Changes to Confirmation Prep and D-Groups

STMA Catholic Youth Ministry is something special. Not only do we have three full-time and two part-time youth ministers serving more than 700 students a year in grades 4-12, but we see the fruits year after year in the number of teens who stay involved in ministry and parish life through high school and beyond, in young adults serving as missionaries, in vocations to priesthood and religious life, and in holy Catholic marriages and growing families.

We are also blessed to have a Youth Ministry team that is constantly striving to meet teens where they are and call them into deeper relationship with Jesus through fellowship, formation, prayer, and the sacraments. This means reexamining what we are doing to see what works and changing our approach to better serve our teens and kids.

To that end, this year we are tweaking our approach to Confirmation preparation and discipleship small groups, or D-groups. 

Four years ago, we transitioned from traditional Confirmation classes in grades 9 and 10 to focusing on D-groups and offering Confirmation as early as grade 8. D-groups started at the beginning of the 8^th-grade year and became conflated with Confirmation prep. The number of groups and leaders needed for all the 8^th-graders interested in Confirmation quickly became huge, and many students, once confirmed, were not interested in continuing with a group or needed further evangelization and formation before they could really embrace discipleship.

Starting this fall:

• Steps for preparing for Confirmation will be clear and separate from D-groups. Get complete details on Confirmation preparation on the Confirmation webpage.
• We will also be offering a new opportunity for students to grow their faith on Wednesday nights. Alpha Youth Nights will enable 8^th-graders to explore the Gospel twice monthly, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Sessions will include dinner, games, teaching, and small group time. Find details on our Alpha Youth Nights webpage.

We have need of adult volunteers to lead Alpha Youth small groups on Wednesday nights this year. This is a great way to help share the gospel message with our young people and apply it in our own lives. For more information or to volunteer, please email Hollie Danis.

D-groups will be still offered for teens in grades 8-12 who desire them, but they will begin at the end of the 8^th-grade year, not the beginning. Information about D-groups can be found on our Youth Ministry homepage.