Confirmation Update
Rescheduled Confirmations from Spring 2020 - Now Happening!
Postponed celebrations of Confirmations will be celebrated October 3-November 15. There will a maximum of young adults and their families making their Confirmation at each celebration.
If there is a Confirmation at a weekend Mass, the children and their families will sit together in the front section of church -- one pew per family, marked with “reserved” signs.
Please review this PDF of What to Expect for Confirmation. It includes details of getting in the church, where to sit, where to stand, and more.
Still Need to Reschedule Your Young Adult's Confirmation from Spring 2020?
If you still need to schedule your child's First Communion or Confirmation, please email Kevin Chears at kchears@stgertrudechicago.org or call the Rectory at 773.764.3621.
Date TBA Confirmation Celebration for Spring 2021
Sacramental preparation for 2021 will begin with a parent meeting for 7th-grade students in their first year of preparation for Confirmation. It will be held in October via Zoom at a date and time to be announced. When you register for Religious Education, please indicate that your child is due to start sacramental preparation on your registration form.
Please fill out this sacramental form and email it to stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org.
Meetings for the parents of 8th-grade Confirmation candidates in their second year of preparation for Confirmation will also be scheduled. We are waiting to hear about a date for Confirmation from the Archdiocese.
Confirmation Requirements
Students must have completed two full consecutive years of classes either at a Catholic school or by taking Religious Ed before celebrating their Confirmation.
Current 8th graders in NCA or enrolled in our Religious Ed program are undergoing year two of Confirmation preparation now.
Current 7th graders in NCA or in our Religious Ed program are in year one of of Confirmation preparation now. They will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in the spring of 2021.
The Religious Education program at St. Gertrude’s begins Tuesday, October 20 and concludes in May. Classes for the 2020-2021 school year will be held online This school year, our Religious Ed classes will move to Tuesday evenings at 7:00 pm. Lessons will be held on Zoom and will be no longer than 45 minutes per session.
Registration is now open for our Religious Ed program! Please use this fillable PDF form, save it, and email it to me at kchears@stgertrudechicago.org.
Confirmation Sacramental Form/Fee
There is a Sacramental Fee of $50 per child. Please fill out this sacramental form and email it to stgertrude1420@stgertrudechicago.org.
Confirmation
An Update on Religious Education and First Communion and Confirmation Catch-Ups
On Friday, September 11, Jim Potthast, our Coordinator of Religious Education and Youth Ministry, resigned his position here at St. Gertrude. His unexpected and swift departure has left us in a bind. In fact, that weekend we had expected to begin celebrations of First Communion and Confirmation (postponed because of the pandemic), as well as the start of Religious Education classes.
We’re working hard to schedule the First Communions and Confirmations that were to be made in the spring. The new plan is that they will be celebrated each weekend beginning October 3 through November 15. Each celebration will be limited to six children/young adults and their families. Rectory staff will be reaching out to these families to schedule a date and time this week!
We are working out the details of the sacramental preparation programs for 2021 First Communion and Confirmation.
As for Religious Education classes, registration will begin next weekend, with online classes beginning in mid-October.
If you have a question regarding rescheduled sacraments, date preferences, or suggestions about Religious Ed classes, please reach out to Kevin Chears at kchears@stgertrudechicago.org.
I am very sorry for all the families who have been adversely affected by this turn of events. Hopefully, in a few more weeks, things will be back to a regular schedule. Thank you to all of you for your patience and understanding!
~ Fr. Rich
