How to Choose a Saint Confirmation Saint Research Paper
Confirmation is a special gift of Christ through the Church, designed to empower us to better live out the Gospel call to each one of us. Part of that calling is to recognize ourselves as members of Christ’s Body the Church, and to live that out, as we were created to do.
Fundamentally, we were created to be saints! This is how we are to live out our calling and our purpose. Any life that is not lived in pursuit of sainthood is a life that is not doing what it is supposed to do. We are created to be united with God forever in heaven, in a perfect communion with all the saints of history. We might not all be called to be famous saints, but we are all called to be saints nonetheless.
For this reason, the Church has urged that we embrace a Confirmation saint to be a guide and intercessor on our life’s journey to heaven. We need all the help we can get! This saint can be someone whose life and/or teaching you look up to or embrace. Perhaps the saint shares a common interest or passion that you do. Perhaps instead, that saint shares a trait or patronage that you desire for your own life; you may wish to humbly ask their intercession for that particular trait or virtue.
Choosing a Confirmation saint is an important aspect of the experience of preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is important to understand the life of that particular saint during these preparation months. Part of aiding in this process is the requirement of a Confirmation Saint paper.
Explanation:
For Confirmation, each student candidate must choose a Confirmation name. Candidates may use their baptismal name or can choose the name of a canonized saint. The saint should hold personal significance for the student. The student should strive to be more like the saint in his/her qualities or the way the saint followed God. The purpose of this paper is for the student to reflect on his/her choice of their saint for their Confirmation Name.
Paper Topic – Why I chose my saint as my Confirmation Name
(Please Google: “The Lives of the Saints”- http://sacred-texts.com/chr/lots/index.htm for a preapproved list of saint names to choose from and submit your saint name by emailing sjsmdre.plc@gmail.com for preapproval, thanks J).
Guidelines:
- Please write in complete sentences and try to follow all grammar rules.
- Your research paper will consist of 6 paragraphs.
- Each paragraph has a topic, listed below. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence and contain 5-10 meaningful sentences (A conclusion sentence in each paragraph would also help you tie the ideas together).
- While there is no length requirement (in terms of the number of pages or words), you need to answer each question fully and follow the essay format on the back.
- The paper is to be typewritten and emailed to plc@gmail.com Deadline is
April of your 9th grade year.
Note: Use MLA footnote format for your sources. A minimum of 5 sources will be required, no more than a total of two internet sites (that are Catholic) are allowed.
Essay Questions: Please follow the following guidelines for writing your Saint Paper. If you answer each section carefully, the paper should be a piece of cake!
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Paragraph 1
5-10 sentences
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Introduction: Briefly introduce the points you will begin to discuss in your paper (reasons you chose your saint to be your Confirmation Name). You may also include the reason students choose Saints names for Confirmation in this paragraph (We choose saints names so each person has a strong, Catholic example to follow…see explanation above)
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Paragraph 2
5-10 sentences
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Summarize the basic events of your saint’s life, from beginning to end. In this paragraph, you may want to include the time period in which the saint lived, basic facts about the saint’s life, interesting obstacles or struggles the saint had to overcome, stories about their conversion to Catholicism (if this applies), etc. |
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Paragraph 3
5-10 sentences
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Summarize the accomplishments of this saint and what the saint is known for (many saints are Patron Saints: For example, St. Gabriel the Archangel is the Patron Saint of Communication, St. Cecilia is the Patron Saint of Music, etc). You may also include miracles the saints have performed or interesting facts about your saint in this paragraph.
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Paragraph 4
5-10 sentences
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Explain the reason you chose this saint to be your inspiration for Confirmation (What qualities about this saint do you admire? What makes you want to be like this saint? Etc).
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Paragraph 5
5-10 sentences
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Explain how you will try to be like this saint as you prepare for Confirmation. Also, explain how you will continue to try to be like this saint after you are Confirmed. (For example, Saint Peter showed great obedience to God and he was trusted to lead the Catholic Church. If St. Peter is your saint, you may want to have God trust you with the Faith just as God trusted Peter)
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Paragraph 6
5-10 sentences
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Sum up your points in your paper and wrap it up! (Conclusion) You may also include in this paragraph personal growth you may have experienced in researching this saint.
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Research (at your local library, the church library or on the Internet) may be necessary to be able to fulfill the requirements for your paper. If you choose to use the Internet as a source, please make sure you choose sites that have factual information. Remember that many Internet sites are not reliable; Wikipedia is not a Catholic site. You might want to try AmericanCatholic.org and Lives of the Saints Index and other approved Catholic Websites.
Remember, choose a saint who you’d like to try to imitate in your journey through the Catholic Faith through the rest of your life!