Big changes are coming to the Sacrament of Confirmation throughout the Archdiocese of Atlanta!
Parents of any child who has not yet been Confirmed, from elementary through high school, should plan to join the Faith Formation team for one of our upcoming Confirmation Parent Meetings. Meetings will be held in the Social Hall, March 22 at 1pm and March 25 at 7pm, as we explain these new changes and how they will be implemented here at All Saints.
Read more about these changes below:
Dear Families of the Parish,
I am writing to you today to inform you of some big changes that are coming to All Saints, specifically regarding Confirmation preparation and our general approach toward catechesis.
After years of prayer, observation, and discernment, Archbishop Hartmayer, along with his auxiliary bishops, has made the decision that the Archdiocese of Atlanta will approach Confirmation in a new way in the coming years. Specifically, the common age for reception of the sacrament will be shifting to 6th grade (roughly 11-12 years old), rather than 10th grade. Additionally, the whole Archdiocese has been asked to begin a shift toward more of a family catechesis model for faith formation programs.
This change comes from a recognition of the difficult waters that youth of today are navigating. It is proven that the age in which our young people are facing many common challenges is younger than generations before them. To that end, the reception of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Sacramental Graces received in Confirmation, are ever more important now at an earlier age. Additionally, the desire for a more family-oriented approach to catechesis stems from the desire to engage, support, and empower each family, recognized at Vatican II as the “Domestic Church,” to live out their faith more completely.
These changes are significant, and they are not changes that can simply be rolled out overnight. Our faith formation team, working closely with Fr. Michael, has put together a plan that will smoothly transition our parish from our current Confirmation preparation model to the new model, incorporating family catechesis, by 2030, one year ahead of the target date set by the Office of Evangelization and Discipleship.
We are aware that this shift will likely raise many questions. To that end, we will be hosting informational meetings about this change on the following dates:
- March 22nd, 2026: 1pm – 2pm
- March 25th, 2026: 7pm – 8pm
Both meetings will take place in the Social Hall, and we strongly urge all parents of the parish who have any children from elementary school through high school age to attend one of these meetings.
Thank you all for your continued support and trust in our faith formation programs here at All Saints. We would not be able to do what we do without each of you and your dedication to our faith and your children. Please know that we are praying for you and ask that you do the same for our parish and all of our parish families.
Fr. Michael Silloway, Jesse Butrum, Megan Engelen & Kelly Powers