Holy Family Youth & Middle School Ministries

Sally Cunningham

Forms

by

Year 1 Online Registration
Confirmation Forms Packet

Thank you for completing the forms contained in the packet above before beginning Session 1. Please note take of the following when filling out this paperwork…

  • “Medication Authorization & Permission” – All families must complete this form, whether or not a teen is taking medication. Please note the highlighted sentence towards the bottom that gives us permission to call paramedics if necessary.
  • “Boundary Guidelines for Junior High and High School Youth Working or Volunteering with Children or Youth” – All teens must complete this form before participating in the Confirmation preparation program.
  • “Guidelines for Adults Interacting with Minors at Parish/School Activities or Events” – All adults who plan to attend Confirmation sessions or other activities must complete this form. Each parent or guardian must complete a separate copy (hence why we have included two copies as a reminder for you). The first page of this form is for you to keep. We just need the second signed page.
  • Baptism & First Eucharist/Communion Certificates – Please be sure to give us a copy of your Baptism and First Eucharist (First Communion) certificates if your teen did not receive these sacraments at Holy Family. You may scan and email them to us or bring hard copies to our office or to the Holy Family Pastoral Center. There is also an option to upload scanned copies of the certificates during the online registration process.

Retreats

by

“Being still” in this very stimulated society can be quite challenging; nevertheless, it is essential for our spiritual growth! Teens will have the opportunity to select at least two retreats to attend during their two-year journey to the Sacrament of Confirmation. This will allow each candidate to unplug for a short time in order to spend quality time with themselves, their peers, and with God.

Teens will be asked to participate in at least one retreat each year with Holy Family.  All participants in the retreat are expected to attend the entire retreat.

YEAR 1

Option #1 – StrengthsFinder Retreat

When: 10 and 11 December 2022

Where: Holy Family Church (South Pasadena, CA)

December 10: Saturday 9:30 am – 5:00 pm (Snacks and Lunch included)

December 12: Sunday 12:30 pm-5:00 pm

Parents and Teens please plan on attending the 5:30 pm Mass.

About: This Year 1 retreat enables each teen to reflect on his/her unique gifts.  Using the StrengthsFinder survey, the teens will examine their own top 5 gifts, test how their top 5 gifts work together, and discover how his/her gifts are complimentary with the gifts of others.  After signing up , teens are given the StrengthsFinder book* that gives them a code to complete the online gifts assessment one week before the retreat. Please email the results to scunningham@holyfamily.org no later than December 1.

*The retreat fee includes your copy of the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 (Tom Rath), lunch on Saturday and retreat supplies. Please pick up your book from the Pastoral Center.

Be sure to bring your books to the retreat.

Cost: $75 Check payable to Holy Family mailed to 1527 Fremont Ave, S. Pasadena, CA 91030 or Pay for the retreat online: Go to Youth Ministry and click on StrengthsFinder Retreat

Register: Click here to sign up for the retreat

Release Form: StrengthsFinder Release form Please return form signed to participate in retreat.

Year 1 Option #2 – Parent Teen Retreat

When: September 9-11, 2022

Where: Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center (Sierra Madre, CA)

About: This will be wonderful opportunity to be with your teen for a weekend. The program will offer many activities as well as prayer. Parents and teens can share a private room and experience a spiritual and fun time together. This retreat is coordinated through Mater Dolorosa.

Cost: $299 (parent and teen) $150 for an additional teen. (“Mater Dolorosa continues its long-standing policy of turning no one away because of financial need to pay for the retreat.”)

Register: Please register directly with Mater Dolorosa. Click to Register

Other: Please note that Mater Dolorosa is requiring all adults to be fully vaccinated to attend their retreats. Due to COVID the requirements maybe updated closer to the time of the retreat.

YEAR 2

Option #1 – Depth of God’s Love Retreat

When: January 6 – 8, 2022

Where: Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center (Sierra Madre, CA)

About: Teens in Year 2 will explore each of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Each gift will be presented in creative and interactive ways.   Teens attend both Saturday and Sunday for the duration of each day’s schedule to ensure they are able to experience the retreat in its fullness. We will arrive Friday evening and leave Sunday lunchtime.

Cost: TBD – Each teen will have a private room and individual private bathroom, as well as lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday.

Register: Click to register

This retreat is organized and paid for through Holy Family and we are using the facilities at Mater Dolorosa.

