Send Out Your Spirit ,
Candidate's Handook

Michael Amodei

Send Out Your Spirit offers a comprehensive program for teens preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation.

The program is unique because the teens posses its main content in the Candidate Book. The Candidate Book provides a thorough introduction to key teachings and topics of the Catholic faith.

The entire program—the Candidate Book and Leader’s Manual—has been found in conformity with the Catechism of the Catholic Church by the Ad Hoc Committee to Oversee the Use of the Catechism.

Send Out Your Spirit incorporates three primary characteristics of initiatory catechesis:

Send Out Your Spirit is comprehensive and structured. The content of the material is arranged to help the teens to understand initial requirements for Church membership (Chapter 1) leading to a further presentation of the foundational elements of our faith: God (Holy Trinity), Christology and the life of Jesus, the place of the scriptures in the life of the Church, ecclesiology and Church history (with special emphasis on lives of exemplary Christians), liturgy and sacraments, morality (including the Ten Commandments and Beatitudes), and the Church’s social teaching. Chapter 9 focuses on Confirmation as the sacrament of the Holy Spirit, delving into a deeper presentation of life in the Spirit, including the gifts of the Spirit. The basic rite of Confirmation is explained near the time of the actual reception of the sacrament.

Send Out Your Spirit offers an apprenticeship of the entire Christian life. The program includes a combination of prayer experiences, community service suggestions, and faith-sharing activities interspersed within the content of each of the faith themes.

Send Out Your Spirit encourages the further development of a teen’s faith life. Expanding of the definition of Confirmation as a sacrament of maturity, Send Out Your Spirit helps the teens to understand the sacrament to be one step in their maturing faith. The process of faith education does not end with reception of the sacrament. Concretely, the newly confirmed teen is challenged to consider and fill adult roles within the Church. Chapter 10, specifically, asks the teens to project themselves into several adult Christian vocations.

The Candidate Book provides a thorough introduction to key teachings and topics of our faith. The main content of this Confirmation preparation program is found in the Candidate Book.

The format for each chapter of the Candidate Book revolves around introducing a topic with a relevant story or short lesson. The main content material for each chapter is organized in three or four main sections, with other subsections in each. Each main section includes discussion or journaling questions. The chapters also include one or two personal interest features, quotations from the scripture or writings of the saints (Word of God), and traditional prayers. All of these elements are related to the main topic of the chapter.

Also in the Candidate Book is an Appendix with a Glossary of Selected Terms, Sample Service Project Ideas, and 50 Questions the candidates are to record answers for at home and return to class.

Send Out Your Spirit ,
Leader's Manual

Michael Amodei

The Leader's Manual is closely connected to the material in the Candidate Book. The Leader's Manual provides several "how to use" tips for catechists and other adult leaders to break open the material lessons intended for either large or small groups.

Each chapter offers an introduction that offers an overview of the important content. Several lesson ideas are listed related to each main section of the Candidate Book. Completing every one of the lessons while covering the material in the Candidate Book is not required; rather, more than one suggestion per section is offered to allow for freedom to adapt the material as suited to the time and setting of the session. Also, Warm-Up/Breaktime ideas are offered for each chapter. These are meant to serve as session icebreakers and short activities to used in between lessons. Assignment and lesson suggestions are also given to correspond with the Feature and Word of God material. At least two short Prayer Experience ideas are also included with each chapter.

Lesson Planning Models for each chapter provide suggestions for lessons based on three different program models.

Suggested directions are also given in this Manual for assignments related to the words in the Glossary of Selected Terms, the Sample Service Projects Ideas, and the 50 Questions.