What is Confirmation?
Baptism, the Eucharist and Confirmation together constitute the Sacraments of Christian Initiation. Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. By the sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit.
As every individual’s faith journey is as unique as they are, we understand that receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation can happen at anytime after an individual has come of the age to be confirmed. Therefore, there are different options depending upon the candidate’s age.
Order of Christian Initiation for Adults
ADULTS: Individuals over the age of 18 who are seeking confirmation or any of the Sacraments should inquire about the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) program by emailing Diane Kiradjieff, dkiradjieff@stmatthewcatholic.org.
Confirmation for Youth
The confirmation process for youth depends upon where the individual is on their faith formation journey. Most commonly, the process takes place in two parts. The first is designed to strengthen the youth’s Catholic foundation and knowledge before they enter into the second part, which specifically prepares them for the sacrament.
CONFIRMATION, PART ONE begins as early as sixth grade. For youth in Catholic school, this first part (known as remote preparation) takes place in school during religion class. For youth in public/private (not Catholic) school, this takes place in our parish INVITED program. To learn more, visit our INVITED site.
CONFIRMATION, PART TWO may be entered into once a youth is in eighth or ninth grade provided the youth has completed PART ONE through Catholic school, our INVITED program or another Catholic parish program. At St. Matthew, this part of the process (known as proximate preparation) is our IGNITE program. To learn about the responsibilities and expectations, visit our IGNITE site.
WHEN PART ONE IS INCOMPLETE: The eighth or ninth grader who have not fulfilled the first part of the process, are just beginning the Sacramental journey or who may have lapsed in formation since elementary school may be candidates for our CHOSEN/OCIT process. To determine the status for your teen, please contact Trish Martin at 704-543-7677.
WHEN TEEN IS IN TENTH TO TWELFTH GRADE: The older teen is eligible for our OCIT (Order of Christian Initiation for Teens) process. This one year intensive journey immerses the teen in the pillars of our Catholic faith and allows them to explore the applicability to their own personal life. To learn about the responsibilities and expectations, visit our OCIT site.
Youth Ministry News
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DecSPARK In Session
Sunday, December 22
12:00 am-11:59 pm
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22
DecMass - Life Teen
Sunday, December 22
5:30 pm-6:30 pm
St. Matthew Catholic Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28277, USA
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DecMass - Life Teen
Sunday, December 29
5:30 pm-6:30 pm
St. Matthew Catholic Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28277, USA
