​Confirmation is held every year at St. Rita for students in 8th grade. The series, “Chosen: This is your Catholic Faith” is incorporated into the curriculum to help students connect with: 

• Being called to a personal encounter with Jesus Christ
• Hearing the faith presented in new and unexpected ways
• Coming to see what sets the Catholic Church apart
• Learning from the examples of the saints

Our Confirmation candidates prepare for this Sacrament over a two-year timeline. This is a class dedicated to delving into our students’ personal faith journeys. They learn about our church history and how they are a part of the universal church. They are encouraged to try different acts of service for the greater community in order to find their niche in the scheme of what they would like to do with their lives. They learn to work together as a group…as a community of teenagers…a part of the St. Rita Parish community…the Diocese of Lansing community and the world church that spans the globe.

We hold annual retreats for students participating in First Reconciliation, First Holy Communion or Confirmation. We also have Advent and Lent Retreats. These retreat days are geared to teach the parents and children about a particular sacrament or holy day and to build their faith community here at St. Rita.

As stewards of the Catholic Faith the children participate weekly in the following service projects: 

• Person of the Week.  Each week, individual students make a card and write to one person in the nursing home. The 7th & 8th graders are asked to bring in a small gift for this elderly person. This gift could be cookies from their cookie jar, chips in a ziplock bag from their bag of chips at home, perhaps a gently used pair of gloves or a scarf or costume jewelry. Or they could buy an item from the dollar store cart. 
• “Birthday Cake Kits” for a needy child whose parents may not be able to purchase a birthday cake. Each kit contains a cake mix, frosting, candles, oil, a dollar for eggs and a small gift for a child. 
• Mayan Missions. A collection is taken each week for the Mayan Missions. We combine our donations in the fall and winter semesters and send the Mayan children one check at the end of Religious Ed.