Comprehensive Catechesis for Teens within Confirmation Preparation

Michael Amodei

Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation is more than a checklist—it’s an opportunity to both ground and renew teens in the core teachings of the Faith. From the Trinity and Christology to Scripture, the Sacraments, morality, social justice, and vocation, this process invites young
people to encounter the richness of Catholic teaching while opening themselves to the grace of the sacrament.

This session explores practical ways to integrate substantive catechesis with meaningful formation, helping teens move from passive participation to active, committed discipleship.

Drawing on the newly revised Send Out Your Spirit program, author Michael Amodei demonstrates how Confirmation preparation can be both structured and transformative. By engaging parents, sponsors, catechists, priests, and the wider parish community, this approach fosters an
apprenticeship in the entire Christian life.

About the Presenter

Michael Amodei is executive editor and curriculum development manager at Ave Maria Press, where he writes and edits Catholic high school religion textbooks. He is the author of Reaching for Heaven: 14 Spiritual Goals as You Grow Older, Send Out Your Spirit, Catholic Essentials, The Ave Guide to the Scriptural Rosary, and The Ave Guide to Eucharistic Adoration. Amodei has also acquired a number of spirituality books for Ave Maria Press, including A Teen’s Game Plan for Life by Lou Holtz, Holy Goals for Body and Soul by Bishop Thomas John Paprocki, and Expect More! by Muffet McGraw.

Amodei earned his bachelor’s degree in English from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California, where he also earned a master’s degree in religious education. He previously served as director of religious education and as a youth minister at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California. He also taught math, religion, and gym and coached Catholic Youth Organization sports at St. Monica Elementary School.

He is leader of the Ave Maria Press Chapter of Catholic Relief Services, a member of the Association of Catholic Publishers, and a third degree in the Knights of Columbus. Amodei has been a youth sports coach for more than forty years and is the field supervisor for home football games at the University of Notre Dame.

Amodei lives with his family in South Bend, Indiana.