Confirmation Booklet- Seriously?

[MIKolbe]

[quote name='FutureCarmeliteClaire' timestamp='1322189245' post='2340155']
So, the Confirmation class people gave each of us students two books. One for us that is thicker, and one for our sponsors that is a booklet.
My Sponsor already said she is burning it after I am Confirmed. We are working on the discussion questions right now that it has in the booklet, but the reason she said she is burning it is because of the suggested activities and how ridiculous the questions are. See some of the suggested activities below.

"Go have lunch in a community of a different racial make up than your own." (She is half-Indian and I am Caucasian, so what on earth? I could go to Indian food and she could go to McDonald's????)
"Pray 5 decades of the Rosary and choose one of the mysteries." (Seriously? You can just call it "the Rosary".)
"Work together to make you own symbols for God." (Uh, I like the one the Church already has, thanks.)
"Take a nature walk together." (What on earth could this possibly to for us???)

You see where I am going with this...
Just thought I'd share this because it is absolutely ridiculous, and I thought it might give you all some laughs.
[/quote]

Yes Alex, I would like 'spoiled and condescending' for $500

[quote]"Go have lunch in a community of a different racial make up than your own."[/quote]

Maybe you'll get some stares as the only white person at Tio Pedro's House of Tacos. Maybe you'll understand the stares your predecessors had to deal with not 60 years ago while buying fish for Friday and being called a 'macrel snapper'. Maybe it is to help you realize though people as much as people are different, they are the same, and God's love for them abides as it does for you. Or are you incapable to find God in any scenario, no matter how 'stupid'?

[quote]"Pray 5 decades of the Rosary and choose one of the mysteries." (Seriously? You can just call it "the Rosary".)[/quote]

Seriously? You got bent out of shape over semantics???? They suggest you pray... HOW HORRIBLE!!!!!

[quote]"Work together to make you own symbols for God."[/quote]

Perhaps this is to have you reflect on your relationship with God? Perhaps this is to get you/help you/affirm in you to find God in everything? Perhaps this is less of a dogmatic hide and seek and more of a chance to get you to expand what and where you think God is? (I can draw a heart as a symbol of God, but then how stupid is that, right?)

[quote]"Take a nature walk together." (What on earth could this possibly to for us???)[/quote]
I must agree, how utterly silly is that!! Like you could walk in 'nature' and be in awe of God and His creation.... how laughable. Nature is all icky and stuff and is for hippies only. Total good call there....

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='MIkolbe' timestamp='1322224144' post='2340311']

Yes Alex, I would like 'spoiled and condescending' for $500



Maybe you'll get some stares as the only white person at Tio Pedro's House of Tacos. Maybe you'll understand the stares your predecessors had to deal with not 60 years ago while buying fish for Friday and being called a 'macrel snapper'. Maybe it is to help you realize though people as much as people are different, they are the same, and God's love for them abides as it does for you. Or are you incapable to find God in any scenario, no matter how 'stupid'?



Seriously? You got bent out of shape over semantics???? They suggest you pray... HOW HORRIBLE!!!!!



Perhaps this is to have you reflect on your relationship with God? Perhaps this is to get you/help you/affirm in you to find God in everything? Perhaps this is less of a dogmatic hide and seek and more of a chance to get you to expand what and where you think God is? (I can draw a heart as a symbol of God, but then how stupid is that, right?)


I must agree, how utterly silly is that!! Like you could walk in 'nature' and be in awe of God and His creation.... how laughable. Nature is all icky and stuff and is for hippies only. Total good call there....
[/quote]

It's a good thing you don't know how to use sarcasm or you could be dangerous

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='FutureCarmeliteClaire' timestamp='1322193219' post='2340207']
That sounds like the best! Although, I am so excited about being Confirmed and I truly want it so badly, which is why I wish it were tomorrow and I wouldn't have to go through all these classes and honestly the ones that are at my Church are a joke. It is really sad.
[/quote]

Actually, although I don't like the sound of your booklet, I think it is great that you have structured classes to go to. At least that way you can see the importance of the event. I was tutored by a priest who worked for the Missionaries of Charity and rather than teach me catechism, he talked about doing yoga and other 'new age' things just because that was what was happening in the 70s! And the Monsignor who did the ceremony was so lay back, I think I could have told him anything and still been allowed to go through with it all. We met once and he asked me one question and then asked when I would like it done. I chose Christmas Midnight Mass and he said fine and that was that. I was probably one of the most underprepared people who was ever received into the Catholic Church in all of history!!! I had to learn about the faith by myself over the next thirty years, until my 'reconversion' or whatever one calls it - and then it all fell into places (like the 'scales falling from my eyes' of St Paul).

