Dear Parents and Guardians,

Just a reminder that the Confirmation Retreat for your child(ren) is this Sunday, October 4, 2026 from 9:30am to 2:30pm. The retreat will be held at the National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, which is at 2520 N. Lakeview Ave, Chicago IL 60614. www.cabrinishrinechicago.com

You will be responsible for dropping off your child at the shrine and picking them up. There is no transportation from Saint Andrew Parish to the site of the retreat.

The retreat will be led by the National Evangelization Team. and participants will attend Mass at 10:00am, lunch and snack will be provided.

Shrine of St. Francis Xavier Cabrini

To help us facilitate the retreat, students should arrive between 9:00am and 9:30am.

The points of contact onsite for the retreat will be Colleen Bansley and Kavita Hodgkins. Please look for them in the foyer of the building as your child arrives.

As always, you are invited to attend and participate if you wish, especially for the 10:00am Mass at the Shrine.

When picking up your child, I ask that you try to arrive a little early, but that you do not arrive past 2:45pm as the Shrine staff is staying later than usual to support our retreat.

Drop-off/Pickup: To make drop off easier and to avoid any accidents, it is best to drop off students while travelling south on Lakeview Drive (This is most easily done by entering Lakeview Drive from Diversey Parkway). See the map included in this message.

Please use the same process for pick up. Traffic can be tricky in this neighborhood and I don't want to release students to cross the street unless you are accompanying them. It is best to drop-off and pickup on the same side of the street as the shrine.

Lunch: Students should have eaten breakfast before coming. We will have lunch for students comprised of Subway sandwiches, cookies, chips, and drink. Please let me (David Heimann) know about any allergies in advance, I can also order salads for individuals who do not eat meat.

Emergency Contact: If there are any emergencies or needs that you need to make us aware of on the day of the retreat, call ‪(773) 360-5115‬ to reach the shrine staff who will contact one of the Saint Andrew adults.

Full Participation: Attendance for the whole retreat is expected. Sometimes I will requests that a student attend just part of the retreat. Unfortunately, this becomes a burden on the retreat leaders and other participants. Retreats flow like a narrative or movie and don't make much sense when someone drops in the middle without context to what is going on. We don't have capacity to catch someone up if they come in the middle.

Alternatives: There are always conflicts with attendance. The obligation for a retreat remains for anyone who cannot attend this retreat and I'm glad to work with families to find those alternatives. I have asked the Archdiocese to provide me a list of other Confirmation retreats in the area. I will forward that to parents who know there is a conflict this weekend and parents are then responsible for making arrangements with the leaders of those programs. Attendance at another parish's retreat is an adequate substitute. Parents have also approached me with their own creative solutions to the requirement, which I am always glad to approve if appropriate.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

God bless!

-David

Remaining Schedule

October 4 9:30am - 3:00pm Confirmation Retreat
October 18 3:30pm-4:45pm RE Only
November 1 3:30pm - 4:45pm Confirmation Meeting (joint)
November 7 8:30am - 12:00pm Service Project - Mission of OLA
November 8 3:30pm - 4:45pm RE Only
November 15 3:30pm - 4:45pm Confirmation Meeting RE Only
November 22 3:30pm-4:45pm RE Only
November 29 3:30pm-4:45pm RE Only
December 6 6:00pm - 7:00pm (Reconciliation) RE Only
December 13 3:30pm - 4:45pm Confirmation meeting (joint)
January 10 3:30pm - 4:45pm Rehearsal for Confirmation
January 12 6:30pm Confirmation Mass