CATECHISM
[ SERAPHIM HOME ] >> YOUTH >>
CATECHISM
Part II
PREPARING CHILDREN FOR
CONFIRMATION
|
In India, Confirmation is
usually given 5-6 years after the child has made his/her first Holy
Communion. Devout and lay people from the parish should be chosen to prepare
the children. The children should be divided into small groups of eight to
ten, preferably girls and boys separately. Each group should have its own
teacher. These lay teachers should be trained beforehand by the priest in
charge. The lessons that follow should be explained in detail. The priest,
using his creativity, could show teachers different ways of presenting the
lesson. Stories, songs, film-strips, discussions, charts, scrap books could
be used as aids to getting the lesson across. What I here give are just the
main points. If three classes are taken
a week, the preparation will entail a full month, to include a prayer
service and a rehearsal of the main day. It would be good to check
whether the children know the Ten Commandments, the Commandments of the
Church, and their usual prayers like Our Father, Hail Mary, I Believe, the
Act of Faith, Hope, Charity and above all, the Act of Contrition, which might
go something like this…. “O God, my Father, You are goodness and love. I have
done wrong to You and my neighbour. I am sorry. Please forgive me, Help me,
with your grace, never to turn away from You. May Your Spirit make me live as
Your loving child.” This too could be simplified for smaller children. Two or three days before the
celebration of the Sacrament, there should be a rehearsal of the entire
service. The order and the places should be fixed and not changed after this.
All the actions of bowing, standing, sitting, answering the prayers, singing,
etc., should be gone through on that day. The teachers who have helped prepare
the children should also be present for the rehearsal. The slips with the
names of the children should be arranged on this day in accordance with the
seating arrangement of the children, to avoid confusion. The ceremony,
starting with a procession, with the Bishop and the servers behind, is
recommended. The parents need to be actively
involved in the confirmation of their children. They need to know their
responsibilities and duties. Hence it would be good to have at least two or
three sessions with the parents, taken by the priest in charge. The same
lessons grouped together could be given to them in an adult way. They should
be reminded that their responsibilities to bring up their child in Christian
maturity continues and does not end with Baptism. The preparation of the children
could end by making each child write out his/her intention and desire to be
confirmed. This should be in his/her own way and in their own words. This
will enable the child to appreciate more deeply the gift which God is about
to give him/her. |