<p>A confirmation retreat has one job the rest of the preparation year can't quite do: make the Holy Spirit real to a teenager who's about to be sealed with His gifts. Lectures or classes might explain the gifts,but a retreat is where a young person actually meets them. If you're planning one,building the day around the gifts of the Holy Spirit gives you a spine that's both catechetically solid and powerful for your youth. Here's a plan,with a sample outline and session ideas you can adapt to your group.</p> <h2>Why Build a Confirmation Retreat Around the Gifts</h2> <p>Confirmation <em>is</em> the sacrament of the gifts of the Holy Spirit — so a retreat built around them makes perfect sense. It also solves the problem every confirmation coordinator has seen in real time: teens who can name the seven gifts but don't expect any of them to show up in their lives. A retreat can close that gap by moving from <em>naming</em> the gifts to <em>looking for</em> them.</p> <p>But before we jump in,there's one distinction worth clarifying because it will help keep your terms consistent throughout the retreat.</p> <h2>The Two Kinds of Gifts to Teach</h2> <p>When Catholics say "the gifts of the Holy Spirit," they can mean two different things,and a good retreat can teach on both:</p> <ul> <li><strong>The seven gifts of Confirmation</strong> — wisdom,understanding,counsel,fortitude,knowledge,piety,and fear of the Lord (from Isaiah 11:2–3). These are the gifts the sacrament strengthens,and they're given to make the confirmand <em>holy</em> — to deepen their friendship with God.</li> <li><strong>Charisms</strong> — the spiritual gifts like St. Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12 (teaching,mercy,healing,encouragement,and more). These are given so God can work <em>through</em> a person for <em>other people</em>.</li> </ul> <p>Teens find this enormously clarifying: the seven gifts are about who God is making them,and their charisms are about what He's equipping them to do for others. (If you want the full breakdown to teach from,our post on <a href="https://www.manypartsministries.com/blog/how-many-gifts-of-the-holy-spirit/">how many gifts of the Holy Spirit there are</a> lays it out.) A retreat that sends teens home having met <em>both</em> gives them clarity around what to expect from the sacrament and concrete awareness of what to do to keep growing in the gifts they have to give.</p> <h2>A Sample Confirmation Retreat Outline</h2> <p>A one-day structure you can stretch to an overnight:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Opening: "The Spirit is not theoretical."</strong> Prayer,an icebreaker,and a short talk that reframes the day — the Holy Spirit is a Person who is about to act,not a test topic.</li> <li><strong>Session 1: The Seven Gifts,Up Close.</strong> Walk the confirmation gifts,but concretely: what does <em>counsel</em> look like at 16? Where would <em>fortitude</em> actually show up in your teen's lives? Small groups can match each gift to a real situation a teen might face.</li> <li><strong>Session 2: God Gave You Something for Other People.</strong> Introduce charisms — the gifts meant to be spent on others. This is the turn from "gifts that help me grow" to "gifts I have for my friends,my family,my parish."</li> <li><strong>Discernment activity</strong> (see below).</li> <li><strong>Adoration or a Spirit-focused prayer experience.</strong> The heart of the day — where the teaching becomes prayer.</li> <li><strong>Closing: Sent.</strong> Drive home that Confirmation isn't a graduation but a commissioning: sealed with the Spirit's gifts,<em>for</em> something: mission.</li> </ol> <h2>Retreat Activities That Work</h2> <ul> <li><strong>"Where have you seen it?" small groups.</strong> For each of the seven gifts,teens name one person who they see the gift in. Making the gifts visible in people they know makes them believable in themselves.</li> <li><strong>Gift-in-action stations.</strong> Set up stations (serving,encouraging,teaching,making) where teens try a charism in a small task and notice their response.</li> <li><strong>Testimony.</strong> A slightly older teen or young adult sharing how they found and used a gift can make the gifts clear and practical outside of parish and ministry.