THE PARISH OF SAINT DENIS
OFFICE OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
2250 Avy Avenue  Menlo Park, CA 94025  650.854.1081  lsoltau@stdenisparish.org
YEAR 2 CONFIRMATION PREPARATION
“Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives
the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation,
incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the
Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear
witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds… A
candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must
profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving
the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and
witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal
affairs.” Catechism of the Catholic Church Paragraph #1316 & #1319
REQUIREMENTS
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Pre-Confirmation Interview
11 Preparation Sessions
Confirmation Retreat December 5th, 2014 9am-5:30pm at Our Lady of the Wayside
10 Hours of Service (at least 5 of the hours must be at St. Denis)
Saint Report and Form (Due by February 21st Class)
Copy of Baptismal Certificate (if not baptized at St. Denis)
Shield the Vulnerable Safe Environment Certificate of Completion (Due by April 1)
Weekly Mass Attendance (visit masstimes.org if you’re out of town for closest and most
convenient Sunday or Saturday evening mass times)
Read through and pray about the information in this packet. Please contact the Director of
Religious Education, Lucy Soltau, as soon as possible if you feel your child will be unable to
meet these requirements or if you have any questions.
Confirmation Candidate Packet – Year 2
Page 1
CHOOSING A CONFIRMATION SAINT NAME
The following is an excellent article written by Katie Heller on Lifeteen.com:
“St. Rose of Lima: A beautiful young woman who dedicated her life to the service of God. She lived with great
humility and devoted herself to the Blessed Sacrament. The funny thing is, I had no idea who Rose was and
how similar we were until two years after I picked her as my Confirmation saint. Looking back, I wish I would
have taken my saint choice more seriously. I thought I was simply honoring my godmother Rose Mary.
Although it was a pure intention, I didn’t understand that I was picking a saint as a model of holiness and
asking her to intercede for me on my faith journey.
Many of you might be starting your Confirmation prep classes…A Confirmation saint isn’t just something the
Church made up to keep you busy during your preparation for the Sacrament; it actually serves a purpose.
Throughout Scripture we see numerous examples of people who had their names changed. Abram to
Abraham. Jacob to Israel. Simon to Peter. Why would God changes their names? Weren’t the old ones good
enough? Whenever we see someone’s name change in Scripture, we also see that they receive a new identity.
They become a new person. God gives them a specific task for their life.
Whether you remember or not, you experienced receiving a new name. When you were baptized, the priest (or
deacon) asked your parents, “What name do you give this child?” This name became your Christian identity.
Naming you in the Church gave you a new identity and through the waters of Baptism you too became a new
person. In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Bishop asks for your name. At this moment he is recalling your
baptismal name as a sign of your Christian identity.
You might be asking, “So if I received a name at Baptism, why do I need a saint’s name for Confirmation?”
Great question. Saints are models of holiness for us. They had extraordinary faith in God. They trusted in
God’s plan and followed his plan at all costs. They have lived a life worthy of heaven and are now with God
forever. We adopt their name – a sign of living a life like they did – and ask them to pray for us during our own
faith journey. Your Confirmation name must be a saint’s name. If your baptismal name is a saint’s name
(like mine – Katherine) you can use it as your Confirmation name too. Using the same name can be very
meaningful, because it recalls your baptism as well.
Okay, so the big question… HOW do you pick a saint? I don’t have any special formula for you, just a few
words of advice.
Pray
You are asking a saint to be a part of your life forever. Take some time to think and pray about a few things.
What kind of role model are you looking for? What qualities do they have that you want? What kind of person
are you hoping to become? Choose a saint that you can identify with. Pick a few different saints and then
spend time in prayer and ask all of them to pray for you. You might find one begins to stick out more than the
others.
Read
After you’ve taken time to pray about it, do some reading. There are plenty of books and websites out there
that will give you information on saints. The Church has a saint for almost anything you can think of. That being
said… don’t just pick a saint because they can levitate or bi-locate or read people’s thoughts. Asking St. Padre
Pio to pray for you to gain the ability to bi-locate is not the point. Choose someone you feel like you can identify
with that has the qualities of holiness you truly desire.
