NOTE: Teens Tempatures will be taken at ALL Youth Ministry Evenets (Weekly and at Special Events) on and off campus that are sponsored by the Church for the health and safety of all teens. Mask are encouraged. Thank you!

SUMMER 2021 EDGE & LIFE TEEN
Edge: In Person
Life Teen: In Person - Sunday Nights from 6:15p-8:30pm.
Life Teen Deeper (TOB) - Wednesday Nights from 6:30-8:15pm. Occasionally Zoom will be available. 
Confirmation Fall 2021: Returns to In Person on campus.

The Church office is open. To schedule a time to meet with the Youth Minister please call 254-666-7722 you can schedule an in person meeting or a meeting via Zoom. Please email stjlifeteen@stjeromewaco.org. Register now for Youth Ministry 2020/2021. See All YM Forms & Calendars to find the updated registration form & Fall Calendars. 

We are on Instagram and Facebook
St. Jerome Life Teen Waco
@stjlifeteenwaco

THIS SECTION IS NOT FINALIZED & TENTITIVE.
In addition to the immediate preparation for Confirmation please continue to come to Life Teen Mass (or Sunday Mass at another time) & Life Night. To see the Life Night Calendar of events click here.

Religious education takes place before, during and after being Confirmed. It is out of learning about our Lord that the desire to be Comfirmed comes alive within our youth! Therefore, the below schedule is in regards to this years immediate preparation for Confirmation. Classes are intended for currently registered teens who interviewed in the summer of 2021. The below information includes the mandatory class dates and information (some dates are not intended for teens but their parents and/or sponsors).

The "three months of preparation" will take place over 4 months time because of scheduled breaks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's & the beginning of Lent. 

NOTE: Father James would like to meet with teens in small groups before Confirmation. These meetings will take place throughout the year at Life Nigts, on Sundays and possibly via Zoom on Wednesdays.  Final meetings and times: TBA

SCHEDULE
Date, Time, Plan & Topic: Topics are taught by the Director of Youth Ministry, Core Team Memebers, Priest, and Deacons. This year all Confirmation Classes will take in person on campus. 

NOTE: The below Confirmation Class Schedule is subject to change. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Wednesday,  October, 27, 2021
6:30p-8:15p Mandatory Parent/Sponsor & Teen Meeting: Teens, one parent and/or sponsor must be in attandance for each youth. BEGINNINGS: Introduction to the confirmation process (parent and teen session)

• Parents are the first and primary educators of their children; the Church supports them in this task.
• A sacrament imparts a grace — a free gift from God — that helps us respond to God’s call to holiness in our lives.
• Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation leads the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of the Christian life.

Wednesday, November 3, 2021
6:30-8:15p Letter of Intent. Teens will need to type this letter and email to Whitney at stjlifeteen@stjeromewaco.org. Please send via word or pages document. Please DO NOT send a PDF.

Wednesday, November 10, 2021
6:30p-8:15p Class 1 - Why Jesus? NEW: Why believe in Jesus – Passion, Death, and Resurrection

• Jesus’ death at Passover is a direct connection to the original Passover and Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Just as the Israelites were slaves, humanity was enslaved to sin and death.
• Jesus’ death defeated the power of sin and death. By His blood on the cross, we are freed from slavery, just as the Passover lamb saved the Israelites from death.
• Christ’s Resurrection proved that death had been defeated. Death no longer has power over us.

Wednesday, November 17, 2021 
6:30p-8:15p Class 2 - Why God? REVEAL: Is God real?

• God’s existence is philosophical, not scientific. Science can only tell us about the measurable, physical world. God, because He is infinite and pure spirit, cannot be measured by science.
• God, in His infinite goodness and wisdom, chose to reveal Himself to us in time so that we could know and love Him.
• God does not merely reveal Himself to us, He also nourishes us and sustains us so that we might experience the goodness of life. A Transformative Plan for Confirmation

Saturday, November 20th 2021 9am-9pm
MANDATORY - CONFIRMATION NET RETREAT
MTC 9:00am-9:00pm
Please bring a snack to share (one healthy and one unhealthy).
Sponsor Covenant Forms Due (Filled out and Signed by Teens Sponsor)
Saint Projects or Saint Papers Due (Complete)

Wednesday, November 24, 2021
NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING

Wednesday, December 1, 2021
6:30p-8:15p Class 3 - Why Church? BURN: The Holy Spirit in the Catholic Church

• The personhood of the Holy Spirit is difficult to understand, but is revealed to us in Scripture, tradition, and through the prophets.
• The titles of the Holy Spirit give insight into His role in our lives and in the life of the Church.
• Looking at the Sacraments of Initiation, we learn that the Church cannot be separated from the workings of the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday, December 8, 2021
6:30p-8:15p Class 4 - The Creed. FOUNDATION: Why be a part of the Catholic Church?

• Jesus intentionally established the Church and gave Peter special authority to govern, which he passed down to successors in order to guide and govern the Church with the aid of the Holy Spirit.
• The Church has been sent to all nations with the mission of making disciples. The Church exists to evangelize.
• The Church is the universal sacrament of salvation. Its purpose is to lead people to heaven.

Wednesday, December 15, 2021
6:30p-8:15p Class 5 -  Vatican II & Church History, Why tradition matters. MORE: Why believe in Jesus – the life of Christ

• Jesus’ mission was to bring about the Kingdom of God. He did so by teaching, working miracles, and most importantly, forgiving sins.
• Jesus came for the meek: those questioning the existence of God, the sinners, the broken-hearted, the enslaved, the overlooked.
• Jesus asks us, “Who do you say that I am?” We must offer a response; our response determines our relationship with Him.