No course or preparation is going to be perfect, and perhaps there is a grain of truth in all MlKolbe's sarcasm... find what the booklet writers were intending to say, not the rather clumsy way they said it.

I think I reacted to your booklet because of the 'new age' feel to it and what I went through from my own preparation that relaly didn't prepare me for the 'fullness of Truth' that is the Church and my faith. But God writes straight with crooked lines as we all know, and I am still here today whereas many 'catechism taught' Catholics who went to 12 years of Catholic school are not, so I praise God and thank Him for His kindness to me.

Best of wishes for your Confirmation. And prayers of course.

[beatitude]

[quote name='FutureCarmeliteClaire' timestamp='1322193219' post='2340207']
That sounds like the best! Although, I am so excited about being Confirmed and I truly want it so badly, which is why I wish it were tomorrow and I wouldn't have to go through all these classes and honestly the ones that are at my Church are a joke. It is really sad.
[/quote]

Some (perhaps most) of your fellow confirmandi won't have prayed the rosary before. The instruction 'pray the rosary' might not mean much to them. You might feel patronised by being given a specific instruction like that, but it's better for you to feel patronised than for other confirmandi to feel uncertain about what to do. It's sad that so many teenagers are out of touch with one of the greatest spiritual treasures of the church, but that's not a reason to get indignant about it, or to post the instruction on the Internet for people to laugh at - instead, it's an opportunity for you to offer up your rosary for them, that they may come to love it too.

As for the other things on the list, St Teresa of Avila once said that she had never heard a sermon so poor that she couldn't get something out of it, even if it were only compassion for the preacher. I think a similar principle applies here. Those things have the potential to be very useful to you. I love to pray in nature and to contemplate the beauty of God's creation. So did St Francis of Assisi. Perhaps, as part of the preparation for your nature walk, you could memorise his 'Canticle of the Creatures' and pray it with your sponsor when you reach a place that you find particularly beautiful, in gratitude to God. You could maybe even turn it into a short silent retreat, starting with your rosary and finishing with Mass. It is what you make of it.

In the town where I used to live, there was a homeless man (a drug addict) who used to forage in the bins for scraps of food that he could feed to the swans and ducks on the river. He did this every morning, first thing. He was delighted that the birds would come and eat from his hands. I once told him that he reminded me of St Francis when I saw him doing that, and he cried out, "St Francis of Assisi! I love him!" and gave me a hug. That was how I discovered his faith. He had poor theological knowledge, but a very deep faith, and in a life marked by poverty and addiction and suffering, the beauty of God's creation was all he had.And he loved it. The way he fed those birds was a prayer - a poor prayer, but perhaps richer in the sight of God than a thousand rosaries from me.

The same applies to eating in a neighbourhood with a different racial make-up. The instruction says nothing about dining in a restaurant. Very near where I live, there is a charedi (ultra-orthodox) Jewish community whose members tend to be quite poor in material terms. I buy my bread from one of their bakeries, partly because it tastes delicious and partly because I know the baker really struggles to support his family. I only found out about the deprivation in that community by accident. As a Christian, it is my responsibility to know if my neighbours are struggling. This is why I now try to be attentive to them and their needs, even though I can only support them in this simple way. You could use this opportunity to learn about people whom you might not otherwise get to meet. Although it might not seem like it, this will nourish your prayer life if you let it.

Symbols of God - yes, the church is rich in beautiful symbolism. But we all have symbols that mean something to us personally. Mine is running water. If I were in your confirmation class, I would take a photo of a fast-flowing river for my symbol - and in explaining why it reminds me of Our Lord, I could look at the church's own water symbolism. It could be used to draw me to a deeper understanding of baptism, or as an incentive to read more Scripture (that beautiful passage on the river of life from Ezekiel, for example). In fact, it could be the start of a devotional reflection on river imagery in Scripture! If Mikolbe were in the class, and he drew a heart for his symbol, then perhaps he could make a collection of prayers to the Sacred Heart and learn more about the history of that devotion.

It really is what you make with it. My confirmation prep was mediocre at best, but I don't think it was a waste of time. Nothing is if you approach it in the right spirit. You might have benefited from a more theologically rigorous programme, but there will be opportunities in your future for that. The question to ask yourself is, how can you benefit from what you're being offered now?

