preparation and Eligibility guidelines for Youth Confirmation

Within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Confirmation is normally celebrated during the junior year of high school. Students in 11thor 12th grades are invited to participate in this process. The candidates are challenged and called to make a commitment to life as a disciple of Christ. This process provides a framework for the candidate to explore their beliefs and questions regarding faith and the church. Specific requirements and guidelines are gone over at an annual orientation meeting, which is usually held in the spring of their 10th grade year.

Archdiocese of Milwaukee guidelines state that students preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation must be in their junior year of high school and/or 16 years old at the time they are confirmed.  In order to be confirmed, they should have one year of "immediate" preparation for the sacrament as well as two years of "remote" preparation. The "immediate" preparation would be the program you register for in your junior year of high school that leads directly to the celebration of the sacrament.  The "remote" preparation would be two previous years of religious instruction, or their equivalent. That means that students who wish to prepare for Confirmation should be involved in their parish Christian Formation programs or in theology classes in a Catholic high school for their freshman and sophomore years.