Ask
Talk to your parents, youth minister, pastor, or siblings about their Confirmation saints. Why did they pick
them? Do they have any special devotion to a saint? Who would they pick for you? Asking those who know
you best can help you find a saint you can really rely on for your whole life.”
Confirmation Candidate Packet – Year 2
Page 2
Saints have certain qualities that are special about them that maybe appeal to you. For example, the Patron
Saint of Music might make sense for you or a Saint who struggled with materialism or purity might be a Saint
you can relate to and ask to pray for you for help in those areas. Please look at the following when selecting
your Saint Name:
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The name must be that of a Christian Saint.
The Candidate should wish to aspire to the characteristics and charisma of the Saint. An appropriate
reason for choosing the Saint is to acknowledge an excellent role model; therefore, the Candidate
should be well versed in the life of the Saint selected. (NB. The bishop may ask of Candidates why a
certain name has been chosen.)
Do not choose a Confirmation Saint name simply because you like the name while knowing little or
nothing about the Saint.
You may choose the name of someone you admire, but it must be that of a Saint.
The Saint Name you choose could be the Saint who celebrates their feast day on your birthday, if their
life serves as an example for you.
For a list of Saints names and biographies check out Saint Books at the library and/or visit the web at:
 http://www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php
 http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/bydate.aspx
 http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/patrons.aspx
Confirmation Candidate Packet – Year 2
Page 3
Candidate’s Saint Form & Report
CONFIRMATION SAINT NAME
Date of Birth
Legal First Name
Place & Date of Baptism
Full Middle Name
Last Name
Address
________________________________________________________________________________________
Father’s Full Name
Mother’s Full Maiden Name
Sponsor’s Name
Sponsor’s Email Address
Tell Us about Your Saint
Saint’s Name
Feast Day (month and date)
Attach a ONE PAGE report on your Saint in your own words (don’t just copy and paste from the
internet). It must include all of the following:
1) A brief account of the life of your Saint
2) The Saint’s date of birth, death, and Canonization
3) City and Country where he/she lived/worked
4) What they are the Patron Saint of and why
5) What qualities the Saint possesses that you admire and why
6) What challenges the Saint faced that you can relate to. How studying the life of this Saint can help you face
your challenges.
7) Why you chose this Saint.
Confirmation Candidate Packet – Year 2
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St. Denis Service Opportunities
(Requirement is 10 hours total, at least 5 must be from St. Denis Parish. All 10 may be from Saint
Denis.) The following is a great, though not comprehensive, list of service opportunities with
St. Denis Parish.
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Classroom aide for younger kids (Sundays, 9:30am)
o Commitment is at least once a month in the same classroom, though weekly help is
accepted and appreciated.
o Must contact Lucy Soltau before September 27 to be assigned a class.
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Advent Family Workshop
o Advent Workshop Staff Sunday, November 22, 2015 10:30am-12pm
 Assist families with their workshop project, replenish supplies, and help clean up at
the end
o Help with preparing Workshop materials and kits
 The week of Nov. 15th (exact dates and times TBD)
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Maple Street Shelter Dinner
 Prep and serve meal Sunday, Dec 13, 2014 3pm-approximately 7pm
o 10-15 students (must be accompanied by at least one parent. Siblings welcome.)
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Help Decorate the Church for Christmas
o Decorating will take place Sunday, December 20 at about 12:30pm
o Contact Lucy to sign up as a helper
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Altar Serving
o Need to sign up and be trained (if you haven’t already)
 If you serve two or more masses a month, there is an Altar Server Appreciation
Bowling Party January 24th.
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Mardi Gras Party
o Sunday, February 7th 10:30am-12:00pm
 Run games, crafts, and other stations for the younger kids, help with clean-up
o Help with decorating and set-up
 Thursday, February 4th 3pm-5pm
 Friday, February 5th 3pm-5pm
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Youth Passion Gospel Re-enactment
o Re-enactment of the Gospel reading for Palm Sunday. There will be two rehearsals before
re-enacting the Gospel reading at the 9:30am mass.
o Rehearsals:
 Saturday, March 7th 10:00am-12:00pm
 Saturday, March 21st 10am-12pm
o Actual performance of Gospel Re-enactment
 Sunday, March 29th 9am-11am (re-enactment happens at the 9:30am mass
Confirmation Candidate Packet – Year 2
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