You are knowledgeable about the faith, and for a thirteen-year-old you're pretty sharp intellectually. Knowledge is a wonderful thing to have - but it's not the same as wisdom, and it's worthless without humility. Perhaps you could use your confirmation classes as a chance to develop the latter two things.

[Papist]

Does the book suggest doing the Sign of the Cross together? You know, In the name of the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1322227845' post='2340322']

Actually, although I don't like the sound of your booklet, I think it is great that you have structured classes to go to. At least that way you can see the importance of the event. I was tutored by a priest who worked for the Missionaries of Charity and rather than teach me catechism, he talked about doing yoga and other 'new age' things just because that was what was happening in the 70s! And the Monsignor who did the ceremony was so lay back, I think I could have told him anything and still been allowed to go through with it all. We met once and he asked me one question and then asked when I would like it done. I chose Christmas Midnight Mass and he said fine and that was that. I was probably one of the most underprepared people who was ever received into the Catholic Church in all of history!!! I had to learn about the faith by myself over the next thirty years, until my 'reconversion' or whatever one calls it - and then it all fell into places (like the 'scales falling from my eyes' of St Paul).

No course or preparation is going to be perfect, and perhaps there is a grain of truth in all MlKolbe's sarcasm... find what the booklet writers were intending to say, not the rather clumsy way they said it.

I think I reacted to your booklet because of the 'new age' feel to it and what I went through from my own preparation that relaly didn't prepare me for the 'fullness of Truth' that is the Church and my faith. But God writes straight with crooked lines as we all know, and I am still here today whereas many 'catechism taught' Catholics who went to 12 years of Catholic school are not, so I praise God and thank Him for His kindness to me.

Best of wishes for your Confirmation. And prayers of course.
[/quote]
Haha, structured classes. It is a joke. The teacher asks questions off of our test for the end of the year, no one can answer them, so she gives them the answer and has them write it down, and then they eat junk food and goof off. Luckily there are two classes we are split into and that is the other class. My class actually goes over stuff, but we are switching teachers now. I totally get what you are saying, though, and thank you for the prayers.

[quote name='MIkolbe' timestamp='1322224144' post='2340311']

Yes Alex, I would like 'spoiled and condescending' for $500



Maybe you'll get some stares as the only white person at Tio Pedro's House of Tacos. Maybe you'll understand the stares your predecessors had to deal with not 60 years ago while buying fish for Friday and being called a 'macrel snapper'. Maybe it is to help you realize though people as much as people are different, they are the same, and God's love for them abides as it does for you. Or are you incapable to find God in any scenario, no matter how 'stupid'?



Seriously? You got bent out of shape over semantics???? They suggest you pray... HOW HORRIBLE!!!!!



Perhaps this is to have you reflect on your relationship with God? Perhaps this is to get you/help you/affirm in you to find God in everything? Perhaps this is less of a dogmatic hide and seek and more of a chance to get you to expand what and where you think God is? (I can draw a heart as a symbol of God, but then how stupid is that, right?)


I must agree, how utterly silly is that!! Like you could walk in 'nature' and be in awe of God and His creation.... how laughable. Nature is all icky and stuff and is for hippies only. Total good call there....
[/quote]
Haha, this gave me a good laugh. Oh and my sponsor jokingly said that all the nature she needs to see she can see on TV.

Edited November 25, 2011 by FutureCarmeliteClaire

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1322228392' post='2340323']

Some (perhaps most) of your fellow confirmandi won't have prayed the rosary before. The instruction 'pray the rosary' might not mean much to them. You might feel patronised by being given a specific instruction like that, but it's better for you to feel patronised than for other confirmandi to feel uncertain about what to do. It's sad that so many teenagers are out of touch with one of the greatest spiritual treasures of the church, but that's not a reason to get indignant about it, or to post the instruction on the Internet for people to laugh at - instead, it's an opportunity for you to offer up your rosary for them, that they may come to love it too.

As for the other things on the list, St Teresa of Avila once said that she had never heard a sermon so poor that she couldn't get something out of it, even if it were only compassion for the preacher. I think a similar principle applies here. Those things have the potential to be very useful to you. I love to pray in nature and to contemplate the beauty of God's creation. So did St Francis of Assisi. Perhaps, as part of the preparation for your nature walk, you could memorise his 'Canticle of the Creatures' and pray it with your sponsor when you reach a place that you find particularly beautiful, in gratitude to God. You could maybe even turn it into a short silent retreat, starting with your rosary and finishing with Mass. It is what you make of it.

