Confirmation Retreat
Confirmation One Day Retreat
8:00 – Introductions and Icebreaker
- Name & Hope for the Day – Body of Christ Mail Call
8:30 – Baptism – Opening Prayer Service & Presentation
Song “Place in This World” – Opening prayer – 1 Cor 12:12-31 – “Ego & Spirit” – Water Experience – Petitions – Our Father – Closing Prayer
9:00 – Sacrament of Reconciliation – Presentation With an Activity Or Confession
Meditation – Lk 15:11-32 – [Option 1- Activity: Walls of Sin – Or Option 2 – Confession with Reflection Activities]
10:45 – Break
11:00 – ILAC
11:15 – Eucharist Talk:
- Bread Experience - Legend of the Bread
11:30 – Lunch
12:00 – Confirmation Yarn Activity
12:30 – Confirmation Presentation
-Oil Experience - Sound in the Box
1:00 – Closing Prayer Service
-Song: This Is Your Time - Jn 21:15-19 – Witness & Gifts – Closing song: Friends
Groups
Randomly divide all those gathered into groups by pointing to each person and assigning them one of the group name below.
Group Names
1. – Head
2. – Eyes
3. – Ears
4. – Nose
5. – Hands
6. – R. Foot
7. – L. Foot
Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Fortitude (courage), Counsel, Piety, Fear of the Lord.
Materials:
1. Chairs in a Circle
2. CD Player
3. Glass bowl w/ water
4. Pitcher
5. Towels
6. Easel w/ poster board
7. Markers
8. Loaf of Bread
9. Construction paper circles (15 per participant)
10. Masking Tape (1/2 inch)
11. Pencils
12. 7 balls of yarn (various colors)
13. Baby oil
14. Small glass bowl
15. 4 cotton balls
16. Retreat gift (optional)
Activity Descriptions
“Body of Christ” Mail Call
A. Directions
a. Participants sit in a circle minus one chair for the leader
b. Assign each person a body part
i. Head, Eyes, Ears, nose, hands, feet
ii. These can also become the retreat groups.
iii. If you need fewer groups, use less body parts. If you need more, you can add left and right body parts as needed.
c. As the leader calls out a body part participants are to get out of his or her chair and find another chair that is at least 5 seats away.
d. The leader can say, “Body of Christ!!” if he/she wants all to move to find another seat.
e. The person without a chair becomes the leader and calls out the next body part.
Opening Prayer and Baptism Presentation (Ego & Spirit)
A. Play a song that helps support the theme of this presentation.
B. Begin with the Sign of the Cross and a spontaneous opening Prayer.
C. Pick an appropriate Scripture reading to read.
D. Put a glass bowl and pitcher of water before the group. Slowly poor water into the bowl. Have students respond to the following:
1. What are the qualities of water?
2. What Sacrament is it used for and why is it used?
E. Story of Ego and Spirit (created by author unknown)
- Spirit and Ego are Womb-mates.
- Spirit says to Ego, “I think there is life after birth.” Ego thinks Spirit is crazy. Ego says, “This womb is the only thing that they have experienced. This is it. There is nothing else.”
- Next Spirit says to Ego, “I think we have a mother.” Ego even more aggravated says, “You have never seen a mother. Take your cord and go to your side of the womb.”
- Last of all Spirit says, “I think one day we will see our mother.” Ego says in desperation, “Now I know you’re crazy. You have never seen a mother and you never will.”
F. Conclusion
1. Share what this story means to you.
2. In baptism, going under the water, symbolizes our death to the sin of this world so that we may rise in God’s world, as Jesus did.
3. In Confirmation we make the baptismal commitment that our parents made for us when we were infants. This commitment says we will live in God’s world as Jesus did, now and in our after life.
ILAC
1. ILAC is an acronym for I’m Lovable And Capable.
2. Directions
a. The leader, wearing a construction paper heart, gives examples of thing people say that hurt and put people down. With each example the leaders tears a piece of the heart and lets it fall to the grown as a symbol of what happens when we say hurtful things to others. After the heart is completely destroyed the leaders explains that though this is what happens when we hurt others with our words, we can reverse the effect of put downs by building each other up with our words.
b. To symbolize this each person is given 25 or so construction paper buttons (circles) and masking tape. Students are told to write affirmations for as many people as they can and taping them to shoulders, backs, foreheads, etc. Play music and have fun. Have extra buttons on hand for those who need them.
Eucharist Talk (Legend of the Bread)
A. Show a loaf of bread and have participants respond to the following questions:
- What qualities does bread have?
- Why do you think bread is used in the Sacrament of Eucharist?
- Why is bread we use at Mass flat? (If needed, explain it’s connection to the Exodus Passover Meal.)
B. Tell the story of the Legend of the Bread.
- According to the legend, bread hears all that is spoken before it. If goodness and blessings are spoken in its presence, then all whom eat it receive a blessing. But if evil and curses are spoken in its presence, then all who eat it receive a curse.
- There was a father with two sons, who had the best farm in the land. They were good people who always shared what they had.
- One day the father died. At the reading of the will. The Father split every thing he had 50/50.
- The older son was upset because he was with his father longer and believed he deserved more of the estate.
- The older son went home where there was bread on the table. Not noticing the bread he cursed his brother for what the father had done. And then stormed out of the house.
- The younger brother came home. Ate the bread before going to bed. When the older brother came home he also ate the bread before going to bed.
