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Confirmation
Over 500 kids — from preschool through senior high — participate in the St. Barbara
Religious Education Program. Not only that, more than 160 volunteers commit
their time and love to sharing our Catholic faith with the younger members of
the parish. Confirmation, which is celebrated every other year, always gets
special parish attention. A dedicated team of eight to ten adult leaders run the
program and oversee the weekend retreat that takes place just prior to the
actual celebration of the sacrament. During the fall and into the winter the
sixty or more grade 11-12 teens that usually sign up for Confirmation gather
weekly for lengthy faith-enhancing sessions. From the rules of the Church to who
Jesus is, the teens always have tons of challenging questions and insights. The
team, while using a structured format for the sessions, is not afraid of the
“Question Box” where any topic can come into discussion. Parents get involved
when Diana Ferree, Religious Education Director, asks them to write love letters
to their children expressing their joys and hopes for the kids as they ready for
celebrating the sacrament. For many kids, the love letters are a culmination of
the program — discovering in a special retreat setting that they are loved, no
matter what has been happening in the family. Confirmation is so popular that
the teens, themselves, go after their peers who may not be aware of the program.
Many parents readily witness to the fact that the St. Barbara Confirmation
Program is a life-changing experience for their teens. Many of the teens, once
they are confirmed, want to join the Religious Education Program and share the
faith with the younger kids.
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