Confirmation

In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ.

Sacrament of Confirmation

Baptism and Confirmation could be considered, in light of their origins and history, one sacrament. Confirmation, which comprises the post baptismal rites of anointing, the laying on of hands, and the words, “Be sealed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit,” is a ratification, or sealing, of Baptism. For those who were baptized as infants, Confirmation provides an opportunity to ratify freely and deliberately what was done for them at Baptism. It helps to focus their minds and the minds of the whole community on the essentially missionary dimension of the baptismal commitment.

—From Catholicism, by Richard P. McBrien. Revised and Updated. HarperSanFrancisco: San Francisco, 1993

Children

The young adults of our parish community enter into the final preparations for the celebration of the Sacrament of Confirmation in the Spring of their 7th or 8th grade year. They proclaim publicly their willingness and desire to spend the year developing a closer relationship with the Lord by serving the needs of God’s people, by studying the tenets of our faith in their classes and by living life with the mind, heart, and vision of Christ Jesus. To access the Confirmation Booklet with important information, dates, and forms for the preparation of the sacrament click here.

Adults

Adults that have not received this sacrament should contact the Religious Education Office for more information about preparation requirements  and reception dates

We beseech you, O Lord, let the power of the Holy Spirit be always with us; let it mercifully purify our hearts, and safeguard us from all harm. Grant this through Christ our Lord, Amen.

May the Comforter, Who proceeds from You, enlighten our minds, we beseech you, O Lord, and guide us, as Your Son has promised, into all truth. We ask this through Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Holy Spirit, Sweet guest of My Soul, Abide In Me and Grant That I May Ever abide in Thee. Amen.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into heaven, didst promise to send the Holy Spirit to finish Thy work in the souls of Thy Apostles and Disciples, deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may perfect in my soul the work of Thy grace and Thy love.

Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the perishable things of this world and aspire only after the things that are eternal, the Spirit of Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of Thy divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining Heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my cross with Thee, and that I may overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and amiable, the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with a loving reverence towards God, and may dread in any way to displease Him.

Mark me, dear Lord, with the sign of Thy true disciples and animate me in all things with Thy Spirit. Amen.

Spirit of God, grant me:
The gift of wisdom
To see the world through your eyes,
The gift of counsel
To make difficult decisions,
The gifts of knowledge and understanding
To use my mind to know you and to love you,
The gift of fortitude
To have the courage to live in the faith
Despite the difficulties and disappointments,
The gift of piety
To be able to express my special love
And commitment to you,
And the right kind of awesome fear
That makes me pause to wonder and revere
God’s Love. Amen.

O God, I pray that you give me a right heart, that I may come to know you in Jesus.
Lead me to know the sinfulness of my own heart, and your great love for me, in Christ Jesus.
Help those who teach me, to give me the teaching I need.
Grant that, on my Confirmation Day, I may be ready to give myself to be your faithful soldier and servant to my life’s end;
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

FAQs

The Effects of Confirmation

It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1302) From this fact, Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:

  • It roots us more deeply in the divine filiations which makes us cry, “Abba! Father”, (Rom 8:15)
  • It unites us more firmly to Christ;
  • It increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
  • It renders our bond with the Church more perfect;
  • It gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross…(CCC, 1303).

Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once, for it too imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the “character,” which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of the Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness (CCC, 1304).

Who Can Receive this Sacrament?

Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation (Code of Canon Law, can. 889.1)  Since Baptism, confirmation and Eucharist for a unity, it follow that’ the faithful are obligated to receive this sacrament at the appropriate time (CIC, can 890)”, for without Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation remains incomplete. (CCC, 1306) (Note: Adults who have not received yet the sacraments of Confirmation and/ or Eucharist should see the RCIA section of this web page.) . Preparation for confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit–his actions, his gifts, and responsibilities of Christian life. To this end catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community. That latter bears special responsibility for the preparation of confirmands. (CCC, 1309). To receive confirmation one must be in a state of grace. One should receive the sacrament of Penance in order to be cleansed for the gift of the Holy Spirit. More intense prayer should prepare one to receive the strength and graces of the Holy Spirit with docility and readiness to act (CCC, 1310). Candidates for Confirmation, as for Baptism, fittingly see the spiritual help of a sponsor. To emphasize the unity of the two sacraments, it is appropriate that this be one of the baptismal godparents (CCC, 1311).

RCIA – What is the RCIA?

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is a spiritual journey to find out whether one is being called to a life as a Catholic Christian. The journey is marked by landmarks of rites along the way that help each person to discover where it is that God is leading them.

Are you interested/curious about our Catholic Faith?

Do you know someone who has expressed an interest in our Catholic Faith?

Have you thought about becoming Catholic?

Have you always wanted to complete your Sacraments of Initiation through the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation?

If you want to experience the joy of the Lord in the Catholic Church, we invite you to please come and speak with us.