Following the Sacrament Journey and Checking the Certificate
St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church · Faith FormationHow to use the Sacrament Journey page, how to check the details that print on the certificate, and what to do when staff ask for changes to a milestone.
Parents and guardians of a candidate preparing for Confirmation or First Communion. A teen uses the same link that the parent shares. You sign in to the parish app to open the Sacrament Journey.
One page shows every step for your candidate. The parish prints the certificate and the envelope from the details you check here. A wrong spelling on a certificate is hard to fix after the Mass.
What you will do, in one sentence
Sign in, open the Sacrament Journey, finish each step, check the certificate details when the parish asks, and answer any request for changes.
Last verified against the staging system on 2026-11-12. This guide has no screenshots yet. The screens reach the staging system after the v1.6.1 release. Every name in this guide is invented for training. Prepared 12 November 2026.
1. Before you start
You need your parish app account. Sign in first. You do not need a Student ID for the Sacrament Journey.
This guide covers both sacraments. The steps are the same. Each page names the sacrament at the top.
2. Open the Sacrament Journey
You can reach the page in three ways.
- Sign in and open Faith Formation. Find the card for your candidate under Sacrament journeys. Select Open journey.
- Open the Milestone status page while you are signed in. Select Open the Sacrament Journey in the blue box.
- Follow the button in an email from the parish.
The card shows a progress ring, the candidate name, the grade, the Mass date, and the next step. A coloured line on the card tells you when you must act:
- An orange line says that a milestone needs changes.
- An amber line says that you must verify the certificate details. It shows the due date.
If you have more than one candidate, use Choose a child at the top of the page to switch.
The page title names the sacraments that your candidates prepare for. It reads First Communion Journey, Confirmation Journey, or First Communion and Confirmation Journey.
3. Read the Sacrament Journey page
A bar at the top shows the whole journey, step by step, so you always see how far your candidate is.
Under the bar are two tabs:
- Pending opens first. It shows what is still open. An unpaid fee comes first, with a link to pay it. The next milestone comes after it.
- Approved shows the steps that staff approved or verified, for example a milestone or the sponsor form. You can still open each one.
A long step title wraps onto more lines. A badge for a missing item shows under the title.
Each step shows one state:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Approved (green) | Staff approved the step. Select View your answers to read what you sent. |
| In review | You sent the step. Staff have not read it yet. |
| Part 2 needed | Milestone 5 only. You sent the milestone form, but the first Mass reflection is not in. Submit the Mass reflection. |
| Changes requested (orange) | Staff asked for changes. See section 6. |
| Not open yet (grey) | The step opens later. The page shows the title and, when known, the date it opens. |
Upcoming deadlines shows the deadlines the parish set. For Confirmation that is Milestones 6 and 9. For First Communion it is Milestones 4 and 6. The list shows only when the parish has set the dates.
The side of the page shows the Mass day, the rehearsal, your sponsor, and a Dress code link. A rehearsal is required. While something is still needed, the Mass day says *Pending: submit all necessary requirements.
The Mass Selection opens from Milestone 6. You choose the Mass there.
- Find the step that says Up next or Start.
- Select Open.
- Fill in the form and send it.
Send the link to your teen
A teen uses the same link as the parent.
- Find the step that the teen must do.
- Select Copy link for and the teen name.
- Send the link to your teen by text or email.
The page says Link copied. Send it to your teen. If the page says Link not available yet, wait. The parish has not made the link yet.
4. Verify the certificate details
The parish emails you when it is time to check the details. The email has a button. The button opens the verification page. You can also open the page from Verify certificate details in Final steps, or from the amber line on the journey card. If you open the email button and you are not signed in, the page still works. The link in the email is only for your candidate. On that page, a security check shows at the top. If it asks you to tick a box, tick it before you save a change.
The page shows the due date and these details:
- Home address
- Date of birth
- Name on the Baptism Certificate
- Saint name and sponsor name
- Your sponsor: whether the sponsor will attend, and the proxy, and any special accommodation
The page also tells you if your candidate is Eligible to receive the sacrament. Your candidate is eligible when the Still needed list is empty. If not, the list names what is still open. For example: Milestone 4, the Sacrament fee, or the Baptism Certificate.
Still needed and comments
The verification card can show a Still needed list, for example the sacrament fee (with a link to pay) or a form. The Mass information still applies. Finish the items before the deadline.
