At IHM, we honor the fact that parents are the primary educators of their children, and we view our Faith Formation & Sacrament process as support/reinforcement of what parents are already doing.
 
Here are some ways for parents to be involved in the Confirmation preparation process:

• Attend Mass as a family.  Family Mass attendance is foundational to everything we are working together to instill in our young people as they prepare to live out their faith in their daily lives, now and in their future. 
• Make family meal-time a priority.  Eating a meal together regularly, wherever you are able to gather (at home or away) is a great way to connect!

• Click here to read "10 Tips for Better Family Mealtimes"
•  Celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation (a.k.a. Confession/Penance) as a family. This sacrament is offered weekly on Saturday afternoon or by appointment.
• Have family discussions after Candidate Sessions. As your teen about what they talked about that day in Confirmation prep.  See if they have any questions about the topic of the day. 
• Provide snacks and/or volunteer to set-up and clean-up the snacks.  Sign up at the orientation! Teens love snacks and parents are the ones to provide this for them. Please send non-perishable snacks to the sessions with your candidate and we will store what we don't use immediately for later use. 
• Be a Small Group Facilitator. Our monthly Family sessions work in small groups.  As a facilitator, you help keep the conversation going (no teaching required!)
• Encourage candidate responsibility: We support parents to encourage their teen to partner with you in the responsibility of keeping track of dates and deadlines for the Confirmation program and to contact us if a conflict or concern should arise. Partner with them!