In the town where I used to live, there was a homeless man (a drug addict) who used to forage in the bins for scraps of food that he could feed to the swans and ducks on the river. He did this every morning, first thing. He was delighted that the birds would come and eat from his hands. I once told him that he reminded me of St Francis when I saw him doing that, and he cried out, "St Francis of Assisi! I love him!" and gave me a hug. That was how I discovered his faith. He had poor theological knowledge, but a very deep faith, and in a life marked by poverty and addiction and suffering, the beauty of God's creation was all he had.And he loved it. The way he fed those birds was a prayer - a poor prayer, but perhaps richer in the sight of God than a thousand rosaries from me.

The same applies to eating in a neighbourhood with a different racial make-up. The instruction says nothing about dining in a restaurant. Very near where I live, there is a charedi (ultra-orthodox) Jewish community whose members tend to be quite poor in material terms. I buy my bread from one of their bakeries, partly because it tastes delicious and partly because I know the baker really struggles to support his family. I only found out about the deprivation in that community by accident. As a Christian, it is my responsibility to know if my neighbours are struggling. This is why I now try to be attentive to them and their needs, even though I can only support them in this simple way. You could use this opportunity to learn about people whom you might not otherwise get to meet. Although it might not seem like it, this will nourish your prayer life if you let it.

Symbols of God - yes, the church is rich in beautiful symbolism. But we all have symbols that mean something to us personally. Mine is running water. If I were in your confirmation class, I would take a photo of a fast-flowing river for my symbol - and in explaining why it reminds me of Our Lord, I could look at the church's own water symbolism. It could be used to draw me to a deeper understanding of baptism, or as an incentive to read more Scripture (that beautiful passage on the river of life from Ezekiel, for example). In fact, it could be the start of a devotional reflection on river imagery in Scripture! If Mikolbe were in the class, and he drew a heart for his symbol, then perhaps he could make a collection of prayers to the Sacred Heart and learn more about the history of that devotion.

It really is what you make with it. My confirmation prep was mediocre at best, but I don't think it was a waste of time. Nothing is if you approach it in the right spirit. You might have benefited from a more theologically rigorous programme, but there will be opportunities in your future for that. The question to ask yourself is, how can you benefit from what you're being offered now?

You are knowledgeable about the faith, and for a thirteen-year-old you're pretty sharp intellectually. Knowledge is a wonderful thing to have - but it's not the same as wisdom, and it's worthless without humility. Perhaps you could use your confirmation classes as a chance to develop the latter two things.
[/quote]
You're right, you're right. If you see my comment on nunsense's comment you will see that I don't know HOW to benefit from what I am getting now. I am homeschooled, so I learn this stuff at home and the classes are a joke....

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1322233227' post='2340341']
Does the book suggest doing the Sign of the Cross together? You know, In the name of the Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.
[/quote]
Nope... Hm...

[beatitude]

At least you can see that you have stuff to learn from your classes. Not everybody can recognise what they stand to gain when they're put in a position that they find frustrating.

Here are some suggestions that might help:

1.) Before every class, ask God to show you clearly what He wants you to learn from class that day. After every class, thank Him. In the words of St Therese as she was dying: "Look, when I don't understand, I smile, I say 'thank you'."

2.) Make a list of your confirmation classmates and your catechists and pray for each one individually, choosing a new person each day. Ask God to bless this person, to draw them closer to Him through the classes, and to show you how to love them as He loves them. Maybe say a rosary for each one, or some other prayer that you like? Your classes will be more interesting and fruitful for you if you reach out to the others through prayer and start to feel more of a personal interest in them.

3.) Ask the Holy Spirit to give you gentleness and humility if you catch yourself getting frustrated or cross during class. My confirmation classes weren't good either - they mostly consisted of colouring in Biblically-themed worksheets and making replicas of Pentecostal fire with flame-coloured tissue paper. There was very little teaching involved. My grasp of my faith at that time was certainly not as strong as yours is now, but I understood in some clumsy way that if I could participate willingly in what the teachers were asking of me, it would be a good thing. Obedience - it's not just for religious. Sometimes it is a form of basic kindness.

4.) Try not to complain about the booklet's content too much with your sponsor. You might want to suggest additional things you could do to enrich your preparation, but I doubt that complaining will help with that.

God bless, and many prayers. This is a great time of year to be getting ready for confirmation.

