Confirmation Information 2026

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Confirmation

I am so happy to be on this journey towards the sacrament of Confirmation with your family.  I’ve always loved the following prayer:

Come, Holy Spirit,
fill the hearts of your faithful,
and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit
and they shall be created
and you shall renew the face of the earth.
Amen.

I think that prayer perfectly embodies preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation because we are asking the Holy Spirit to set our hearts on fire with God’s love, and acknowledging that we become disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit, that we are sent forward, and that we are called to renew the whole world.

We celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation, first and foremost, because Jesus loves us so much and He wants us to share that love with others.  We are called to be missionary disciples for Christ and to evangelize all that we encounter (just as the first Apostles did when they were empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost).

The Church also teaches that Confirmation is important because:

  • It unites us more firmly to Christ
  • It increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us
  • It renders our bond with the Church more perfect
  • It gives us special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross

 

Once registered for the sacrament through the parish, there a couple Commitment Forms for to be completed:

The Parent Commitment Form is for one parent to complete, the Candidate Commitment Form is for the Confirmation Candidate (who is beginning preparation for Confirmation).
The Candidate Commitment Form is designed for the candidate to complete on their own, but we ask that they use a parent’s email address when completing the form (even if they have their own email). The parent will receive a summary of the candidate’s responses in their email when it is submited.
Please have both forms completed before attending the sessions.

 

Here is a reminder of the dates for Confirmation:

Confirmation Preparation Sessions
(Mondays, Tuesdays, or Wednesdays, 6:30pm):
Session 1: January 12, 13, or 14
Session 2: January 26, 27, or 28
Session 3: February 23, 24, or 25
Session 4: March 16, 17, or 18
Session 5: April 20, 21, or 22
Session 6: May 11, 12, or 13

For Confirmation Preparation Session 6 (in May), we ask one parent to be the one to attend along with the candidate.
We love having sponsors present, however, for preparation Session 6, Sponsors will have the night off.
Please plan that a parent will be the one to attend the last preparation session with the candidate.

 

Confirmation Rehearsal:
Saturday, May 23 at 2:00pm OR
Saturday, May 30 at 2:00pm

Celebration of Confirmation:
Sunday, May 24 at 2:00pm OR
Sunday, May 31 at 2:00pm

Unless a family has indicated otherwise, candidates are assigned to the Sunday 2:00pm celebration on either May 24 or May 31 (with a rehearsal at 2:00pm the day before) based on the school they attend. We assign it this way in hope that we can evenly divide the numbers evenly (and not have one celebration massively overpopulated) and, whenever possible, we try to keep kids grouped together with other students from their school.
Students assigned to the celebration on Sunday, May 24 at 2:00pm (with a rehearsal at 2:00pm on Saturday, May 23) are those from Divine Mercy, Monsignor JS Smith, Our Lady of the Rosary, St. Albert the Great School, St. Isabella, and St. John Henry Newman.
Students assigned to the celebration on Sunday, May 31 at 2:00pm (with a rehearsal at 2:00pm on Saturday, May 30) are those from Christ the King, Prince of Peace, St. Gianna, St. Marguerite, and any schools not previously named (such as those outside of our parish boundaries or those who are homeschooled).

Contact Dan if there is conflict with the dates assigned.

 

Confirmation Paperwork and Registration Fee Required:

  • a copy of the Confirmation Candidate’s Catholic Baptism Certificate (unless they were baptized at St. Albert the Great)
  • a copy of the Sponsor’s Confirmation Certificate
  • a $50 registration fee

The candidate’s Baptism Certificate and the sponsor’s Confirmation Certificate may be scanned and emailed to sacraments@stalbertthegreat.ca. We ask for the paperwork to be submitted (either together or separately) as soon as possible, but no later than 2 weeks before the celebration of Confirmation. If the candidate was baptized at St. Albert the Great, the requirement to submit a copy of their baptism certificate is waived (we already have it on file).

For the $50 Confirmation registration fee (which helps offset the cost of materials for the sacrament) we encourage you to do so any time (provided the family is financially able).

You have two options to pay the $50 fee:
  • Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) from a bank account  –  You can make your payment directly to the Parish’s bank account using the Electronic Funds Transfer function from your banking institution’s account by sending the payment to donations@stalbertthegreat.ca email account.  Please indicate which Sacrament you are paying for and the person receiving the Sacrament in the memo field on the payment page before sending the payment (e.g.:  Confirmation – John Smith).
  • By cash or cheque  –  You can make a payment by cash or cheque made out to “St. Albert the Great Church” by dropping it off at the parish office at 10 Prestwick Dr. SE.  If the parish office is closed when you arrive, we have a secure mailbox on the railing outside the entrance to the office where you can deposit your fees.

 

Part of the process of Confirmation is for the candidate to choose three things:

  • a Sponsor (someone they look up to in their practice of the Catholic Faith)
  • a “Confirmation Name” (the name of a Saint that they want to emulate)
  • a Discipleship Project (an individually selected act of service to help understand how we, as Christians, are called to serve others)

Here are guidelines for choosing each of those requirements:

How to choose a Confirmation Sponsor

How to choose a Confirmation Saint

How to choose a Discipleship Project

There is a “Discipleship Project Worksheet” in the link above and we encourage the candidate to have a Discipleship Project chosen by Confirmation Preparation Session 3, but the Discipleship Project Worksheet does not need to be turned in to the parish. It is merely to help the candidate figure out and decide on their chosen Discipleship Project.

Similarly, in the “How to choose a Confirmation Sponsor” link, there is “My Sponsor’s Profile” page that also does not need to be turned in. It is just for the candidate’s own information.

At Confirmation Preparation Session 5, candidates will have an opportunity to share with their peers information about their chosen Confirmation Saint. The “My Saint’s Profile” in the “How to choose a Confirmation Saint” will help them with this and should be completed by Preparation Session 5.

The Confirmation Saint Name and Sponsor information should be submitted to the parish through this link by Thursday, April 23.

 

Letter to the Bishop

At the end of Preparation Session 5, the candidate will be asked to write a handwritten letter to the bishop. Details will be provided, but we will ask the candidate to have the letter finished and submitted (as a legible photo or scanned PDF) to Dan by email by Preparation Session 6.

 

I hope this is an enriching experience for the candidate, leading to a fruitful reception of the sacrament at the Confirmation celebration.
If you have any questions or if there is anything I can do to help, let me know any time.

I am praying for all our candidates!
Yours in Christ,

Dan D’Agostino
Sacrament Coordinator
St. Albert the Great Parish
403 257 6054  x239
sacraments@stalbertthegreat.ca