At YDisciple, we made a crazy decision: we will not make a confirmation program. Why wouldn’t we?! Catholic ministry leaders are painfully aware that something is broken when 13 is the average age young people are leaving the Church.
But what if the solution was more complex than just a curriculum change?
We want to give faithful Catholic adults tools to form small groups of teenagers where their fundamental needs are met.
One of the resources that can serve confirmation students well is our series Never Alone: Life with the Holy Spirit.
This series, featuring Sarah Kaczmarek and Nic Gutierrez, explores the truth that everyone is invited into a living relationship with the Holy Spirit. It is in living life with the Holy Spirit that we find answers to some of teens’ deepest longings: Who am I? Where do I belong? How do I know what to do with my life? Is this all there is?
Combining personal testimony with catechesis, this series was created to bring about fruitful discussion with students who are preparing to be confirmed–as well as those whose Confirmation has already come and gone.
As with all YDisciple series, it is designed specifically with small groups in mind.
Never Alone is not just a series for confirmation preparation but can be used successfully in this setting alongside our companion Confirmation Bible Study. While YDisciple’s videos are top-notch, we know teens need more than just videos week after week. YDisciple has created a four-session Bible study on Confirmation as a companion to our newest video series, Never Alone: Life with the Holy Spirit.
No videos. Just teens, their Bibles, and a caring adult guiding them (with this easy-to-use guide to help the leader!) This resource was written with the help of a team of youth ministers and in-the-trenches small group leaders to ensure we were writing for real teens’ needs. It gives you the tools you and your teens need to dive into a deeper understanding of the sacrament of Confirmation through sacred scripture.
If you are taking a small group discipleship approach to confirmation
Preparation using YDisciple’s resources can easily be customized to serve that need.
- The Invitation: A 4-Part Series on Discipleship (4 sessions)
- Take a 1-session break to do a large group event, service project, adoration, or social event (1 session)
- Never Alone: Life with the Holy Spirit (5 sessions)
- Take a 1-session break to do a large group event, service project, adoration, or social event (1 session)
- Confirmation Bible Study (4 sessions)
- Take a 1-session break to do a large group event, service project, adoration, or social event (1 session)
- Set Apart: Sainthood Today (4 sessions)
Total = 20 sessions
This isn’t just theory; we have seen it work time and again in a variety of parishes.