Youth registering for our Second Year of Confirmation class, from both public and Catholic schools, will be preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation in 2023.  They will look deeper into the following topics: Catholic Identity and Personal Spiritual Growth, Social Justice/Service, the Sacraments, the Power of the Holy Spirit, Personal Relationship with Christ, and Discipleship. During this year, students will be asked to log 15  hours of community service, regularly join in our Youth activites, and attend worship on a regular basis. Please read our Sacrament Policy below.

For Service Hours, St. Mary's asks our students to complete 15 service hours between September and May.  These hours need to be divided into at least 8 hours of service AT St. Mary's, and at least 7 hours of service elsewhere.  Examples may include being an altar server, lector, greeter, or usher at mass.  Your service may include time spent with any of our outreach ministries such volunteering at PRISM, Second Harvest Heartland, Feed My Starving Children, or making sandwiches for Allan Law.  You may also wish to help your neighbors with yard work, or have your family cook and debone a turkey for Sharing & Caring Hands at Thanksgiving.  ...and we are ALWAYS in need of homemade Birthday cards for St. Mary of the Lake parishioners as well as St. Therese in New Hope!  There are numerous ways you can help out!  Contact Bette Wolf in the Faith Formation office:  [email protected]

SACRAMENT POLICY

• All families celebrating sacraments at St. Mary of the Lake, Plymouth, must be a registered member of the parish, and contributing time, talent or treasure to the parish.
• Youth must participate in weekly classes, and attend Mass on a weekly basis.  
• Students are expected to participate in Faith Formation or Catholic school in the years prior to our Confirmation Program.  
• Your student is required to take an active role in our Youth Group, and attend St. Mary's sponsored events.

- Provide the Faith Formation Office with Baptismal Information & Sponsor name by filling out the form on the left side of this page
- Weekly class attendance.
- Weekly mass attendance, whether at St. Mary's or elsewhere, or television/online, and any Holy Days of Obligation, and Ash Wednesday
-Completion of  Mass Reflection every week, via our online link provided in your student's information packet
- Completion of the NET Retreat, either online or in-person
- Participation in Reconciliation (St. Mary's Reconciliation is on Saturdays at       3:30 PM)
- Sign up to be a Gift Bearer at Mass
- Participation on the Traveling Chalice curriculum
- Completion of Service Hours

St. Mary's Volunteer Opportunities can be found on our  Youth Ministry Page - Click Here

Confirmation retreats hosted at the NET Center in West St. Paul are for Catholic youth grades 8-12 preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. All of our Confirmation Retreat Weekends offer the same programming and content. They offer the opportunity for Adoration, Reconciliation, and Sunday Mass, as well as large group talks/presentations, small group discussions, games, skits, and more. They will have teens in attendance from all over the Archdiocese (and some from neighboring dioceses as well), and average 80-85 attendees each weekend. 
The NET Center

110 Crusader Avenue West
West St. Paul, MN 55118
651.450.6833

Throughout the weekend, you’ll hear talks on: 

• What being Catholic truly means
• How the world presents a false reality to the way we live our lives
• The dissatisfaction we experience when we place the things of this world before our relationship with God
• The gifts of the Holy Spirit in relation to Confirmation
• Separate men’s and women’s sessions, focusing on our unique call as God’s sons and daughters
• There is also an opportunity for the sacrament of Confession and Sunday Mass.