Year 2 Option #2 – Parent Teen Retreat

When: September 9-11, 2022

Where: Mater Dolorosa Retreat Center (Sierra Madre, CA)

About: This will be wonderful opportunity to be with your teen for a weekend. The program will offer many activities as well as prayer. Parents and teens can share a private room and experience a spiritual and fun time together. This retreat is coordinated through Mater Dolorosa.

Cost: $299 (parent and teen) $150 for an additional teen. (“Mater Dolorosa continues its long-standing policy of turning no one away because of financial need to pay for the retreat.”)

Register: Please register directly with Mater Dolorosa. Click to Register

Other: Please note that Mater Dolorosa is requiring all adults to be fully vaccinated to attend their retreats.

OTHER RETREAT OPTIONS

YEAR 1 OR YEAR 2

Other parishes welcome our teens to attend their retreats.

Year 2 Schedule

by

There are faith formation sessions each month starting in September as part of the Confirmation preparation process. Each session is from 3:45-5:15 pm on Sundays in the Holy Family Eden Center (teens) . Families attend the 5:30 pm Mass with their teen after each session. Facilitators of the small groups will walk their group over to the Church where there will be reserved seating for the Confirmation families. Teens respect their parents modeling their faith as they attend Mass together.

Please note: There will be a rehearsal prior to the Confirmation. We normally hear the Confirmation date late January or early February, and an email will be sent as soon as we know the date.

Other Important Year 2 Dates & Reminders

Please be sure to continue your Liturgical Ministry, which is a required part of the Confirmation prep process!

  • December 2022– Adopt-A-Family, gifts due
  • 6-8 January 2023 retreat – Mater Dolorosa: This is planned as an overnight retreat. Teens in Year 2 will explore each of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Each gift will be presented in creative and interactive ways.   Teens attend all day on Friday night to Sunday in person. The retreat sessions will cover the ‘Presence of God in our lives’, The Gifts of the Holy Spirit and how we use them in our lives, Imaginative Prayer, Service and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
  • TBD – Ritual of Affirmation, Holy Family 5:30 pm Mass, Please invite your Sponsor! – The Ritual of Affirmation–for both Candidate and their Sponsor–reminds them and the community to reflect on their lives and strive to perfect their lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.
  • Date September 9-11, 2022– Parent Teen Retreat, Mater Dolorosa (Sierra Madre). This is an optional retreat.
  • Spring 2023, Confirmation Day: Normally Late April or May
    • Sunday before Confirmation – Family Reconciliation Service, Holy Family Church
    • Wednesday evening before Confirmation – Confirmation Day Rehearsal, Holy Family Church
    • CONFIRMATION DAY!
  • Summer 2023, Dates TBD – Teen Mission Trip (Costa Rico)

Service Opportunities

by

“Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up.

So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all.” – Galatians 6:9-10a

Serving others is one way that we can put our faith into action. As a way to experience and grow in this way of living out our faith, we ask that each Confirmation family completes at least one service project of fours hours or more (consecutive hours or separate times). Each teen then needs to complete a Service Reflection about their experience and turn it in at least one month before Confirmation Day (or sooner–no need to wait!). We highly recommend that teens complete this reflection right after finishing their time of service so that it’s fresh in their minds.

The opportunities to serve in our community are endless! The numerous ministries at Holy Family Church and the needs of our local communities provide various options for candidates and their families to find meaningful ways to serve together. It is our hope that each household will be generous and find a good match for their interests and their calling from God, who showed us that loving your neighbor is essential.

Confirmation Group Leaders: As our program is growing we need additional assistance. One of the ways to help is to become a small group leader. Each candidate is assigned a small group to create a sense of belonging when they start Confirmation. They remain with that group throughout the process. A group leader’s responsibilities are as follows: A couple of days prior to the session they will receive an overview of what we are covering. Generally there is a short topic presentation and we then break into small group discussions. You will receive the discussion questions and your role is to draw the candidates out and try to get them to discuss each question.

Union Station: Join us on the 1st Thursday of each month as we cook food in St. Joseph Center and bring it over to the Adult Center. While dinner is in the oven, we talk a little about homelessness and hunger. We meet at 4:30 pm in St Joseph’s and complete the cooking by 6pm in order to deliver the meals for 6:30 pm. Please sign up to provide food on the Signup Genius

Holy Family Giving Bank: It’s a place that utilizes its various connections and overall space to help our brothers and sisters on the street. Whether it be food, clothing, or the weekly showers offered by the organization Shower of Hope, the Giving Bank is a vibrant, communal space here to help those who are without basic necessities to get through the day. For more information about the Giving Bank and how you can help, please contact our Director of Community Services, Marlene Moore, at 626-403-6140 or marlenemoore@holyfamily.org.

