Dear Parents/Guardians,
Thank you to everyone who has been sending in the letters approving Confirmation sponsors to serve in their role. I am looking forward to meeting with the candidates and their sponsors this Sunday May 4, 2025 from 3:30pm to 5:00pm in the auditorium.
Instructions for candidates if sponsors cannot attend this Sunday:
The candidates should still come to the meeting but with an adult accompanying. This can be mom or dad or someone else who is trusted. The meeting is a facilitated discussion and a candidate attending alone will not have anyone to have the discussion with. At the end of the meeting, a hand out/form will be given with discussion questions to go over with the sponsor and have the form returned as evidence of completing this step in the process.
Instructions for candidates if both candidates and sponsor cannot attend this Sunday:
To make-up this session requires a little more work. First, set a time for the candidate and the sponsor to meet for about 1.5 hours. Then navigate to this link - https://standrew.org/confirmation-sponsor-candidate-meeting-2025/ This can be done in person or over video conference/phone. Have both candidates and sponsor follow the instructions the webpage by watching the videos and then having a conversation around the questions asked. Notify me when the instructions on the webpage are complete.
As a reminder, if the sponsor has not yet received permission from their local priest/pastor to serve in the role, they should complete the following form.
If your child is looking for a different date to attend a baptism, a new set of dates are now available and they can register for a date using the link below.
And finally, there is still room to sign up for the upcoming Faith In Action projects. Read the information below my signature for details.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
God bless!
David Heimann
- Faith In Action Projects
The expectation is for each Confirmation candidate to do one Faith In Action project in each of 3 categories -
- A - Care for the earth
- B - Service to those on the margins and
- C - Service to the church.
In each of the first two categories (A&B), I will provide an organized experience allowing students to do the project together. The first of these will be in May and in June, I will also organize similar opportunities in the Fall. A student does not need to go on all of the organized activities, just one from each category, or they can do an independent project in those areas so long as they coordinate it with me.
The third category, serving the church, can be done in a myriad of ways and is done independently. Altar serving, helping with Family Mass, volunteering at Wearin the Green, parish activities, etc. All of these qualify. I will make some specific opportunities available to you in subsequent emails. Below are opportunities to si gn up and participate in the organized projects for category A and category B.
Service Project from Category A
Cleaning a local Forest Preserve
Saturday May, 17, 2025 from 9:00 to 11:15am
Labagh Woods, West Foster Avenue, N. Cicero Ave, Chicago
During the time allotted, participants will help to clean up the Labagh Woods Forest Preserve for Cook County. Gloves and trash bags will be provided. Please dress for the weather and wear shoes that might get muddy as we collect trash near the banks of the waterways. Please arrange your own transportation. Parents are asked to volunteer with us if available. Only 25 volunteer slots are available.
Service Project from Category B
Feed My Starving Children - Schaumburg Location
Saturday, June 7, 2025 from 2:30pm to 4:00pm
Join with other volunteers to create food packs of protein and grains that will be shipped to parts of the world with urgent need for food relief. A single session of volunteering will create thousands of meals for those in need. Parent volunteers are also needed for this event to take place. Only 30 volunteer slots are available for this service project
- Fall Confirmation Retreat
In the requirements for Confirmation, we discussed earlier that there was a first year confirmation retreat and a second year retreat. We have just been able to book the NET Ministry team to be with us at Saint Andrew for the second Confirmation Retreat. It will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2025. We still haven't finalized the time, but it will likely start mid-morning and end at around 5:00pm. Thank you for saving the date in your child's calendar to avoid any conflicts.