Sacrament of Confirmation 2026

Young People of the Parish

Year 8/9 September 2025

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Young people who will be in Year 8/9 from September 2025 will be eligible to join the 2026 Confirmation Programme.

 

Application forms are available at the rear of the church by the church flyers & magazines. Please read all the details attached, complete the Application Form, GDPR document & Code of Conduct, and retain the covering letter with important information and dates. Please attach a copy of baptism certificate if baptised outside the Parish of St Anselm’s and return to the parish office at 9 Tooting Bec Road no later than Friday 3rd October 2025.

 

Failure to return the completed documents by the closing date will mean deferring until the 2027 programme.

 

Canon William Hebborn, Parish Priest

& Confirmation Catechetical Team

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Confirmation Programme 2026

 

Do you have a child who will be starting Year 8 or 9 this September? If so, they might wish to take part in the Confirmation programme for the coming year, which is aimed primarily at Years 8 and 9 (we do accept young people from Year 10 as well).

 

The sacrament of Confirmation is the last of the ‘sacraments of initiation’, completing and perfecting Baptism, and it empowers those who receive it to make a full commitment to a Christian life, publicly professing and defending the faith. The rite of Confirmation is ordinarily performed by a Bishop, who anoints the candidate on the forehead with the oil of chrism, saying ‘be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit’. The gesture of laying on of the hand is a sign of being set apart, to take on a task of self-sacrifice, and of witness to Christ. The anointing with oil is a sign of being united with Christ, the anointed one, and of taking on his triple office as a prophet, priest and king. Those who are Confirmed receive the seal of the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit – wisdom, understanding, right judgement, courage, knowledge, reverence, fear of the Lord. The candidate, becoming a full member of the Church, is expected to live the faith, defend it, share it with others.

 

We would warmly encourage your son or daughter to take part in the Confirmation programme, which will prepare them to receive the sacrament. Our aim, in the St Anselm’s Confirmation programme, to give the young people who take part the intellectual and spiritual resources they need to make a personal choice to be Confirmed. We cover a series of topics, concerned with the sacraments, and with various aspects of the Christian life, relevant to Confirmation, and we encourage the young people to discuss everything, to think about everything, to ask questions: we want them to feel comfortable and secure enough to be able to say what is on their mind, to ask the questions they want to ask; and we try to ensure that in every session the young people have opportunities to discuss things in small groups. After an induction in late autumn, the sessions take place weekly, Wednesday evening from January to May (except for school holiday periods). Additionally, all candidates are expected to attend weekly Mass and a Confirmation Retreat (TBC). We will also be asking for a donation of £50 per family to cover the materials, certificates, refreshments and pizza at the social at the end of the programme. BACS transfer: Ref: Conf2026. Barclays Bank plc. Sort Code: 20-21-78. Account: 40492728 or Cash in an envelope marked Conf2026 and delivered to the parish office with the application form by Friday 3rd October 2025.

 

We are conscious that the young people are often leading busy lives, and we try, in these sessions, to give them an opportunity to take a little time out, to stop and to reflect on their lives, and their faith.

 

If your son or daughter would like to take part, please let us know by Friday 3rd October by completing the Application Form, GDPR & Code of Conduct forms (all sections) available at the rear of the Church and return to the parish office, together with a copy of the baptismal certificate of your son or daughter (if he or she was not baptised at St Anselm’s) to: tootingbec@rcaos.org.uk. (Subject matter: Confirmation 2026). Please return to the parish office at 9 Tooting Bec Road marked Confirmation 2026 by Friday 3rd  October 2025.

Full information and schedule of the 2026 programme will be confirmed in November. Important dates for the diary: Two mandatory Parents’ Meetings: Wednesday 5th November & Wednesday 19th November at 7.30pm in the upper new hall and for all Candidates an Induction afternoon Sunday 23rd November 16.30 in the upper new hall followed by the 6.15pm Mass for all candidates and families. PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THE DATES IN YOUR DIARY.

We do hope that your son or daughter will want to participate in the programme and look forward to welcoming them in the autumn.

 

All best wishes,

Canon William & Confirmation Catechetical Team