Author: Kerry Troost

Spirit of God,
Seal our hearts with the Spirit of your love.
Give us the courage of the saints
To love when it is easier to hate,
To see beauty beneath what is ugly,
And to bring hope to our world.
Teach us to have reverence
And respect for all of life
And to look for ways to respond
To the gifts you have given us.
Keep us always open
to the Spirit’s presence in our world.
We ask this for your Kingdom’s sake.
Amen

Confirmation Retreat
St Thomas’ Primary School
Claremont
Friday July 24 2009

Welcome to your Confirmation Retreat.
During this time together we hope you will
participate fully in all of the activities and be open to everyone who is here.
Remember that at all times you must obey the
following rules.
1 Follow the instructions given by all adults here
today.
2 Give everyone the chance to participate and
appreciate their contributions.
3 Observe signals that mean stop and listen.
4 Be silent during reflection and journaling times.
5 Use courtesy and respect at all times.

What type of person would you like to be in the future?
How would you like the world to be?
What will you do to help the world be the place you want it to be?

Being the Difference
You are like light for the whole world.
A city built on a hill cannot be hid.
No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl;
instead it is put on the lampstand,
where it gives light for everyone in the house.
In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do
and praise your Father in heaven.
Jesus said,
‘You are like a light for the whole world.’
What does he mean? How can you be a light for the world?

ST THOMAS’ PRIMARY SCHOOL CLAREMONT
CONFIRMATION RETREAT PROGRAM
FRIDAY JULY 24 2009
9.00 – 9.15 Getting to know you session
Ice breaker Activity – The Journey of life
Stepping stones—the people who guide us through life.
9.15 – 10.30 Symbols
Examine the symbols for Confirmation
Dove, flames, oil
Create a prayer, decorate a candle.
10.30 – 10.50 Morning Tea Break
10.50 – 11.50 Gifts and Fruits
Students explore the gifts and fruits of the spirit.
Create gift boxes and a banner.
11.50-12.30 Prayer ceremony ‘Light to the World’
Reflect on the passage from the Gospel of Matthew 5:14-16
Construct a Penitential Rite, Opening prayer, Prayers of Intercession and Closing Prayer.

The Journey of Life
In this activity we ask you to form two teams. The aim of the game is to get all of the members of your team to the other side. The pathway is only know by your leaders. You will need to listen to their instructions and try to help each other across the stream.

Reflection
How is crossing the stream like life?
It’s about finding the right way to go …
sometimes it’s easy…
sometimes you might take a wrong step
but you can always begin again.
Once you find the way you have the knowledge and wisdom and you can use what you have learned
to help and lead others.
Working together makes getting through easier.
The Holy Spirit will help and guide you through life,
give you the courage to begin again
and help you to discover new knowledge and understanding as you go through life.
Your team is like the Church,
there to help you through and guide you.

What fruits of the Spirit and qualities would you like to
develop in your life…
What would you like people to say about you?

When admiring good qualities in others, we are experiencing God calling us from within to develop these qualities or ideals ourselves. This call grows stronger within us as we try to develop these qualities ourselves, and regret times when we have behaved in ways that are the opposite to these ideals.

Fruits of the Spirit
But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23

Journal Page
Spend some time reflecting on the people who help
and guide you in life.
Write down the names of these people.
Who do you most look up to and admire …
What is it about that person that you really respect and like?
What qualities do they have?

Fruits of the Spirit
But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control.
Galatians 5:22-23

Symbols
In the sacrament of Confirmation, different symbols are used to reflect different aspects of the Holy Spirit. The Bishop represents and reminds us that we belong to the global Church. During the Rite of Confirmation he ‘lays his hands’ over the candidates to indicate the coming of the Holy Spirit .
Later in the ceremony the Bishop anoints each candidate with the Oil of Chrism. The oil reminds us of the spiritual strength offered to us in Confirmation.
The Sign of the Cross is drawn on the forehead with the oil. Through this action we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, confirming our commitment as a follower of Christ.
The flames and the dove remind us of the first Pentecost when the Spirit changed and empowered the Apostles to follow in the footsteps of Christ.

My image is…
I chose this image because …
It represents the gift of…
This gift is important because…

Gifts of the Holy Spirit
In silence spend some time looking at the pictures
on the floor.
Each photo represents one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Choose one of the images and reflect on the gift of the Holy Spirit that this photo represents.
Move to the box that is labelled with the name of the gift you have chosen.
Share your thoughts about why your picture represents
this gift.
Paste your picture on the box, taking care to not cover the label or tape.

My special prayer to the Holy Spirit

Healing is your touch Oh Lord
Describe how you felt while having
your hands massaged with oil.

Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Spirit of Wisdom helps us to sense what is true and right, and discover answers to personal questions and difficulties.
What are the questions I have about life? How can Jesus help me?
The Spirit of Understanding is the ability to understand what God has revealed through Jesus about living a Christian life.
What does God want of me? How does God want me to live my life?
The Spirit of Knowledge is the ability to know Jesus’ teachings and to put them into practice when making choices in life.
What do I know about Jesus and his teachings?
The Spirit of Right Judgement is the ability to make decisions that are consistent with the teachings of Jesus.
When have I chosen to do something because I knew it was what Jesus teaches is right?

Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Spirit of Courage is the ability to resist temptations and pressures from others and follow the teachings of Jesus.
What has been a difficult teaching of Jesus to follow?
The Spirit of Reverence is the desire to do God’s will as Jesus did by showing respect and honour to God.
How do I show respect to God?
The Spirit of Wonder and Awe is the ability to sense God’s presence within creation and oneself.
What do I wonder about? What is my favourite thing in creation? Where do I feel/sense God?