The following things should be kept in mind and applied to adult sessions for both parents and sponsors.

1. Adults bring a lived experience to the process of preparation for the sacrament of Confirmation. It is crucial that the adult has the opportunity to reflect upon his/her experience of the sacrament of Confirmation and to share memories and feelings from that experience. Any “theology” that describes the current practice of Confirmation should be offered only in connection to this lived/shared experience.
2. It is important to help adulffs consider (and experience) the multi-dimension~l levels of these basic symbols: fire, touch, oil, wind ….
3. Adults 30 and older probably grew up with a rather rigid and isolated view of the sacrament of Confirmation. It is important that they view this sacrament as part of the initiation process that continues on until the end of life. Confirmation's connection with the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist should be clarified. An historical understanding of the development of the sacrament of Confirmation would be very helpful in helping an adult realize the flexibility and the inter-relatedness of this sacrament.
4. Many adult Catholics (although they have been fully “sacramentalized”) have never been fully “initiated” into the Christian community. It is important to realize the potential that an adult segment of Confirmation preparation has to foster this initiation process and also the potential that such a segment has to cause anxiety and a lack of confidence in the adult.
5. The Cofirmation program would be an opportunity for the parish community at large to experience some renewed understanding and celebration of the role of the spirit in the life of the Christian and of the sacrament of Confirmation. The parish might plan a parish-wide program that would touch all adults in the parish.
6. The development of the high school junior and senior calls for the involvement of the parent/sponsor who is conscious of the young person's “tension” to become an autonomous adult with an identity distinct from the parental generation. Thus the parent's/sponsor's role should not be one of a teacher, but one of a “co-traveler”, or a “co-learner”, with the young person. Parent/sponsor should be one who is able to share deeply of his/her own beliefs and convictions and in doing so, allows the Confirmation candidate the freedom to question.
7. When using an audio-visual resource with a group of parents/sponsors, it is important to try to use it in such a way that it evokes a response from the adults in order to enable sharing of their insights and feelings. Caution should be used so that an audio-visual resource is not employed only to convey information.

1. Personal experiences of Confirmation and questions arising from these experiences (about an hour).
2. The sacraments of initiation and the development of Confirmation as a separate sacrament (about an hour).
3. The role of the parent/sponsor (about an hour). (A good resource is Guide for Sponsors by Ron Lewinski from Liturgy Training Program, 155 E. Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, 312-751-8382. While this guide is written for sponsors of adult catechumens, it is very adaptable to the role of the Confirmation sponsor).
4. The rite and symbols of Cofirmation (about an hour).