Welcome to Class!

This autumn we will launch a new format for confirmation classes at St. Mary's Kerrisdale!

The programme starts Thursday, November 2 at 6:00 p.m. Register now by clicking here.

Rather than meeting in a classroom setting, most of the instruction will be online. Each student will have a Blog (weblog) where assignments are to be completed. The instructional materials will be posted on the website you are reading now. In addition to the assignments completed on the student Blog, there will be certain questions that students are asked to respond to in the "Comments" section below. The instructors are always available personally, or by email, to respond to any other questions a student may have.

There will be a monthly Dinner meeting at the church. Food will be provided. Students will sit in table groups with their parents and mentors. "Discussion starters" will be posted at each table. After dinner there will be a speaker who will make a presentation relevent to the instruction we'll have been doing online.

Students will serve as acolytes on scheduled Sundays during the time leading up to their confirmation. Of course, students may continue to serve as acolytes later, too.

Students are expected to be regular in attendance at worship even when they are not serving as acolytes.

Who can participate in the confirmation classes?

• You may sign up for confirmation classes if you are already baptized.
• You must be at least in Grade 8.
• If you are an adult, perhaps you'd prefer to participate in a class which will be offered during Lent of 2007. Please speak to Kevin.

How will the student Blog work?

• Once you've signed up for the classes, you'll be assigned a personal domain name and we'll assist you in setting up your Blog. If you go to the Instructor's Link on the right and click on Kevin Dixon, you'll see what your Blog will look like. After it's been set up for you, you may customize it if you wish.

What will the online instruction be about?

• The online instruction will address topics like: Who is Jesus? How did the Bible get written? What does it mean to be a Christian? Apostles' and Nicene Creeds. The Sacraments. Prayer. Spirituality. Practicing the faith, etc.
• The assignments will be posted on this website on a weekly basis. Students are required to complete the weekly assignment at home making reference to online resources to which you will be directed.
• Answers to questions in the "Comments" section at the bottom of the posted assignment will enable online discussion as students respond to one another's answers.

What is the schedule for the Monthly Dinners?

• The Monthly Dinners will be in the parish hall at St. Mary's Kerrisdale from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on the following dates: November 2, December 7, January 11, February 1, March 1, April 12.

Who will be the speakers at the dinners?

• The speakers will be one of the St. Mary's clergy, or one of the mentors, or a special guest. More info about format for the dinners and online instruction will be provided at the first dinner on November 2.

What is an acolyte?

• Last year, the confirmation class took turns serving at the altar (e.g., participating in processions, assisting during communion, lighting candles, etc.) wearing a white alb. This was well received and we've decided to incorporate it into the programme on a regular basis.

How often is "regular" in attendance on Sundays?

• It means being at church more often than you're absent. Of course there will be times when family vacations, or weekends connected to other interests like school teams or music festivals will prevent students from coming to church. But, to be confirmed is to make the public declaration that you are a follower of Jesus, and attendance at worship is part of the deal for Christians.

What exactly is confirmation?

• Confirmation is a rite used in many Christian Churches. Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and other Oriental Churches, as well as some Anglicans view it as a sacrament. In the East it is conferred on infants immediately after baptism, while in the West it is usually conferred later. Those Protestant churches which use the rite tend to see it rather as a mature statement of faith by a person already baptized, usually an adolescent, and thus as a rite of passage.
• For an article about confirmation, click here.
  

When and where will the confirmation service be held?

• You will be given this information as soon as we are informed by the diocese.
  

If you have any other questions about the SMK Confirmation Class 2006-2007, please phone (604) 261-4228, or email kdixon@stmaryskerrisdale.ca.