Wednesday, Decmber 22, 2021
NO CLASS - CHRISTMAS

Wednesday, December 29, 2021
NO CLASS - NEW YEARS

Saturday, January 1, 2022: 
HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION - Please find a mass to attend. We are celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - No Class

Wednesday, January 05, 2022
6:30p-8:15p Class 6 - CALLED: Foundations of discipleship

• If we look at the example of the disciples, we see that we must first get to know Jesus by spending time with Him. It is through time spent with Him that the disciples learned His teachings and built an intimate friendship with Him, which allowed them to love and worship Him.
• The Church has given us the tools we need to live out our call to discipleship. We find our strength and courage in the Sacraments of Confirmation, Reconciliation, and the Eucharist.
• Jesus is calling each of us to be a disciple. By spending time in prayer, frequenting the sacraments, and using our gifts to glorify God, we can become the disciples we are called to be.

Wednesday, January 12, 2022
6:30p-8:15p Class 7 - Corporal & Spiritual Works of Mercy/Cardinal & Theological Virtues. (Bishops Content)


Wednesday, January 19, 2022
6:30p-8:15p Class 8 - Fruits of the Holy Spirit & Gifts of the Holy Spirit. POWER: The Holy Spirit in a life of discipleship

• By our baptism, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit.
• Our relationship with the Holy Spirit grows through prayer, silence, the sacraments, and Scripture.
• The gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit are evidence of His work in our lives and are needed in our daily lives.

Wednesday, January 26, 2022
6:30p-8:15p Class 9 - Relationship with the Holy Spirit. SIGNATURE: The Sacrament of Confirmation

• Confirmation is the perfection of baptismal grace. We receive the Holy Spirit in a unique way, deepening the graces we received at baptism and calling us to participate in the apostolic mission of the Church.
• The gift of the Holy Spirit received in the Sacrament of Confirmation is crucial to our lives because it is a relationship with the Holy Spirit that helps us to live out our Christian calling. Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit so we would continue to have access to Him
• In Confirmation, we are “sealed” with the Holy Spirit, giving us both an authority and responsibility within the Church.

Wednesday, 
6:30p-8:15p Class 10 - Discipleship/Evangelization/Holiness & Building the Kingdom of God. NATIONS: Evangelization

• Evangelization is about spreading the good news that Jesus Christ has come into our world, has given each of us the chance to be reunited to God the Father, and has saved from our sins.
• The Church exists to evangelize; each of us, in our identity as Christians and members of the Church, share in this mission of evangelization given to us by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission.
• Our personal testimony, the way that God has worked in real and concrete ways in our lives, is the most powerful way that we can share the Gospel with the world and those we encounter.

Wednesday, Group 1 Meets with Father James (6-8pm)
6:30p-8:15p Class 11 - Communion of Saints/Strength in Numbers (Authentic Catholic Journey) SPEAK: Witnesses of faith

• Confirmation calls us to be witnesses of faith and provides us with the graces to do so.
• Being a witness means being a martyr; martyrdom does not necessarily mean dying for the faith, but requires a willingness to sacrifice and suffer for truth.
• When learning how to become better witnesses, we should look to the examples of other members of the Church — particularly Mary and the saints.

Wednesday, March 2, 2022
6:30p-8:15p - Ash Wednesday Mass as a Class
Wednesday, March 9, 2022
NO CLASS - SPRING BREAK

Wednesday, Group 2 Meets with Father James (6-8pm)
6:30p-8:15p - Review and/or Meeting with Father. 

Wednesday, 
6:30p-8:15p - Confirmation, What happens at the Confirmation Mass? 

Wednesday, April 13, 2021
NO CLASS - HOLY WEEK

Wednesday, 
6:30p-8:15p Class 12  - SOURCE: The Mass and the Eucharist

• The Mass is often underappreciated but is the most perfect and beautiful celebration of our Catholic faith.
• The Last Supper was the first fruits of the Mass; it has been handed down over the centuries and has roots in Scripture.
• In the Liturgy of the Eucharist, Christ literally becomes one with us by offering His body for us to consume.

Wednesday, Group 3 Meets with Father James (6-8pm)
6:30p-8:15p - Review and/or Meeting with Father. 

Wednesday, 
6:30p-8:15p - What to expect at Confirmation Mass.

Mandatory Confirmation Rehersal: TBA
Confirmation Liturgy (or Mass): TBA
Celebrant: TBA

Important Confirmed Dates:

Saturday, November 20, 2021 - Mother Teresa Center
9am-9p CONFIRMATION RETREAT - TOPIC With Great Power. PLEASE mark this date on your calendar now. For more information about NET click HERE!

Saturday, January 1, 2022: 
HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION - Please find a mass to attend. We are celebrating the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - No Class


Please know that these dates are in regards to the immediate preparation for Confirmation and the date your teen is to receive their sacrament, not the end or conclusion of the religious education year (Religious Education - Life Nights - will continue through May and continue into next year). This special date signifies the beginning, not the end of your teens life, as an adult in the Catholic Church.

The NET Confirmation Retreat for the 2021/2022 Candidates is scheduled for Saturday November 20, 2021 from 9am-9pm and will be held in the Mother Teresa Center. Posted 5/4/2021 WKG. 

Please bring a snack to share (one healthy and one unhealthy).