Confirmation

About

Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, the grace of Baptism is sealed and we are strengthened to be Jesus’ witnesses to the world and called to proclaim the Gospel.

A person is fully initiated into the Catholic Church by the reception of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. In Baptism, the graces conferred are focused inward. In Confirmation, grace infuses the recipient to a deeper faith that can now be shared outward with others. Confirmation seals Baptismal grace.

With desire and preparation, we receive the Sacrament of Confirmation by an anointing with sacred chrism on our forehead, reminiscent of the anointing of kings and athletes for strength in ancient times. Confirmation is often separated from Baptism by a number of years though the two Sacraments are closely related.

Family Honor Program recordings

Session 1 (Friday night): Parents only, part 1 and part 2

Session 2 (Saturday morning opening): Parents and students, part 1 and part 2

Session 3 (Saturday afternoon):

Dads and sons
Moms and daughters, part 1 and part 2

Session 3 (Saturday afternoon conclusion): Parents and students

Youth Confirmation Registration

Confirmation Preparation

In the Diocese of Arlington and at The Basilica of Saint Mary, we prepare baptized and desiring children to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation during 8th grade (school)/year 8 (CCD), generally. The preparation process includes all of one’s religious education and formation for many years prior to 8th grade/year 8, however, in a more intentional and formal way, we begin the process in September of 8th grade/year 8, provided the student attended grade 7/year 7.

Our program uses materials and resources from Chosen and the Faith and Life series to prepare desiring youth for Confirmation. We aim to offer an exciting, thoughtful, catechetical, and challenging program to match the demands of modern culture. We also have available other resources and materials, which our catechists use as well. We require that children complete this preparation by attending our parish school, our Catechism/CCD sessions, or another approved home school or Catholic school program for a minimum of two consecutive years beginning in their 7th grade/year 7. For children in public or private non-Catholic schools, we encourage in-person attendance in our faith formation/CCD program.

Please contact the Director of Religious Education to make arrangements for a high school senior student (18 years old) or adult to prepare to receive this sacrament.

Contact Religious Education

Important Confirmation Dates

Dates for the 2024-2025 Student Confirmation Program (these are in addition to due dates for Confirmation projects):

Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 7pm – Fr. Hathaway meets with parents of Confirmation students in The Basilica of Saint Mary, 310 S. Royal Street, Alexandria, VA.
Friday, November 1, 2024 – Catholic School students register for Confirmation and Retreat. $70 fee.
Friday and Saturday, November 15-16, 2024 – Grade/Year 8 parents and students attend Family Honor Program, New Real Love & Real Life: Living the Faith Retreat in the School.
- Friday evening, 6:30-8:30pm, Session 1: parents only
- Saturday: Mass at 8:30am in the Basilica followed by 9:15-11:30am Session 2: parents and students in the School. Break. 12 Noon-2:30pm Session 3: parents and students in the School with breakout sessions
- - Dads and sons
  - Moms and daughters, part 1 and part 2 Family Honor Program recordings Session 1 (Friday night): Parents only, part 1 and part 2 Session 2 (Saturday morning opening): Parents and students, part 1 and part 2
  - Session 3 (Saturday afternoon):
  - Session 3 (Saturday afternoon conclusion): Parents and students
Saturday, February 22, 2025 retreat for boys and Saturday, March 8, 2025 retreat for girls – student Confirmation retreats are scheduled for Saturday, all day, 8:45am – after the 5pm Mass, held on the campus of The Basilica of Saint Mary. (Permission Form to attend the Retreat is part of the Sacrament of Confirmation registration). Students desiring to be Confirmed in Spring 2025 must attend a Confirmation Retreat by March 2025.
School student Interviews with priests – Monday, March 3, 2025 ~9:30-11:00 am; CCD student interviews with priests – Sunday, March 2, 2025, 10-11:15 am.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 Holy Hour for Confirmation students/families in The Basilica of Saint Mary, 6:30pm (Confessions available), 7:00pm talk by Fr. Searby, followed by 7:30pm St. Joseph Altar Blessing and Social in the Lyceum Auditorium.
Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 5pm or 7pm – Confirmation rehearsals with students and sponsors in The Basilica of Saint Mary. Students signed up for the 10:30am Confirmation Mass attend the 5pm rehearsal and students signed up for the 1:30pm Confirmation Mass attend the 7pm rehearsal. The rehearsal is about an hour.
Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 10:30am or 1:30pm – Holy Mass with the Rite of Confirmation with Bishop Michael Burbidge. Reception follows each Mass in the Courtyard or Lyceum Auditorium. Students, wearing his/her red robe, will meet in the Auditorium 40 minutes before the Confirmation Mass. Bishop Burbidge will meet with students. Sponsors will meet with the Bishop’s Master of Ceremonies in the Basilica of Saint Mary ~30 minutes before the Confirmation Mass. (A Signup Genius was sent to families on Nov. 14, 2024 to signup for a Mass).

More detailed information about the Sacrament of Confirmation and due dates for projects/paperwork can be found in the Confirmation Handbook 2024-2025

BSSM students will be given guidance by Mrs. St. Pierre on how to submit documents/projects. BSSM students need to register for the Sacrament of Confirmation: https://stmaryoldtown.org/confirmation

CCD In-person students will be given guidance by Mrs. Staron on how to submit documents/projects.

