Since I began working as a youth minister, one question has consistently come up over the past eight years:

How do we prepare teenagers for the Sacrament of Confirmation?

As a young youth minister I struggled to answer this question and, to be honest, saw sacramental preparation for Confirmation as an annoying part of my job. Many teenagers did not want to attend Confirmation classes, parents seemed disinterested, and getting adults to volunteer as Core Members was near impossible. For me, Confirmation preparation was something I “survived” every year. My attitude changed when I saw a Confirmation program that viewed sacramental preparation with a bunch of “angsty” teenagers as an opportunity rather than a chore.

Since that day I have been passionate about preparing teenagers for the Sacrament of Confirmation. It can be a challenging group to work with – some teenagers are well formed in their faith and are in love with Christ while others may have little to no formation at all. Some teens are willing to receive the sacrament and others are forced by their parents. Regardless of where the teenager is coming from, the Sacrament of Confirmation provides us with an opportunity to lead teens closer to Christ – but we have to be ready to take the opportunity. Since I began working with Life Teen I have been blessed to work a with a team of people in creating a resource that will empower parishes to make the most of their Confirmation preparation.

We at Life Teen are excited to announce the release of our new and improved One Eight Confirmation Curriculum.

Our goal with this new curriculum is to provide parishes with a solid catechetical, relational, and experiential curriculum that prepares the hearts and minds of teenagers to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. We have based this new curriculum off the model used for the Rite of Christian Initiation. Our One Eight Confirmation Curriculum has three parts:

Period of Inquiry – Sessions for parents, teenagers, and sponsors
Period of Evangelization – Sessions that cover the basic tenants of our Catholic faith
Period of Mission – Sessions that challenge teenagers to live their faith in Christ

Through this systematic catechesis, teenagers are re-presented with the Gospel message, offered opportunities for conversion, and challenged to live their Catholic faith after they are confirmed. Our new curriculum also includes an all-new retreat based off the seven virtues, and prayer services modeled off RCIA rites to be used during your sessions.

Our new One Eight Confirmation Curriculum is our answer to the question, “How do we prepare teenagers for the Sacrament of Confirmation?” One Eight contains 20 sessions that have been written and developed by a team of experienced leaders in the field of youth ministry and will empower your parish to reach out to teenagers at a crucial time in their lives. Preparing teenagers for the Sacrament of Confirmation is an opportunity to remind teenagers of God’s love for them, proclaim the Truth of our Catholic faith, and draw them into a deeper relationship with Christ.

For more information about One Eight and how to order, visit our online store or contact our offices at 1-800-809-3902