Confirmation Preparation. Do those words strike fear in your heart? Do visions of bored and/or angry teenagers, paperwork, service hours and saint names fill your brain? All too often, the process of preparing young souls for the grace of Confirmation is seen as a burden and not the gift that it is.

Close your eyes. Dream big. If you could create the ideal Confirmation Preparation program for your parish, what would it look like? Who would you ask to present to the teens? What would you use to engage the hearts and minds of the young people? What would the room look like? How would the teens react to each class? What would be the result of your “perfect” Confirmation Preparation program?

While the budget (as well as the laws of space and time) might not allow you to do everything you envisioned, we should get in the habit of dreaming (and praying) big! We at Life Teen are committed to creating resources that allow your big ministry dreams to become more of a reality. Several years ago, we introduced Oneight, our Confirmation Preparation program. It was written to be an engaging and transformational faith experience for teens preparing for the Sacrament.

Many people who have used the Oneight program in their parish have asked for a video component that can be used to supplement the program. And we are proud to announce that the Oneight DVD resource is now available! It is a 3-DVD set that brings the best youth ministers, priests and catechists into your parish. These DVDs are packed with teachings, testimonies, image loops, and inspirational original videos that supplement the 13 Confirmation sessions found in the Oneight print resource. This resource allows you to use video to proclaim the Good News to a media-savvy generation. We pray that this resource makes at least some of your Confirmation “dreams” a reality!

This year. This Confirmation Class. Right now. It is time for us to stop looking at the process of preparing souls for Confirmation as a broken system and begin to pray and dream what God wants to do with this opportunity. How can we love and nurture these teens into a deeper understanding of the love of God and the mystery of His Sacraments. No, it might not change overnight and, yes, there will always be obstacles, but change begins with how we approach the gifts and challenges of the ministry God sets before us. Know that you, your ministry and your Confirmation Candidates are in our prayers. May this year be filled with unexpected blessings!