Letters to the Bishop

Guidelines for Writing a Formal Letter to the Bishop

Requesting the Sacrament of Confirmation

You are being asked to write a letter to the Bishop requesting to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Please computer-type or handwrite your letter LEGIBLY in blue or black ink on a nice sheet of unlined paper (not spiral paper). Please let it be a sincere letter from you. Below is a guideline and template of how to write a formal letter, as well as points that should be included. Be sure the wording in the letter is your own. Remember, please do not send your letter directly to the Bishop. The individual letters for each parish are collected by the youth minister and delivered to the Bishop as a group. Please do not ask Bishop Peter to pray for your specific intentions.

Most Reverend Peter F. Christensen

Bishop of the Diocese of Boise

1501 Federal Way

Boise, ID 83705

Month/Date/2021 (The date you are writing)

Open your letter with Dear Bishop Christensen,

In the first paragraph, identify yourself and mention that you are a member of X parish (your parish). Explain that you are seeking the Sacrament of Confirmation.

In the second paragraph, explain why you want to be confirmed. Provide enough detail to fill a paragraph. (For example, what you have learned through the years in your classes, your experiences within the parish and at Mass, the inspiration/example you have received from your sponsor, your service opportunities).

In the third paragraph, mention who you have chosen as your Confirmation saint and why you have selected this particular saint.

For the fourth paragraph, here are some other items you might choose from (you do not have to mention them all):

·          How will being confirmed make a difference in your life?

·          What role has God, and your faith, played in your life?

·          Are there people in your life who have influenced your decision to seek Confirmation?

·          Explain how you intend to contribute to the parish in the future--not only by attending Mass, but also by volunteering or otherwise enriching the lives of others in the church?

·          What are the unique gifts God has given you for the purpose of building up his Church and caring for our brothers and sisters?

Make the statement once again that for the reasons you have explained above, you are requesting the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Close your letter with "Respectfully," or "Sincerely," and sign your name below.

Sample Letter:

Dear Bishop Peter,

My name is xxxxx, and I am from St. Augustine’s Parish in Moscow, Idaho. I was born and raised in Moscow with my family of x. I have x older sisters, x younger sisters, x, wonderful parents x & x, and a difficult family cat named xxxx. School has always been a very important part of my life and I spend a lot of time working on it. I am a Freshman at Moscow High school, and when I am not working on school, I dance, sing, play the piano, and spend time with my friends. I have been a ballerina for five years, and dancing is one of my all-time favorite pastimes. I love being around my family and friends and spend as much time with them as I can. 

I believe that the Sacrament of Confirmation is the last step to being initiated into the Catholic Church. One night, after I returned from my Confirmation class, my seven year old sister xxx asked me what confirmation was. I tried to think of the simplest way to put it, and so I asked her if she remembered what baptism was. She said yes, and I explained that when she was baptized, mom and dad made the decision to make her Catholic, because she was too young to make it herself. I told her that Confirmation, is the sacrament where you get to decide for yourself that you want to be Catholic and make a commitment to the Church and God. It reiterates and confirms the promises that were made at Baptism. 

I want to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation so that I can feel more security in my faith and have a more intimate relationship with God. I never thought that I had ever felt the real presence of God, until this Spring, at an all-girls retreat I attended at St. Augustine’s. We spent the first day of the retreat listening to talks, and having group discussions, talking about our femininity, and other aspects of our faith. They were all wonderful, and I learned a lot, but I did not feel like the Lord had really spoken to me through any of them. At the very end of the day, we got to go to adoration for an hour or so, and reconciliation. The only other time I remember going to adoration was several years prior, when I was young and did not understand it, and it being boring and frustrating for me. However, that night, at the retreat, I felt something that I had never felt before. I knelt down, and I bowed my head to pray. And I prayed, cried, and finally I looked up to stare at the Eucharist. Everything around it dulled. I couldn't take my eyes away. I could feel Him. I could feel Him in the Church, and it was like nothing I had ever felt before. God was speaking to me, but it wasn’t with words, His presence swept me away. It was then that I realized the only place I felt truly safe, and totally loved, was with God. It was then, that I realized all I wanted was an intimate relationship with the Lord. Just Him, and me. By receiving Confirmation, I hope that I can enhance my relationship with God and feel His presence around me all the time.

Bishop Peter, I ask that you pray for me and my family. I have a huge extended family, and a rather large immediate family, and my biggest fear is that something will separate us. I ask that you pray we never forget how much we love each other, how much God loves us, and that we will always be together.

Thank you, Bishop Peter! 

God bless you always!

Sincerely,