Upper Middle & High School

Overview of the 7th-11th Grade Program

The St. Gabriel Faith Formation Program exists to help parents in the shaping of youth as disciples (i.e., friends and followers) of Christ, and to set them up for an adult life lived in harmony with God. 

Hoped-for outcomes of our Upper Middle and High School Program include:

  • Closer companionship with the Lord
  • Participation in the prayer, worship, and sacramental life of the Church
  • The sharing of one’s time, talent, and/or treasure with others as a gift of self
  • Increased curiosity and knowledge of the faith, including a desire to be confirmed
  • The grounding of one’s life activities in one’s identity as a son or daughter of God

Our Approach to Faith Formation & Confirmation Preparation

Raising children and youth in the practice of the Catholic faith, and preparing them to receive the three Sacraments of Christian Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist) is a joint effort between parents and the parish.

Preparation for Confirmation, specifically, is a multi-year endeavor because it’s about forming a human person to be a lifelong friend and follower of Our Savior.  Confirmation is about taking on a way of life and committing oneself to a set of values, principles, beliefs, and practices that guide and shape everyday life as an adult in the world.

Because of this, preparation for Confirmation happens in three broad stages throughout a person’s early life: remote, proximate, and immediate preparation.

Infancy through 8th Grade (Remote Preparation for Confirmation)

The formation of children as disciples of Christ is handled primarily by the parents and the Catholic culture they create within the home.  Children learn the faith by the everyday example their parents give them.

This time is focused on building good habits of faith (for example: learning and practicing forgiveness, kindness, self-esteem, respect for others, awe and wonder of God and creation, language, giving time for prayer, participating in Sunday Mass, how to converse with peers vs adults, being thankful, and the like).

These years also involve a cumulative learning of the basics of the Catholic faith, including basic prayers.  The parish Faith Formation program exists to help parents with this catechetical work, which builds upon itself year-after-year in faith formation, from Kindergarten onward.

Components of the Program: 7th & 8th Grade

9th and 10th Grade (Proximate Preparation for Confirmation)

The formation of youth as disciples of Christ is still under the care of parents and shaped by the everyday example they give of Catholic living.  But now the students and the parish community begin to build a bond between themselves that begins to shape them also to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in a couple of years.

This time of disciple formation and Confirmation preparation is focused on bringing the student into the life of the wider Church.  In addition to class sessions, this time of preparation includes:

  • service projects that call forth the student’s God-given abilities and interests
  • spiritual journaling or some expression of personal faith in God
  • beginning to build a relationship with church leaders as mentors in the faith
  • deeper exploration of faith topics already learned in younger ages

This time of Confirmation preparation also involves:

  • the selection of a Confirmation name
  • the selection of a Confirmation sponsor
  • the introduction of Confirmation as a Sacrament of Christian Initiation and its significance in the students’ life as a friend and follower of Christ into adulthood

Components of the Program: 9th & 10th Grade

11th Grade (Immediate Preparation for Confirmation)

The formation of youth as disciples of Christ and as candidates for Confirmation is handled primarily between between the student, his/her sponsor, and the parish.  This time of preparation is focused on:

  • the Sacrament of Confirmation itself and its lifelong effects
  • deeper catechesis regarding Baptism and the Eucharist and their lifelong effects
  • the ritual of Confirmation and the signs and symbols the student will encounter
  • more intensive personal spiritual reflection
  • writing a letter to the Bishop, expressing the student’s desire to be confirmed
  • a Confirmation retreat
  • the student’s formal request to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation
  • an informal “Confirmation conversation” between the student and Father to talk about faith and how the student views his or her upcoming adult life as a confirmed Catholic

Components of the Program: 11th Grade (Confirmation)

Click Here to Register for 2026-27 Faith Formation Classes