The Way

The Way Program

At St. Mary Magdalene, we do not separate “Youth Group (the Way)” and “Confirmation Class.”  All high school teens attend “The Way” and receive their required Sacramental formation through their participation in our program for 2 consecutive years.

What is The Way:
Our high school ministry program is entitled 'The Way' because Christ tells us in the Gospel of John, 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, the life.  No one shall come to my father except through me." The Way meets on Sunday evenings from 7:15pm - 8:30pm. Youth Mass is held on these Sundays at 6:00 pm in the church. The program begins in the church immediately following Mass. From there, the teens get together with their small groups and rotate to different room rotations to learn and discuss different topics each week.

Confirmation General Information
At St. Mary Magdalene, we do not separate “Youth Ministry” (The Way) and “Confirmation Class.” All high school teens attend “The Way” and receive their required Sacramental formation for Confirmation through their participation in our program for two consecutive years. At STMM, teens are able to receive Confirmation in Spring of 10th grade at the earliest.  Our program is a big commitment that we take very seriously. A teen should enroll and participate in Confirmation when they feel they are ready and they should be making this choice of their own free will.

Participation Requirements for Confirmation

• The Way: Regularly attend The Way for 2 consecutive years  (no more than 5 absences each year out of the 24 sessions offered. That's a 20% absence policy). 
   
• Retreat: Attend ONE high school retreat with St. Mary Magdalene over the course of your 2 years of Confirmation prep. StMM offers 2 retreats each year for high school teens to meet this requirement. One retreat is in August and one is in February of each school year. If a participant is unable to make one of these retreats, it is their responsibility to attend a Confirmation retreat at another parish within the Diocese of Raleigh. StMM will need an email or note from the parish where they attended the retreat.
   
• Parent Confirmation Info Meeting: Parents attend one required information meeting. This year it will be the first night of TheWay. Teens will break into their small groups, and parents will stay in the Sanctuary with Niki to go over everything they need to know If parents attended a Confirmation workshop the previous year for another child, they do not have to attend back-to-back years. 
   
• Sponsor: Teen selects a sponsor who is a baptized Catholic, of at least 16 years of age, who received First Communion and Confirmation. Parents may not be sponsors.
   
• Registered Parishioner: Family is expected to be registered and contributing parishioners at St. Mary Magdalene before enrolling in Confirmation. Sacraments can only  be prepared for at the parish in which you are reginstered.For information on becoming a registered parishioner, please contact info@stmm.net.
   
• Service: Teens are asked to find a cause or project out in our community and spend some time volunteering in service. There is no minimum hour required. Each semester, we organize a group service afternoon with “Miracle League.” We also often direct teens to serve locally with Brown Bag Ministries. Other options are to volunteer with the Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity, etc. 
   
• Paperwork: At the beginning of Year 2 of a teen’s Confirmation preparation, they will receive an email asking them to set up an account where they will upload their baptismal certificate & complete the online forms.   This paperwork is an integral part of Confirmation preparation and must be completed on a timely basis. Paperwork/online documents are handled by Sarah Sansone who can be reached at Confirmation@stmm.net.

What happens if they don’t meet the requirements?
If a teen misses more than the minimum required number of sessions, they will be placed in a 'deferred' status and are required to attend The Way for an additional year. They will then be on track to receive the sacrament the following year.  

ADULT CONFIRMATION
Adult Confirmation at St. Mary Magdalene is for Catholics over the age of 18 who did not receive the Sacrament of Confirmation at an earlier age.

Requirements for an adult seeking to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation include:

• Have had a Catholic baptism
   
• Have received First Reconciliation
   
• Have received First Eucharist
   
• Have submitted a copy of baptismal certificate with sacrament dates noted to the Parish Office
   
• Have attended the catechetical sessions required for adult Confirmation