Bishop Letter Information/Instructions
Due no later than March 15th, 2026
A letter to the Bishop offers a monumental moment for a young person to express who Christ is to them and why you desire this final Sacrament of initiation into the Catholic Church. This is a great opportunity for reflection on your faith journey.
The Bishop DOES take the time to read these letters. These letters will also be reviewed by your Confirmation team. The Bishop will base his homily at the Confirmation Mass on the content of these letters. Please don’t view these as a homework assignment to rush through, but a chance to personally express to the leader of our local Church how you’ve grown closer to Christ in the last two years.
Mandatory Guidelines
This must be typed out. Handwritten letters, although heartfelt, cannot be accepted.
Font must be between sizes 10-13 with normal font size.
Length is important. It must be at least three full paragraphs, SINGLE SPACED, but it CANNOT go far beyond ONE PAGE.
Before you submit, please run a thorough spell check and grammar check. It is recommended that you have your sponsor, parent or Godparent proofread your letter. This letter is serious and therefore deserves great attention to detail. Letters where the word “God” is not capitalized or when important words like “Confirmation” or “Adoration” are misspelled are problematic. Please do not use A.I generated letters!
Please email all completed letters to cynthia.vargas@stangelabreachurch.org or drop them off at the Parish office or Youth office. It will then be reviewed by our team. And letters that do not meet these requirements or lack necessary depth will need to be resubmitted.
Bishop Letter Outline
At the left top:
Your Name and the Date Example: Cynthia Vargas May 17, 2026
Your Saint Name Example: Elizabeth Ann Seton
Most Reverend OR Your Excellency (Bishop-Depending on your Confirmation Mass-See below)
Example: Your Excellency Thanh Thai Nguyen OR Most Reverend Thanh Thai Nguyen
Example: Your Excellency Timothy E. Freyer OR Timothy E. Freyer
5/16/26 Confirmation mass: Bishop Thanh Thai Nguyen
5/23/26 Confirmation mass: Bishop Timothy E. Freyer
Paragraph one: Introduction
Introduce yourself
Tell the Bishop why you are writing
You are asking to complete your Sacraments of initiation through the Sacrament of Confirmation and therefore will become a fully initiated Catholic.
What does it mean to you to make this Sacrament?
Paragraph two: Sharing Your Spiritual Journey
You can write about ANY of the following points:
Who was God at the beginning of this process and who is God to you now?
Share about one or two of your most meaningful Confirmation experiences: retreat, time with your small group, classes, prayer experiences, service projects, etc. How did this event impact you?
What has been a spiritual challenge that you have overcome in Confirmation? How did that happen?
Who helped you grow in faith during these two years? Share about who they are and how they helped you.
Paragraph three (This paragraph is MANDATORY): Gospel ReflectionThe Bishop has requested that all candidates for Confirmation write a reflection based on the specific Gospel that would be read at the Confirmation Mass. This is a chance to spiritually prepare for the Mass as well as reflect on the Scriptures. What we hope to have is YOUR SPIRITUAL REFLECTIONS on this very important teaching of Jesus to his Disciples, whom you are becoming through Confirmation. Gospel for your reflection is: Luke 10:21-24 “At that very moment he rejoiced [in] the holy Spirit and said, “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.* Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” Turning to the disciples in private he said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
When you hear this Gospel passage, what does it mean to you? (Possible reflection points below)
When you read this scripture passage, what are your thoughts on it? What spiritual message do YOU receive from this passage? What do you find comforting, challenging, beautiful, hopeful or difficult?
How do you feel called to live out this “anointing” you’ll receive in Confirmation? Be specific and you can talk about a specific issue in your life.
What does it mean to “proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord?”
Paragraph four: Conclusion
Express why you have made the decision to become a fully initiated Catholic and receive this Sacrament.
Share your big hopes to grow further in the faith.
How do you plan on being a disciple of Jesus in the future?
End with a formal declaration of your desire to be Catholic and receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Closing: Sign this letter with YOUR First Name your Confirmation Saint Name and your last name. See example below.
Sincerely,
Cynthia “Elizabeth” Vargas ← Example from the Youth Director (Saint name is Elizabeth Ann Seton)
Please note: This is an outline with suggested points. Above all, this letter should be authentic and HEARTFELT. Please feel free to include more information on whatever you feel is most important.
SENDING IT OVER:
Please email this to cynthia.vargas@stangelabreachurch.org in a word document.
Be sure to include your FULL NAME in the email, so we know who it is from.
Please let me or Kathy know if you have any questions.
Come Holy Spirit!!!