Our goal as a program is to provide a setting that is safe, fun, engaging, and inviting in which students are encouraged to deepen their faith and relationship with God, the church community, and each other. We hope that our program helps teenagers to grow in their knowledge and excitement about their faith, and become more fully involved in the church community. We encourage students to challenge themselves and to ask tough questions about the faith. We also hope to instill an attitude of justice and service into all of our students as they prepare to become fully initiated into the Catholic Church. We pray that students who complete the Visitation Confirmation Program will be prepared to live out their catholic faith for the rest of their lives, always in search of God’s truth.

Our Program is a 2 year process in preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation that follows the Archdiocese of Los Angeles guidelines for Confirmation. Our curriculum for classes comes from Life Teen's Purpose Confirmation Program.

Visitation Church's Confirmation Program is designed to be flexible. We understand that teens have more and more demands for their time these days. That is why we have built in the ability to choose the sessions that work for you. This year there will be at least 20 sessions before the confirmation ceremony. Students will have the option to choose a minimum of 10 sessions that they are interested in attending. This way, students can choose topics that they are interested in as well as ones that fit their schedule. Sessions will be held on Sundays starting at 11:00pm and ending at 1:30pm. This includes attendance at the 11:00am mass. All sessions will be held in person unless we are directed otherwise. Service days will normally be held on Saturdays. Requirements to enter and complete the program can be found in the sections below.

The Confirmation Program at Visitation Church has these pre-registration requirements:

1. Students in our Confirmation program must be in high school throughout their participation in the two
year process. If you are a senior and wish to get confirmed, please speak to the Coordinator.

2. Students must have been baptized before starting Confirmation program. If student has not had their First Communion, please talk to program coordinator to set one up.

3. Copies of Baptism and First Communion certificates are required at the time of registration.

1. Students are required to attend a minimum of 10 sessions each year. Students are welcome, and encouraged to attend as many sessions as they would like.

2. Mass attendance is a pivotal part of our catholic faith. While we do not keep track of mass attendance, families should be attending masses together every Sunday. Students will be asked to take on responsibilities during the masses. Responsibilities include, Altar Serving, Reading, and Ushering. Parents are encouraged to attend mass with their teens and get involved with them.

3. Service is an important part of our process. Throughout the year we will be offering group service days (at least 4). Students in the program are required to participate in 1 group service day per year. Teens may also submit a request to participate in service outside of what we have prepared; any outside service must be pre-approved by the Coordinator.

4. All students are required to attend an overnight retreat during their second year of confirmation preparation. See Retreats section below for more info.

5. All students are required to pick a sponsor by the end of October. See Parent/ Sponsor section for more info.

6. Students are required to pick the name that will be used as their confirmation name by the end of their first year. Traditionally this is either the baptismal name or the name of a saint. Students must do a short write up (1-2 paragraphs) about why they chose the name they chose.

Retreats are an opportunity for teens to deepen their relationship with God as well as become closer to their fellow Confirmandi. There will be a retreat, held in the early Spring. This is a weekend retreat that is required to be confirmed that will take place off site at a retreat center. If for any reason you cannot attend our retreat, please let me know as soon as possible so that we can find a replacement retreat. For more information on dates please refer to the calendar provided or ask the Coordinator.

This year we will be offering students the opportunity to attend Inspiration Los Angeles with us. This event takes place at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia. This event has great music, engaging speakers, and thrill rides! There will be praise and worship, adoration, and lots of fun. This event will take place on November 4th 2023. For confirmation students the cost is $25. For all other teens who would like to attend the cost is $55.

Along with the retreat and Inspiration, we give all of our students the opportunity to attend Youth Day at the Anaheim Convention Center. Youth Day is part of the Religious Education Congress that is put on by the Archdiocese each year. This day has music and speakers that are geared towards teenagers. This year, youth day is scheduled for February 15th, 2024. Signup for youth day will be later on in the year. Please visit the archdiocesan website or ask Geremy Brosmer for more information on Youth Day.  

Students who would like to attend any of our field trip opportunities, please indicate that on your registration form below.

We believe that the parents are the main source of religious education and faith sharing for their children. That being said we invite all parents and sponsors to join us at our masses. We encourage parents to continue the discussion we have in class in their home. We also welcome parents’ help. Please contact the coordinator if you are interested. Parents will receive a parent newsletter before each session which includes topics that the students are learning about and questions to spark discussion between parent and teen.

Sponsors are an important part of the confirmation process. We ask that students select a sponsor within their first few weeks of being involved in our program. This allows sponsors to be involved for the entire process. The archdiocese requires sponsors to be:

1. At least 16 years old
2. Not the parent of the candidate
3. Baptized and Confirmed in the Roman Catholic Church
4. Faithfully attending mass weekly and on Holy Days of Obligation.  
5. Receiving the other sacraments regularly and if  married, married within the laws of the church

Sponsors will be asked to meet with the student once a month to discuss what we have been talking about in class and to guide students on their faith journey. They may also be asked to attend a few events/ rituals throughout the two years. Please choose your sponsor carefully.

Tuition is due at the time of registration and covers everything that is provided in the program (excluding certain voluntary trips). There are no extra fees. Our tuition is $250 per student each year for a total of $500 for the entire program. If you have any concerns about tuition please contact the program coordinator to discuss a solution. It is our goal to confirm every teen that enters our program. No student will be turned away because of financial difficulties.