- From that moment on the farm began to fail. It would not produce the crops as it once had.
- The old wise man of the village knew what had happen, so he gathered all the people of the village around a loaf of bread. They share the stories of the days when the farm produced the best harvest and how the father and two sons had helped all in the village.
- The old man wrapped the bread and placed it at the door of the two brothers.
C. Share conclusions
- Share what the story means to you.
- At Mass we speak of goodness and blessings in the presence of the bread through the prayers and scripture. Then we receive its blessings.
- Just as we do not know if the brothers have eaten the bread, not all take the Eucharist that is offered at mass, though it is offered to all.
- It is not enough to take the Eucharist, but we must all be Eucharist to one another through our actions.
- When Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me,” he meant to sacrifice and give of our-selves just as He had.
Confirmation Presentation (Sound in the Monastery)
A. Ask participants to open their hands with palms face up.
B. Take oil soaked cotton balls and anoint the hands of participants.
C. Ask for response for the following questions:
1. What do you observe about the oil?
2. How does it symbolize commitment to the Christian Life?
D. Share your thoughts and beliefs about commitment to the Christian Life as a member of the Catholic family.
E. Tell the story of “The Sound in the Monastery.”
- A traveler is on his way to the see the ocean for the first time. On his way one evening he stops at a monastery to spend the night. That night as he was going asleep he began to hear a strange sound. He could not figure out what was the source of the sound. His curiosity kept him up all night.
- The next morning he went the abbot. The abbot is the head monk of the monastery. He asked the abbot, “What was the sound I hard last night.” “Well,” said the abbot, “I would like to tell you, but only those who are monks can know the source of the sound. Only if you become a monk can you know what makes the sound.
- The traveler thought he could live without knowing the source of the sound, so he went on his way to see the ocean for the first time. But each night he could not sleep because the puzzle of the strange sound kept him awake. Just before he reached the ocean, he turned around to return to the monastery to become a monk.
- To become a full fledge monk takes several years. First you a novice while you train to be a monk. Then you take first vows that last for three years. Then, after you are really sure you want to become a monk, you take final vows. As each night passed over the years he heard the sound. Though it was tough to be a monk, hearing the sound helped him persevere because he knew that if he became a full fledge monk, he would one day find the source of the sound.
- When the day finally arrived for him to take his final vows, he was full of joy, because he knew he would find out the source of the sound. The day was filled with celebration.
- Early the next day the monk went to the abbot and said that was now ready to find out what was making the sound. So the abbot took the new monk down into the basement of the monastery, when they cam to a wooden door. The abbot took out a set of keys. Each key was made out of a different material.
- First the abbot took out a wooden key. He put the wooden key in the wooden door. He turned the key. (Ask everyone to repeat the sound of the key.) Click! The abbot opened the huge wooden door. (Ask everyone to help you open the door and make the sound of straining to open the door. Ask everyone to imitate your straining sound.) The abbot closed the door. (Ask everyone to imitate your straining sound of closing the door and the door making a booming sound as it closes.)
- The abbot and new monk walk down a long wooden hallway. The sound is getting louder. At the end of the hallway is a tin door.
- The abbot takes out a tin key. (Repeat the above sequence for the tin door.)
- (Then a tin door.)
- (Then a bronze door.)
- (Then a silver door.)
- (Then a golden door.)
- (If time is short, cut down on the variety of doors and boxes)
- Once they closed the golden door they were in a golden room. The sound was so loud now. In the middle of the golden room was a golden table with a wooden box on top. The abbot took out a smaller set of keys. He first took a wooden key. And unlocked the wooden box. (Ask all to repeat the sound of the key opening the box.) Click. (High pitch) The Abbot opened the box. (Make sound of squeaky lid. Ask all to repeat.) The abbot took out a tin box. (Make straining sound. All imitate.)
- (Repeat the above sequence for all the boxes.) Sound getting louder and louder.
- Finally the abbot opens the golden box. And there, in the box, is the source of the sound.
- The monk lived a long and happy life as a monk.
- (When someone ask, “What is the sound?” Tell them, “I don’t know, I’m not a monk.
F. Conclusions
- Share your meaning of the story.
- Like the sound that called the traveler to be a monk, with in us all is the calling from God to be a Christian.
- The calling is unique for each person. As a catechist, no matter how hard I try to explain what it means to be a Christian, Confirmation is calling you to make the journey yourself.
- Unlike the monk, none of us ever finish the journey until we die. God is always calling us to be a better Christian.
- The Catholic faith gives us the path to the Christian journey.
- But we don’t do it alone. We get there together as a Catholic family and community.
- Alone we fail. Jesus called us to love him through loving one another. No one gets to heaven by themselves.
- We not only get to heaven with our catholic family, but we are called to bring with us the poor, the sick, the persecuted, and the lonely.
- The monk had the monastery. We have each other; priests, sisters, brothers, family, catechist, Catholic friends and the communion of saints.
- Share who in your catholic family has helped you in your Christian journey and who have you reached out to because of your Christian family.
Concluding Prayer Service
I. Song: This Is Your Time
II. Reading: Jn 21:15-19
III. Witness & Gifts
a. Participants are invited to share
i. What did they learn from the retreat?
ii. What from the retreat will you apply to your life?
b. Participants are given a gift after they share.
c. If some participants did not share due to time or they chose not to, during the closing song invite anyone who did not receive a gift to come up as a sign of commitment to their faith
IV. Song: Friends
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