Homeschool and other Catholic School students are to submit documents/projects to the Director of Religious Education, Susan Gray at sgray@stmaryoldtown.org or mailed/brought to the parish office, 313 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA. Forms must be clearly signed. Sponsor forms must bear a priest’s signature and the parish seal.

Students in CCD/homeschool have already been registered for the Sacrament of Confirmation. To register for the Confirmation Retreat Permission Form is here.

Please contact the Director of Religious Education with any questions.

Contact Religious Education

Adult Confirmation

Adults (ages 18 and older) who are practicing Catholic and have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation/Confession, and First Holy Communion but have never received the Sacrament of Confirmation, are welcome to register for our Adult Confirmation Crash Course. Classes meet April-May. Your Catholic baptismal certificate, with notations and dated and signed in the last 6 months, is required.

The Adult Confirmation program is for practicing Catholics who attend Sunday Mass and on holy days of obligation, frequent the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Communion, and live the Precepts of the Church.

If you need to bring your marriage into the Church, please contact our office no less than 6 months before May so that our priest can assist you. Generally, the Bishop of the Arlington Diocese celebrates a Mass with the Confirmation Rite on Pentecost or another time.

Confirmation Crash Course 2025

Thursdays - May 15, 22, 29 and June 5, 2025, 7:00-8:30 p.m. in-person for Adults (18 years and older) who are baptized Catholic.

Name*
First Middle Last
Address*
Street Address City State ZIP Code
Phone (preferred)*
Phone (secondary)
Email*
Occupation*
Date of Birth*
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Place of Birth (City, State)*
Father's Full Name
First Middle Last
Mother's Full Name
First Middle Maiden Name
For Sacramental record keeping, please provide your mother's full maiden name.
Sacraments
Have you been baptized?*
If you are not baptized, we invite you to register for our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program. You can find out more here.
Date of Baptism
Please provide as best as possible your baptismal information.
MM slash DD slash YYYY
Name of Church
Denomination*
If you were baptized in another Christian tradition using the words "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" using water (either submerged or poured over you) the Catholic Church recognizes your baptism as valid. We invite you to register for our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program through which we will help prepare you to be received into the Catholic Church. You can find out more here.
Address of Church of Baptism
Please submit a copy of your Catholic Baptism or Catholic Profession of Faith (issued in the last six months with notations) a week before the first class meeting (see current year schedule or contact DRE for more details at (703)836-4100).

Street Address City State ZIP Code
Have you previously received instruction in the Catholic Faith or Sacrament preparation?*
When and where?*
Have you received these sacraments in the Catholic Church?
This is asking if you have received some or all of these sacraments.
Penance (Confession/Reconciliation)*
Please tell us when (month and year is acceptable) and where (list the name of the Catholic Church along with location).
Eucharist (Holy Communion)*
Please tell us when (month and year is acceptable) and where (list the name of the Catholic Church along with location).
If you have not made your first confession or First Holy Communion, we invite you to register for our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program. During RCIA classes you will receive a systematic presentation of the Catholic Faith and be prepared to make your first confession, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. You can find out more here.
Regular Faith Practice
We invite all Christians and Catholics to pray daily and attend Mass on Sundays, Faith Formation is a continuing lifelong conversion turning our hearts, bodies, minds and spirits to the Lord, Jesus Christ. We encounter Him most fully in the Mass and the Sacraments. We encourage you to come to Mass at the Basilica and participate in the life of the parish. You can see our Mass and Confession times here. Ever wonder what is happening in the Mass? You can watch the Mass Explained with Fr. David here. Looking for inspiration to go to Mass every Sunday and Holy days of Obligation (as proscribed by the Precepts of the Catholic Church) or even daily! Watch Fr. Mike Schmitz Ascension Presents video on Motivation to Go to Catholic Mass.
Do you attend Sunday Mass each week at a Catholic Church?*
Do you attend The Basilica of Saint Mary regularly for Mass?*
Are you registered at The Basilica of Saint Mary?*
New to the area? Never registered at the parish? You can find out more on our parish website and register online here.
Are you involved in other faith groups or activities?
Why have you chosen The Basilica of Saint Mary for your preparation for Confirmation?*
Marital Status*
We want to help identify and resolve any possible obstacles to practicing the Catholic Faith and being fully initiated into the Church.
- Single
- Engaged
- Married
- Divorced, not remarried
- Divorced and remarried
Catholic Marriage?*
If married, please provide the Catholic marriage certificate to the RE office as soon as possible.
Catholic Church law ordinarily requires baptized Roman Catholics to marry before a priest or deacon. Unless they receive a "dispensation from canonical form," Catholics who exchange vows in the presence of ministers from other religious traditions or civil officials are not considered validly married in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

Regardless of what happened in the past, the Catholic Church invites you to bring new meaning to your lives by embracing the vocation of marriage and dedicating your family's mission to sharing God's love.

In order to be prepared for and receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, you will be asked to meet with a priest to ascertain if your marriage is valid or, if necessary, prepare for and exchange your vows in line with the Rite of Marriage before being Confirmed.

Please refer to our website here for further information and instructions on how to connect with a priest.
Phone
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Adult Confirmation Registration

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

About

Confirmation Preparation

Important Confirmation Dates

Adult Confirmation

Confirmation Crash Course 2025

Sacraments

Have you received these sacraments in the Catholic Church?

Regular Faith Practice