On June 29, Bishop Konderla issued an addendum to his recent pastoral letter, “Jesus is Lord,” announcing that the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma will be transitioning toward a restored order of the sacraments of initiation, administering the sacrament of Confirmation in the same liturgy as children receive their First Holy Communion. Bishop Konderla beautifully expresses the reasoning behind this transition to restored order, and I highly encourage everyone to read in full his letter available on the diocesan website. The QR code at the end of this letter will take you right to it!
Of course, moving the sacrament of Confirmation to the same age as First Communion will raise all kinds of questions in the minds of our parishioners and school parents. “What should I expect for sacramental preparation for my child heading into 2nd grade?” “What about my children who have already received First Communion but not Confirmation?” I’m happy to say that over the past year, anticipating the diocese’s decision to move to restored order of sacraments, our Faith Formation team at the Church of Saint Mary has developed an implementation plan ready to begin this September.
The new diocesan guidelines have three objectives which will shape our parish’s approach: unity and uniformity in sacramental preparation; moving the age of Confirmation/First Communion to eight, during the 3rd grade; and promoting whole-family catechesis, attentive to the faith formation needs of children, youth, and parents as we build upon the grace received in the sacraments of initiation.
To achieve unity and uniformity in how our children are being prepared, we will utilize the Montessori- based Catechesis of the Good Shepherd model. Saint Mary is the foremost CGS program in the diocese under Christine Hassink’s direction, and already serves as the basis for our main parish religious education, as well as instruction for our preschool and kindergarten students. Parish parents will have several time options of CGS sessions in which to enroll their children. School of Saint Mary students will complete CGS sacramental preparation sessions as part of their regular religious instruction curriculum
in 15t and 21° grade.
The diocese indicates that Confirmation and 1st Communion may be celebrated anytime during the 3rd grade year, and we aim to do this in mid-October beginning in 2025. The CGS model of sacramental preparation involves a 4-day retreat culminating in the reception of the child’s sacraments on Sunday, and Fall Break will allow children the opportunity to participate in the retreat all together and with fewer distractions. It is a significant change in the traditional time of year for the sacraments, but we also anticipate it will make the Bishop’s attendance much easier.
For the many students who have already made their First Communion and have yet to receive their Confirmation, we will be offering Confirmation preparation through our new youth ministry program on Sunday evenings beginning September 15. 6th-gth graders will meet prior to the 5 pm Sunday Mass, and 9th-11th graders will meet after the 5 pm Sunday Mass. We hope not only to prepare our middle and high schoolers for the sacrament of Confirmation, but also to breathe new life into our youth ministry program.
Lastly, I believe the biggest challenge is meeting the objective of a whole-family catechesis, which will involve a new approach to faith formation for children post-reception of the sacraments, as well as a new vision for family and youth ministry. Our Faith Formation team has been hard at work on this as well. Adults and teens are always welcome to attend Emmaus and Sunday Session catechesis, which also offer an opportunity for CGS sessions for younger children or child care in the nursery for the littlest ones. We want to be attentive not only to the children preparing for sacraments, but to the faith formation needs of all families and parishioners of any age.
The fundamental goal of restored order of the sacraments of initiation is to give children the benefit of that sanctifying grace sooner rather than later in their young lives, to build upon the grace they have received that it may bear fruit in their lives. I am indebted to our Church of Saint Mary Faith Formation team members – Christine Hassink, Katie Svejkosky, Emily Kamp, Nick Bernard, and Sharron Hanisch – for their enthusiasm and diligent efforts to create the best possible approach to restored order, tailored to the resources and nature of our parish and school. I am also grateful to our Principal, Suzanne Nelson, and teachers Michelle Craig, Ann Bloomfield, and Erin Stoops for their efforts to help us integrate this plan with our religious education in the school. We know that there will still be many questions as we go forward, many of which we may be able to answer with our big parish kickoff for Faith Formation the weekend of August 10-11. I believe this is an exciting time for the Catholic faith in the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma, and I look forward to seeing the ways in which the grace of God helps our families to flourish!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Stuart Crevcoure
To view Bishop Konderla’s letter on Restored Order, click here.
