In accordance with Diocesan policy, young people in our Diocese are eligible to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation from their 2nd year in secondary school.

In our parish, in view of the small numbers involved, it has been found better to only offer the Sacrament every two years. The young people seem more at ease in a larger group.
The next session of preparation for our parish will be in 2008.

Eligible young people are invited to put their names forward early in the new year and will be expected to take part in six preparation sessions at the Sacred Heart leading up to the Confirmation. It is also possible that they may also be invited to join with the young people from the other parishes for a day at Savior House, a “Retreat Centre” for young people run by the Silesians near Bollington.
 
In our area, the newly established Local Pastoral Area 7, it has been our custom, encouraged by the Bishop, for all the parishes to join together for a ceremony presided over by the Bishop. 

For many years now this has been at the Macclesfield Leisure Centre on a Sunday in early June.  
In the former deanery we usually had over 100 young people presenting themselves for Confirmation each year and assuming up to ten guests per candidate that meant needing a building capable of holding 1,000 people. They’re being no church building (of any denomination) able to hold those numbers we have always hired the Macclesfield Leisure Centre.

The team who arrange the ceremony make a very good job of turning it into a more “churchlike” venue, which enables us to celebrate this special occasion with some dignity

It is felt by many that as we are a very widely spread area, with mainly small parishes, it is good to get together and realise that we are part of a much larger church.

Since October 2007 the Diocesan pastoral structures have changed, and the old deanery has ceased to exist to be replaced by smaller Local Pastoral Areas.  Macclesfield Leisure Centre having been booked before these changes it has been decided by the two Local Pastoral Areas replacing the deanery to carry on with this arrangement in 2008, though this will change in 2009.