Adopt-A-Family: We are providing for more than 75 families this Christmas. Please could you deliver gift cards to help us with this effort. You can be imaginative in what the gift cards may be for! Help us make these families Christmas special. Please deliver them by December 16. Thank you.

Religious Education assistance needed Sundays 7:50 am -9:15 am. Please contact Sally Cunningham: cvillegas@holyfamily.org for more information. (posted 10.4.2021)

This page will be continuously updated to reflect current and new opportunities. As we continue to develop this page, we hope to add a weekend mission project, the “Get on the Bus” campaign, the St. Joseph’s Table, and more!  We welcome your suggestions for innovative opportunities to serve others.

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” – Mother Teresa

MISSION TRIPS

In early Fall, we outline our upcoming Mission Trips.  We aim to have three opportunities:

  • A Middle School Domestic Mission – local, for those going into 6th grade, 7th grade, and beyond
  • A Younger High School Domestic Mission – for those going into 8th grade, 9th grade, and beyond
  • An Older High School International Mission* – for those going into 10th grade and beyond

* We hope to resume international missions in 2023.

ONGOING

St. Francis Center: As soon as it is deemed safe, we will resume this service.

The mission of St. Francis Center is to serve homeless and near homeless families and individuals in the undeserved neighborhoods of Greater Los Angeles in the manner of St. Francis of Assisi.  The center is located just west of LA Live (about eight blocks away), where many homeless people gather.  There are opportunities all the time!  Visit this link and volunteer as a family: https://www.stfranciscenterla.org/volunteers/ There are several Holy Family parishioners who dedicate time and talent to the St. Francis Center, including William Griggs and Jay Krueger.  Deacon Jay is willing to escort you to St. Francis Center when he goes on the second and fourth Saturday of the month.  You may contact Jay at jaykrueger@hardrockers.com

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.“  Dr. Seuss

OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

Children’s Hunger Fund (Christian organization)

Do Something

Elizabeth House (Christian Organization)

Generation On

Pasadena Humane Society

Youth Service America

“I hope you will judge yourselves not on your professional accomplishments alone, but also on how well you have addressed the world’s deepest inequities…on how well you treated people a world away who have nothing in common with you but your humanity.“  Bill Gates

Confirmation Day

by

Confirmation Dates:

Late April or May – normally receive date in January of the year being confirmed

Tickets:

Holy Family Church can hold about 500 people.  With about 100 plus candidates (teens and adults to be confirmed), 100 sponsors, two guests per candidate (200), and necessary liturgical ministers, that makes over 400 people in the Church already.  To ensure 2 guest spaces per candidate, we issue 2 tickets to enter the Church per family and no more.  We open the additional spaces to guests on a first-come, first-served basis about 15 minutes before Mass begins.  The parish hall will be available to watch the livestream of the Mass simultaneously for any additional family members and guests on campus: https://livestream.com/holyfamily/live

Rehearsal:  Wednesday prior to Confirmation at 7:00 pm at the Church.

Confirmation Prelate:   TBD

On the day of the Confirmation Mass…

  • Sponsors and Candidates will meet in the Hall one hour before the ceremony.
  • A candidate group photo will be taken on the front steps of the church one hour prior to the ceremony start.
  • Candidates and sponsors will process from the hall to their assigned seating and be seated 10 minutes prior to the ceremony beginning.
  • Professional photographs will be taken of the candidates and will be made available electronically. Video of the ceremony will be made available to the families for downloading. (Families can’t take photos in the Church.)
  • Certificates will be distributed in the Church after Confirmation.
  • If your family would like a professional family photo you will have the opportunity in the Church after Confirmation.

Confirmation Dress Code

This is the day!  Wear your Sunday-best–Dressy Dress…Think Church, modest, respectful.  Note, however, you will be standing for a long time. Therefore, plan for the right shoes.

Women

Please choose a modest dress, blouse with a skirt, or shirt with dress slacks– not too tight, not too low, not too short, not see-through, no spaghetti straps, no miniskirts, no sheer shirts with under garments exposed, no bear mid-drifts.  The length of the dress or skirt should be just above the knee or longer.

Men

White shirt and tie with dark slacks and dark dress shoes (no baggy oversized pants, low riders, T-Shirts or athletic wear).