The rite of confirmation has a long and complex history, changing styles and purpose over the life of the church. What many remember as confirmation from their childhood: memorization and formal education, has less impact on youth who live in the culture of today’s world.
In the past, the goal of confirmation was to education children so they would be adults who knew facts about their church and religion. Today, we instead seek to form children into adults who embody God and Christ at work in the world. And that takes more than just knowledge.
It is our hope that, with the help of parents and working in conjunction with other churches and groups, children who join a confirmation program at St. Paul will complete the program feeling encouraged, enriched, and inspired to listen to God’s call for them in life.
Most young people attend confirmation around their 7th and 8th grade years of school. We make adjustments to this pattern for a few reasons: if parents feel their children are ready early or need to wait and develop more, or on occasion, to increase confirmation group sizes, which we find leads to a better experience for them.
Upon completion, confirmation students will make a public affirmation of their baptism during a celebration in May.
For information, please contact the church office @ 815-288-2757 and ask to speak with the pastor.