Welcome to St. Theresa 

Catholic Church and School  

In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is "sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit" and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ. Confirmation, Baptism and Eucharist form the Sacraments of Initiation that are all intimately connected.

High School Confirmation is offered for eligible 9th -12th Grade Students.

Guidelines before beginning Confirmation Preparation

St. Theresa Catholic Church offers preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation in accordance with Diocese of Austin guidelines. We invite catechized high school students to receive Confirmation as early as grade 9.  Generally, catechized means (at minimum) receiving 2 years of comprehensive catechesis immediately prior to Confirmation. This can include enrollment in a Catholic School, participation in a church catechesis class, or participation in Middle School Youth Group.

Students can start St. Theresa Confirmation preparation as early as 7th Grade to receive the Sacrament in 9th Grade.  For information regarding enrollment for this Pre-Confirmation requirement, please visit our Middle School Youth Group Page.

2020-21 Update from 8/23 Parent Meeting
This year’s confirmation program is going to look VERY different than years prior. Due to COVID-19 restrictions we are not going to be meeting in person for at least the fall semester. We will reassess at the end of the fall and decide what the spring is going to look like. This year’s confirmation program is going to be parent-driven.

“Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery - the preconditions of all true freedom. Parents should teach their children to subordinate the "material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones."31 Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children. By knowing how to acknowledge their own failings to their children, parents will be better able to guide and correct them” (CCC 2224)

Registration

Both the parent and the candidate application must be submitted to finalize registration for the 2020-21 Confirmation Program.  For the parent application, it may be helpful to have your child's Baptismal certificate handy to complete the form.

PARENT APPLICATION
CANDIDATE APPLICATION

Registration will be open from now until Friday, September 25th, 2020.

Fees

Families will be required to purchase a Word on Fire Bible for their confirmandi (it is 'Vol.1, The Gospels).  The fee for Confirmation preparation 2020-21 will be an optional donation to help cover the costs of the Confirmation Mass, Reception, and Certificates.  The optional donation can be made here.

Parent Meeting

All parents of Confirmation candidates will be required to participate in a parent Zoom meeting  intended to both inform and prepare parents for their role in the Confirmation process.  If you missed the parent Zoom meeting on August 23rd, please contact Chase Crouse for assistance.
 

Confirmation Preparation Schedule

The Confirmation Preparation Schedule looks a little different this year.  We are unable to have small and large in-person group gatherings as in recent years. All students will be required to attend monthly Sunday 'Super Sessions' on Zoom with their parents which will incorporate family small group discussions.  Parents and confirmandi will attend a monthly Zoom Supersession with Chase Crouse on the SECOND Sunday of the month, starting in October. They will always be at 3pm and will be roughly 1 hour in length. 

• What will happen at the super sessions?
  • There will be a talk/reflection given by Chase Crouse or a volunteer
  • Everyone will mute themselves and will be given family small group questions to discuss on the given topic (please do not hide screen)
  • We will end with a brief reflection/prayer and announcements.

Schedule dates:

• September 25th – Registration Closes
• October 1st – Have WOF Bible and start family reading/discussions 
• October 11th – First Zoom Super Session 
• November 8th – Second Zoom Super Session
• December 13th – Third Zoom Super Session 
• February 14th – Fourth Zoom Super Session
• March 14th – Fifth Zoom Super Session 
• April/May – Confirmation Rehearsal and Date are TBD from the Diocese and will be on a weeknight in either April or May during the Easter season
   

St. Theresa Rite of Confirmation Mass

The Diocese of Austin will draw up the Rite of Confirmation Mass schedule for all parishes. Once we have received a date from the Office of Worship for 2021 we will share it with all families in the Confirmation program.

Volunteers

Parents and sponsors are encouraged to consider volunteering to be a part of the Confirmation Core Team and as retreat chaperones. Volunteers must be compliant with our diocesan Ethics and Integrity in Ministry requirements. We need a sufficient number of both male and female volunteers, especially for the Confirmation Retreat. If you'd like to join the team, please submit the form found here.  Thank you!

Who can be a sponsor?

Confirmation sponsors are chosen to witness the Catholic faith to the person being Confirmed. They must be at least 16 years old and a practicing Catholic. This means that the sponsor, if married, has been married by the Church and is practicing the faith in an active, sacramental way and living a life in harmony with the teachings of Christ and his Church. A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community may not be a sponsor. The parent of a candidate may not be his or her sponsor.   Please see the link on this webpage for Sponsor eligibility requirements.