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Retreat Day for Adult Confirmation Candidates
Together in the Spirit
Important Notes as You Begin
- This outline is designed for use in planning a seven-hour retreat day for adult Confirmation candidates. It is also well suited for those adults of your parish preparing for Baptism as catechumens and those preparing for reception into the Catholic Church—both of which of course involve the celebration of Confirmation.
- The retreat can be adapted for use at whatever time during the process best fits the particular circumstances of your parish community. Some parishes like to use a retreat to help kick off a process of preparation, others find it more useful as a midpoint or capstone. Because Together in the Spirit is a spiritual companion, not a catechetical program per se, its contents are easily adapted to a variety of settings for spiritual enrichment.
- While we provide suggested timeframes for the various activities, parish leaders should adapt the outline to match local needs and resources.
- Candidates should either be asked to bring a journal or one should be given to each participant at check in. Each participant will also need his or her own copy of Together in the Spirit and a schedule of the day’s activities. If you are in a place that is unfamiliar to any of the participants, a floor plan and/or map of the grounds may also be useful.
- Think about the space in which you will gather for the various sessions of this retreat as well as the chapel (if one is available) or prayer space.
It is important to prepare the gathering space so that participants are encouraged and supported by the environment to leave the busyness of their daily lives behind and enter more deeply into prayer and their relationship with God and others. Here are a few suggestions:
- Consider how the furniture is arranged. Is it conducive to both large and small group activities?
- Establish a focal point that is visible to all from where leaders will speak. In addition to a podium with microphone (if the size of the group warrants one) consider a small table covered with a beautiful cloth on which you can place a candle, and Holy Bible (New American version) are the essentials. Remember, sometimes less is more, but at the same time, this really should capture the groups’ attention.
- Ask volunteers from the parish to provide refreshments for the group’s breaks. Perhaps parishioners can also provide light breakfast foods and a nice lunch. This fosters more involvement of the community and may help Confirmation candidates better appreciate the support of the parish. This kind of hospitality will have a lasting impact and both sides of the serving table.
9:00Check-in and Social Time
This is time for candidates to sign-in, get nametags, journals, Together in the Spirit booklets, and any other printed information they will need. Hot and cold beverages and perhaps light breakfast foods, along with tables and chairs will encourage participants to socialize.
9:30Welcome and Opening Prayer
Any necessary housekeeping details can be addressed and a brief overview of the retreat given. There are many brief prayers along with all the scripture passages from the Rite of Confirmation in Together in the Spirit. These can be used to create a simple opening prayer experience.
9:40Presentation: Why be confirmed?
This talk is anchored by the reading of Isaiah 61:1–3a, 6a, 8b–9 (see pages 15–16 of Together in the Spirit and a 15–20 minute reflection upon it. This reflection should come from the pastor if possible. If he is not available, another qualified catechetical leader of the parish should give the talk.
The presentation/ reflection should focus on the meaning of Confirmation as a sacramental event whereby not just the candidates, their sponsors, and families, but the whole parish community, affirms the presence of the Holy Spirit already working in the lives of the candidates. Those being confirmed are specially strengthened by the sacrament and challenged to live out their discipleship in fuller and more faithful ways.
Mention should be made of the centrality of the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist to our lives as Catholics. A brief overview of the various elements of the Rite of Confirmation might also be helpful at this point (see pages 47–58 ofTogether in the Spirit).
10:00Small Group Conversations
Divide the participants into groups of five to eight and invite them to introduce themselves and tell a little about why they are seeking Confirmation.
Once all have shared, one person in each group reads aloud Ezekiel 36:24–28 found on page 16 of Together in the Spirit. A second person reads aloud the reflection that follows. Then, group members individually respond to the questions on page 17. They can use their journals for this.
Allow at least fifteen minutes for candidates to share these responses with their small groups.
10:15Break
11:00Strengthening Who We Are Because of Baptism
One of the retreat leaders offers a fifteen-to-twenty-minute reflection on the Sacrament of Baptism and what it tells us about who we are as Catholics. Base the talk on the Rite of Baptism, drawing connections to the elements that are repeated in the celebration of Confirmation: calling by name, listening to the Word, prayers for those receiving the sacrament, renewal of Baptismal promises, and anointing.
At Baptism, these candidates became members of the Church and have since then been guided by the Holy Spirit to live as disciples of Christ. Confirmation offers them the gift of strengthening and helps them to welcome the gifts of the Spirit more completely as they journey through life.
11:20Diads
Read aloud the Baptismal Promises on page 49 of Together in the Spirit. Then ask participants to turn to one other person and share what has been their experience of hearing and affirming these promises during the celebration of Baptism or at Easter when the whole Church renews them. For those who do not recall these times, ask them to share about their experience of reciting the Nicene Creed at Sunday Mass.
Conclude by asking for comments within the large group. Participants should first give permission for their conversation partner to repeat anything they’ve said.
11:40Individual Reflection Time
Invite candidates to read “Stories of Living Our Baptism” on pages 50–53 and journal or simply reflect on the questions that follow.
12:00Lunch
1:00What Happens at Confirmation?
Begin the talk by saying a few words about how sacraments help us take ordinary experiences, like eating, washing, being called by our names, being tenderly cared for, called to leadership, or finding strength in peace and use them to encounter God. Draw connections again to being called first in Baptism and now in Confirmation to be Christ’s presence in the world. Solicit stories from the large group about times when they found strength in something someone did for them. These might be things as simple as a child’s embrace at the end of an exhausting day or as profound as a good friend’s company during an emergency room crisis.
This presentation focuses on the main elements of the Rite of Confirmation. Refer to pages 53–56 of Together in the Spiritfor preparation. Emphasize that they became children of God in Baptism and are now to be strengthened by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Talk about the importance of someone knowing your name and caring tenderly for you with the unconditional love of a parent. Draw connections between their everyday lives and the elements of the Rite and emphasize Confirmation as a new beginning, not the completion of a task.
1:30Individual Reflection and Prayer
Invite candidates to spend the next hour in silent reflection and prayer. Ideally, they will be able to walk outside and utilize the church or a chapel space. Encourage them to use Together in the Spirit now and throughout the entire period of preparation for Confirmation.
Pages 12–47 contain all the Lectionary readings offered for use during the Rite of Confirmation, each accompanied by a brief reflection, questions to think about, and a simple prayer.
Pages 61–80 offer glimpses of life in the Spirit through the witness of saints, Confirmation candidates, and poets. These too have reflection questions for the spiritual enrichment of those preparing for Confirmation.
2:30Dessert Break
2:45Small Groups
Encourage group members to talk about in what ways they see the Holy Spirit already acting in their lives.
3:00Large Group Presentation
Ask for input from the small groups on the activity of the Spirit in their lives.
So if they already have the Spirit to guide and strengthen, why the sacrament? Point out how this varies in nuance from person to person, depending on the particulars of the faith journey each is on. What connects them all is a desire to “go public” to take a stand about one’s faith and express a willingness to let not only God, but the community of the Church, shape one’s identity. Confirmation is both about a candidate saying yes and about everyone present saying amen to what God is already doing and will continue to do in the life of these individual believers.
3:30Closing Prayer
Use one or more of the readings for Confirmation around which to structure a simple but unhurried closing prayer service.