</li> <li><strong>A charism discernment step.</strong> For high-school-age confirmandi (14 and up),the <a href="https://www.manypartsministries.com/catholic-spiritual-gifts-test-for-teens">charism assessment for teens</a> gives each student a personalized read on the gifts they're most likely to have — a concrete,memorable takeaway from the retreat. For younger confirmandi,keep it observational: have catechists and peers name gifts they've <em>seen</em> in each candidate,rather than a self-assessment (younger kids discern their gifts through others' eyes,not a quiz).</li> </ul> <h2>Make It Stick After the Retreat</h2> <p>The retreat's real test is three weeks later. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given for use,so the follow-through is the point: give each teen one concrete way to <em>share</em> a gift before the next session — serve at a parish event,help a younger student,use what they found. A confirmation program built to send teens into their gifts (not just through a ceremony) is exactly what our <a href="https://manypartsministries.com/youth-ministry-subscription-and-program">youth ministry program</a> is designed to support.</p> <h2>A Ready-Made Option: The Spirit Rising Curriculum</h2> <p>If you'd like even more guidance in putting together a charism-focused high school confirmation retreat,our <a href="https://www.manypartsministries.com/spirit-rising">Spirit Rising high school curriculum</a> includes everything you need to teach both the Holy Spirit and charisms,along with discernment and prayer,over six sessions. You can compress it into a weekend retreat or run it independently across a few weeks.</p> <h2>Frequently Asked Questions</h2> <h3>What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit for a confirmation retreat?</h3> <p>The seven gifts strengthened at Confirmation are wisdom,understanding,counsel,fortitude,knowledge,piety,and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2–3). A fuller retreat also introduces charisms — the gifts St. Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12 that God gives to work through a person for others.</p> <h3>How long should a confirmation retreat be?</h3> <p>Anywhere from a half-day to an overnight. The outline above works as a single full day and stretches to an overnight by expanding the prayer experience and adding free/community time.</p> <h3>What's a good hands-on activity for a confirmation retreat?</h3> <p>Gift-in-action stations (teens try serving,teaching,encouraging,or making in short tasks and notice what energizes them),"where have you seen it?" small groups,and — for teens 14 and up — a charism assessment that gives each a personalized result to take home.</p> <h3>Can younger confirmation students take a spiritual gifts assessment?</h3> <p>For high schoolers (14+),yes — a teen charism assessment fits well. For younger candidates,an observational approach is better: have catechists and peers name the gifts they've seen,rather than a self-assessment.</p> <hr> <p><strong>Go deeper:</strong> <a href="https://www.manypartsministries.com/blog/how-many-gifts-of-the-holy-spirit/">How Many Gifts of the Holy Spirit Are There?</a> · <a href="https://www.manypartsministries.com/catholic-spiritual-gifts-test-for-teens">The Charism Assessment for Teens</a> · <a href="https://manypartsministries.com/youth-ministry-subscription-and-program">Youth Ministry Program</a> · <a href="https://www.manypartsministries.com/charisms-for-teens-high-schools-and-youth-ministry">Charisms for Teens &amp; Youth Ministry</a></p>

A confirmation retreat plan built on the gifts of the Holy Spirit — a sample outline,session ideas,and activities that help teens meet the Spirit's gifts in their own lives.

Confirmation Retreat Ideas

Explore Catholic teaching on charisms and spiritual gifts. Articles on discernment, identity, the Holy Spirit, and living your gifts in everyday life.

Part & Parcel Blog — Catholic Teaching on Charisms

Articles on Catholic charism discernment — what charisms are, how to discover yours, and how to live them out in the Church and everyday life.



Confirmation Retreat Ideas

Confirmation Retreat Ideas

Related Posts

Ministry Fair Ideas

Aquinas on Charisms

One Body,Many Parts: 1 Corinthians 12

Spiritual Gifts in the Bible

How Many Gifts of the Holy Spirit?