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1322243065' post='2340388']
At least you can see that you have stuff to learn from your classes. Not everybody can recognise what they stand to gain when they're put in a position that they find frustrating.

Here are some suggestions that might help:

1.) Before every class, ask God to show you clearly what He wants you to learn from class that day. After every class, thank Him. In the words of St Therese as she was dying: "Look, when I don't understand, I smile, I say 'thank you'."

2.) Make a list of your confirmation classmates and your catechists and pray for each one individually, choosing a new person each day. Ask God to bless this person, to draw them closer to Him through the classes, and to show you how to love them as He loves them. Maybe say a rosary for each one, or some other prayer that you like? Your classes will be more interesting and fruitful for you if you reach out to the others through prayer and start to feel more of a personal interest in them.

3.) Ask the Holy Spirit to give you gentleness and humility if you catch yourself getting frustrated or cross during class. My confirmation classes weren't good either - they mostly consisted of colouring in Biblically-themed worksheets and making replicas of Pentecostal fire with flame-coloured tissue paper. There was very little teaching involved. My grasp of my faith at that time was certainly not as strong as yours is now, but I understood in some clumsy way that if I could participate willingly in what the teachers were asking of me, it would be a good thing. Obedience - it's not just for religious. Sometimes it is a form of basic kindness.

4.) Try not to complain about the booklet's content too much with your sponsor. You might want to suggest additional things you could do to enrich your preparation, but I doubt that complaining will help with that.

God bless, and many prayers. This is a great time of year to be getting ready for confirmation.
[/quote]
Great suggestions- thank you so much! I will definitely do that, I especially like the part about praying for everyone individually and not complaining with my sponsor. I will try super, super hard.

If you all haven't noticed by now, I have a problem with pride. I hate it, but it is hard to get rid of. Now you know why St. Therese is my Confirmation saint!

[dUSt]

I actually do feel closer to God when I take a nature walk. Sometimes, we forget that God is a beautiful creator, and when I am in nature, or see a beautiful landscape, or witness an amazing sunset, I am reminded of this. If I take a walk through the park, or a hike on a nature trail, I will often just find myself saying "thank you Lord" over and over again.

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

[quote name='dUSt' timestamp='1322244893' post='2340392']
I actually do feel closer to God when I take a nature walk. Sometimes, we forget that God is a beautiful creator, and when I am in nature, or see a beautiful landscape, or witness an amazing sunset, I am reminded of this. If I take a walk through the park, or a hike on a nature trail, I will often just find myself saying "thank you Lord" over and over again.
[/quote]
I would give this props, but I have reached my "quota of props for the day". Thank you for this wonderful reminder. That is true.

[Papist]

[quote name='FutureCarmeliteClaire' timestamp='1322245226' post='2340394']
I would give this props, but I have reached my "quota of props for the day". Thank you for this wonderful reminder. That is true.
[/quote]
I did it for you...props that is.

I taught Confirmation before. The material was sketchy. I knew something didn't smell right when the DRE made a big production about how it was written by a woman. Then I saw the content of the material. It was too fluffy for a Disney movie. I was vocal about my disapproval of the material and how much of a disservice it was. I was not "invited" to teach again.

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1322246040' post='2340396']
I did it for you...props that is.

I taught Confirmation before. The material was sketchy. I knew something didn't smell right when the DRE made a big production about how it was written by a woman. Then I saw the content of the material. It was too fluffy for a Disney movie. I was vocal about my disapproval of the material and how much of a disservice it was. I was not "invited" to teach again.
[/quote]
You sound like my sponsor. She teaches the 7th and 8th grade CCD class and this year they switched books, and she does not like them to say the least, and she is getting in a bit of trouble for stuff. She has been teaching this class for years and this year she is coming down hard, I hope they don't get rid of her. Perfect analogy, too fluffy for a Disney movie.

[Papist]

[quote name='FutureCarmeliteClaire' timestamp='1322246764' post='2340399']
You sound like my sponsor. She teaches the 7th and 8th grade CCD class and this year they switched books, and she does not like them to say the least, and she is getting in a bit of trouble for stuff. She has been teaching this class for years and this year she is coming down hard, I hope they don't get rid of her. Perfect analogy, too fluffy for a Disney movie.
[/quote]
My confirmation incident happened at my previous parish. Where I transferred to, I too teach 7th and 8th grade CCD.

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1322247202' post='2340401']
My confirmation incident happened at my previous parish. Where I transferred to, I too teach 7th and 8th grade CCD.
[/quote]
Oh, that's crazy!