Portland Peninsula & Island Parishes

• Your child is older than 2nd grade but has not received Confirmation and first Holy Communion? Your child would work alongside peers or those of similar age to prepare to receive the sacraments. This would be a two-year long process for children between the ages of 8 and 12 years old. If your child is 13 years or older, he or she would participate in youth ministry and prepare to receive the sacraments at the bishop's annual celebration of Confirmation and first Holy Communion for teens and adults.
• Your child is not baptized yet? If your child is over 7 years old and unbaptized, he or she would follow an individualized preparation that includes classes and various ritual celebrations [Rite of Acceptance into the Catechumenate and Rite of Election]. This is usually a year-long process.
• Your child was baptized and received first Holy Communion but did not receive the Sacrament of Confirmation? Families that move to the Diocese of Portland from another diocese may have received first Holy Communion, but not Confirmation yet. In most cases, children or youth will participate in faith formation classes with their peers, attend sacrament preparation retreats, and then be confirmed with their peers. Confirmation for children would happen at the same time as their peers who are receiving Confirmation and first Holy Communion. Confirmation for teens occurs at the bishop's celebration of Confirmation for teens and adults.
• Your child was baptized in a non-Catholic Church? Children and youth who will become Catholic are candidates for full communion with the Catholic Church. Their preparation to become Catholic and receive Confirmation and first Holy Communion will follow an individualized process. This will typically take one year and includes a celebration of the Profession of Faith and reception of the sacraments during the Easter Season.

A person preparing to be confirmed is to be given a sponsor who asssts the baptized person to lead a Christian life and faithfully live his or her baptism and confirmation. The Church requires that a sponsor:

• Be at least 16 years of age.
• Be a fully initiated Catholic (must have received all three sacraments of initation: baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist)
• Be a practicing Catholic who leads a life of faith necessary to fulfill the responsibility of being a sponsor. This includes going to Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of Obligation, living a lifestyle that is based on the teaching of Christ, and if married, married according to the laws of the Catholic Church (married by a Catholic priest or with official permission to be married outside of the Catholic Church). If single, not cohabitating (living together in a sexual relationship without marriage).
• Not be the parent to the candidate.
• Understands and accepts the responsibility of being a sponsor: paying special attention to the candidate and his/her efforts to live a Catholic life that reflects the spirit and teaching of the Catholic Church, and assist his/her parents by support, encouragement, and prayer.