Confirmation Retreats

We invite your parish's Confirmation class and other high school youth to experience the tranquility of this holy place through a variety of experiences. Parish groups are invited to help structure the focus of their own retreat by choosing up to four of the workshops that your students will experience.  As always, we celebrate Reconciliation and share a delicious dinner at all of our Confirmation retreats. If you have any questions please contact Terry Kamradt directly at tkamradt@holyfamilyretreat.org or 860-760-9755.

Your Retreat Experience

As part of your Confirmation Retreat planning, please take a few moments to look through the available workshop offerings and choose the four activities that would most fit the goals you have chosen for your students. The Youth and Young Adult Ministry Team is here to answer questions and provide more information should you need it.  We do suggest that you balance your day with workshop choices that vary in activity level and focus so that your students encounter a variety of different experiences. 

  • Activity Level Rating follows each description: 1 – low, 2 – medium, 3 – high

    Lectio Divina – Use  Scripture to help us draw closer to God . Passages can be chosen to highlight Confirmation, Pentecost, Mary, a certain saint, or something on the liturgical calendar—you pick. (2)

    Centering Prayer – Learn how to turn off the anxieties of the day and focus on God’s love for us (1)

    Explore the Labyrinth – Take a walk through the woods to our beautiful labyrinth, learn about how labyrinths have been used for centuries for prayer and experience this prayer practice first hand (2, weather permitting)

    Guided Meditation – Use a Scripture passage appropriate for those preparing for Confirmation to imagine spending time in conversation with Jesus (1)

  • Activity Level Rating follows each description: 1 – low, 2 – medium, 3 – high

    Symbols of Confirmation – Take some time to talk about the reason for the symbols of fire and wind by exploring the account of Pentecost from the Acts of the Apostles (2)

    What Am I? – Appreciate the unique child of God that you are by creating a poem that showcases you on the occasion of this important sacrament. (2)

    Music and Mandala Making – Create a beautiful, frameable mandala with a Confirmation theme while listening to some traditional choices for Confirmation liturgy songs. (1)

  • Activity Level Rating follows each description: 1 – low, 2 – medium, 3 – high

    Two Feet of Love – Explore the difference between social justice and charity to be better informed about carrying out Jesus’ call of service (3)

    Jesus and the Leper – After hearing the story of Jesus healing a leper, students will engage in conversation about who are lepers in our society and how we are called to serve them as Jesus did. (2)

  • Activity Level Rating follows each description: 1 – low, 2 – medium, 3 – high

    What Will I Sacrifice? – Using an engaging activity, students are confronted with having to decide what are the most important things in their lives and where they place God on their priority list. (3)

    A Millennial Saint:  What the Life of Carlo Acutis Can Teach Young People – (video presentation with conversation) In 2025, Carlo Acutis will be beatified.  His lifestyle, interests and work have had an enormous impact on the lives of young people who are attracted by his optimism and pure message.  This workshop will introduce Bl. Carlo to your students and impress upon them the idea that saints aren’t all from years and years ago.  With conversation and small group discussion, your students may see that they, too, can become saints.  (2)

  • Activity Level Rating follows each description: 1 – low, 2 – medium, 3 – high

    Stepping Stones – In small groups, have a conversation about who you admire, what gifts they possess that draw them to you, and what gifts of the Holy Spirit you most look forward to receiving. (2)

    What Am I Here For? – Begin to think about what you were created for and trust that God has a plan for you. (2)

    Step Forward, Step Back – Get a sense of where you are in terms of your faith journey when you compare it to others your age.  Be reminded that it’s God’s time that matters, not ours, and that everyone’s path is different. (3)

    Journey of Faith – Students are invited to reflect on their faith journeys so far, starting with Baptism and with a conversation about how faith is practiced in their homes—all with an eye toward putting their Confirmation in focus. (2)

    Jenga for Jesus – A raucous and fun way to be reminded of Jesus’ love for us as we leave the more formal part of our catechesis (3)

  • All retreats are from 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.

    October 6, 2024
    October 20, 2024
    November 10, 2024
    November 17, 2024
    February 2, 2025
    February 9, 2025
    March 2, 2025
    March 16, 2025
    March 30, 2025

To schedule your group’s retreat, please contact Terry Kamradt directly at tkamradt@holyfamilyretreat.org or 860-760-9755 or complete the form below. We can often accommodate small groups on alternate dates; please call to see how we can welcome your students on these unpublished dates.

Parish Confirmation Retreat Interest Form

This form is for parishes only; if you are looking to register a single student, please contact Terry Kamradt directly at kamradt@holyfamilyretreat.org or 860-760-9755

Submitting this request form does not guarantee that the date is reserved for your group. We will contact you within 48 hours of receiving this request to confirm that the date is still available and that we will be able to welcome your group on the date that you submitted.  Please note, too, that some workshops are dependent on the facilitators that we have with us on the day of your retreat; should there be any conflict, we will do our best to choose a similar workshop in place of your preferred choice.