To tell the office something about the Mass, type it in Comments for the office (optional) and select Send comment. You can add a comment when you verify, when you change a detail, or on its own.
If everything is correct
- Read each detail.
- Select Everything is correct.
The page says Thank you. You verified these details.
If something needs a change
- Select Something needs a change.
- Under What needs a change?, choose the detail: Address, Date of birth, Name on Baptism Certificate, or Saint / sponsor.
- Type the new answer.
- Select Save change.
Your change saves at once. The office reads it before the certificate prints. If staff have a question, they send you a request by email.
The new address goes to your family record. The new date of birth goes to your candidate record.
The name on the Baptism Certificate
The certificate must show the name exactly as on the Baptism Certificate. The page shows the certificate that you uploaded. Select the picture to enlarge it. Then answer Which is true? with one of two choices:
- Our record matches the Baptism Certificate, but the name is misspelled in both. Select this choice if the certificate itself has the wrong spelling. The parish saves no change. The parish sends you an email with the next steps to correct the Baptism Certificate.
- The Baptism Certificate shows a different name than your record. Select this choice if your record is wrong. Type the name exactly as on the certificate. The page saves the new name.
You must choose one. If the page cannot show your certificate, read the name on your own copy.
Sponsor questions
- Answer Will your sponsor attend the Mass?
- If the sponsor cannot attend, answer the proxy question. You can name a proxy, or ask the church to provide a proxy. A proxy cannot be a parent.
- If your sponsor needs special seating, such as a wheelchair space, write it in the accommodation box.
These answers save on your Mass application. Staff do not review them.
Saving the sponsor answers does not confirm the certificate details. After you save the sponsor answers, read the other details. Then select Everything is correct, or change a detail. The parish counts the details as confirmed only after you do this.
Ask for a different Mass
The verification card has a box named Your Mass. It shows Your Mass now and the date.
- Select Ask for a different Mass.
- Under Choose a Mass, select a Mass. The list shows only Masses that have not passed. A Mass that is full cannot take new students, and you cannot select it.
- Select Send request.
A request is not a change. The box says that your Mass stays the same until the team approves the request. To withdraw the request, select Cancel my request. You can send a new request instead. A new request replaces the open one.
If the team rejects the request, the box shows the reason and says You can ask for another Mass, or contact the Faith Formation office. Your Mass stays the same.
After you verify the details, you cannot change the Mass here. The box tells you to contact the Faith Formation office.
5. Open the page from the email link
The link in the email opens the same page without a sign-in. If the page says Invalid or missing link, open the link in your email again. If it still fails, contact the Faith Formation office.
When you open a milestone form from an email link, you can select Back to the Journey page after you send it. If you are not signed in, the button opens your candidate's milestone status page. You do not type the Student ID. If you are signed in, the button opens the Sacrament Journey.
6. When a milestone says "Changes requested"
Staff can return any milestone to you. You see an orange mark on the step, an orange line on the journey card, and a box named Needs your attention on the page.
- Select Open on the orange step.
- Read the box named Your conversation with staff. It shows each message and the round number. A new round starts each time staff write.
- Change the answers that staff named. Your earlier answers stay in the form. You do not type them again.
- If the step needs a file, you see File on record. Select Replace file to send a new file. Keep the old file if it is correct.
- In Reply to staff (optional), write a short note.
- Select Resubmit.
The page says You sent your changes. Staff will read them. Staff read your changes. They approve the step, or they return it again. If they return it again, repeat the steps above. A teen can also reply with the same link.
Staff can send you and your teen an email when they return a step. The email has the staff message and a link to the step.
7. Quick reference
| I want to... | Do this |
|---|---|
| See all steps | Open Faith Formation, then Open journey |
| Give my teen the link | Copy link for the teen name |
| Check the certificate | Verify certificate details, then Everything is correct |
| Fix a detail | Something needs a change, then Save change |
| Ask for a different Mass | Ask for a different Mass, then Send request |
| Answer staff | Open the orange step, write a reply, select Resubmit |
8. When to call the office
Contact the Faith Formation office if:
- The page says Not eligible and you believe your candidate is ready.
- The page says that it cannot save a change and asks you to call.
- You cannot find the Baptism Certificate that you uploaded.