Sacrament of Confirmation

At Confirmation, Christ seals us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that we can be better equipped to spread the Gospel like the Apostles at Pentecost. But it’s not enough to just receive these gifts. We have to accept them and choose to use them.

Confirmation Retreats with NET Ministries

The Diocese of Des Moines is excited to partner with NET Ministries for this year’s confirmation retreat. NET Ministries is a missionary organization that focuses on inviting Catholic youth into a deeper relationship with their community and Jesus. During NET Retreats, youth play games, hear a Gospel message, and participate in a time of prayer.

This will be an overnight retreat at the St. Thomas More Center in Panora, IA, starting on Friday evening and ending Sunday after Mass. This retreat will be offered in the fall (September 20-22, 2024) and the spring (May 9-11, 2025).

Parish Confirmation Retreats

Below is the list of confirmation retreats planned across the Diocese. If you have a student who needs to attend a different parish retreat, please reach out to the contact for that retreat to make arrangements.

“Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” – Acts of the Apostles 2:3-4

FAQs

Frequently asked questions about the Rite of Confirmation.

What is the age for Confirmation in the Diocese of Des Moines?

Confirmation requires two years of preparation in the 9th and 10th grades, with the Rite of Confirmation being received during 10th grade.

What are the requirements for Confirmation sponsors?

The Code of Canon Law stipulates requirements for sponsors.

Can. 892 Insofar as possible, there is to be a sponsor for the person to be confirmed; the sponsor is to take care that the confirmed person behaves as a true witness of Christ and faithfully fulfills the obligations inherent in this sacrament.

Can. 893 §1. To perform the function of sponsor, a person must fulfill the conditions mentioned in can. 874. 2. It is desirable to choose as sponsor the one who undertook the same function in baptism.

Can. 874 §1. To be permitted to take on the function of sponsor a person must:

1/ be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the person who takes their place, or in their absence by the pastor or minister and have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function;
2/ have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the diocesan bishop has established another age, or the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause;
3/ be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on;
4/ not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared;
5/ not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized.

2. A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism.