HS Program

Dear parents and young people, Welcome to our Thursday evening program for high school youth (9th through 12th grades). St. Edwin parish gladly receives families who find fulfillment in belonging to a local Catholic-Christian community, look forward each Sunday to the celebration of the Eucharist and seek to deepen their faith through regular instruction. There are a number of reasons why young people enroll in our program: The first and most common is to prepare for reception of the sacrament of Confirmation. Secondly, however, we have a growing number of young people who come to us without First Holy Communion and even Baptism. They begin an extended program culminating in the reception of the necessary sacraments. Finally, for young people who have already been confirmed and wish to continue faith and friendship building among their peers, we offer our growing “Already Confirmed Club.” Find the information here! We offer a complete high school Confirmation program with four components: 1) Sunday Mass, even in the summer season when we do not have classes. Participation in the Eucharist forms the foundation of our program and all that we do here as a parish. Over the time of instruction each family completes five quarters (four months each) with at least 75% attendance. Find out how to strategize, so as not to arrive at the end of a quarter without the required attendance here.* To be ready to face challenges inevitably arising from a youth summer job, see here. 2) Weekly evening classes under the direction of our dedicated Confirmation team. Keep up with your instructor’s announcements here. 3) “Learning,” which includes knowing the prayers and other important components of our faith. You can find the material here. 4) Service by the students at our parish events, especially at our Sunday food offerings, two annual festivals and Advent Posada. There are other events as well, conveniently scheduled on Thursday evenings. We ask for one “help” each quarter. Click here for more information. You may track your progress in these four areas here. We divide our program into quarters, each one being four months. Students begin the second Thursday in September of year one, and complete the program the Thursday before our San Isidro Spring Festival in May of year two. The whole program is about twenty months, or five quarters. Sacraments are received at the Easter Vigil, or during the Easter season once the requirements have been met. The archdiocese offers Confirmation on two other occasions during the year for those who are not quite ready on the regularly scheduled date. Classes are held from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. You can find the various dates as well as vacations on the “Master Calendar” of this site. We invite you to refer to it often! In the meantime, those receiving Confirmation will need a sponsor to guide them through the time of instruction, someone ready with the affidavit submitted to the office by the end of the first year. We have seen that it is often difficult for families to find people they know who are actually practicing their faith, active in a parish. (You can find the criteria to be a sponsor from the home page.) For those who cannot find somebody who is qualified (and it is happening a lot), the parish has some great people to fulfill that role. Please do not expect us to wait until the last minute and then just throw in anybody. Something new! We now offer an exciting retreat each August, a weekend excursion in McIntosh, NM, that combines spirituality, fun and healthy friendship building. You can at apply any time at the office. We will assist you with our online enrollment form. For first year students, a list of the necessary documents and information to gather for the office can be found here. For final year students, a list of the necessary information to have ready before registering in the office can be found here. We ask only a small, non- refundable fee for processing your information. Stop by; we look forward to seeing you! *To successfully complete our program, parents and students must be committed to regularly attending Sunday Mass.