Candidates: To celebrate Confirmation, baptized candidates, if they have the use of reason, must be in a state of grace, properly instructed and able to renew their baptismal promises. (Cf. RC, 12, 13). Candidates who are in some way developmentally disabled should have catechesis appropriate to their capacity and then celebrate Confirmation with the support of their family and faith community. Adults who wish to be confirmed must receive adequate preparation for the reception of the Sacrament. This preparation is the responsibility of the pastor/administrator or those who cooperate with them in providing sacramental preparation. “If they can do so without serious inconvenience, Catholics who have not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation are to receive it before being admitted to marriage.” (Cf. CIC, c.1065, §1). Catholic school students should be referred to their proper parish. No one should be forced to celebrate the Sacrament. However, parents by word, example and participation in the life of the Church are a true support and encouragement to their children. Preparation: Proximate preparation for Confirmation is a two-year process beginning in the fall of the eighth grade. Each year should include 25 hours of classroom instructions, as well as opportunities for retreat and service. (Registration Flyer) Attendance at Holy Mass should be considered as the heart of all programs and the source and summit to and from which programs acquire their relevance and importance. The celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation should be an integral part of the program.. Sponsors: It is desirable that the sponsor (godparent) at Baptism be chosen as sponsor for Confirmation, if they still meet the qualifications. Sponsors who are not members of the parish should provide a letter from their pastor attesting to their suitability to serve as sponsor. To take on the function of sponsor, a person must have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function and must have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause. The sponsor/godparent should be a fully initiated Catholic (having received Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) who leads a life of faith, is not bound by any canonical penalty, and is not the father or mother of the one to be confirmed. Celebration: Confirmation ceremonies are celebrated in the fall and the spring each year throughout the Diocese of Rochester. Following the administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation, ongoing catechesis (mystagogia) should be offered to the newly confirmed in an effort to assist their continued practice of the faith and to encourage their ongoing participation in the parish.
Please contact the Faith Formation Office for information regarding preparation and reception of this Sacrament.
The sacraments of Christian initiation — Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist — lay the foundations of every Christian life. 'The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity.' (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1212) So in the three sacraments of initiation we have, birth (Baptism), growth and strength (Confirmation) and nourishment (Eucharist). Now what would happen if you withhold any of these three basic "necessities of natural life" from the physical body? Well, if you withhold birth you have death or a lack of life. If you withhold growth and strength, you have a baby who will never be able to even hold up his/her head or grow any bigger than their birth weight. A baby who will never do anything more than be helpless. If you withhold nourishment from the body you have degeneration and eventually death. Now apply this same sequence of events to the spiritual life. If you withhold Baptism (birth) you have spiritual death, i.e. Original/Mortal sin. If you withhold Confirmation (growth and strength), you have a soul who will never be able to even hold up his/her head or grow at all toward spiritual maturity. They will not grow or mature any further than their Baptismal rebirth weight. A baby soul who will never be able to do anything more than be helpless against the snares and temptations of this world. If you withhold the Eucharist (nourishment) from the soul you have degeneration and eventually death (i.e. Mortal sin). Of course, I must make clear at this point that, this is not to rule out the extraordinary means in which God can work in a persons soul, I am speaking strictly about the ordinary means that God has provided for our salvation, namely the sacraments. (SACRAMENT OF CONFIRMATION WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT? - Tom Sullivan
Why do I have to get confirmed if I’m already baptized? How do I choose a sponsor as I prepare for confirmation? Why do I have the option to choose a new name? These questions and more are answered in this edition of “Sacraments 101,” a web video series geared for those who’d like an introduction or refresher course on these important, tangible Catholic experiences of God. Confirmation is one of the three sacraments of initiation in the Catholic Church, with baptism and Eucharist. Think of it as a personal Pentecost, when we receive the tools we need for our spiritual journey — the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
St. Lawrence Catholic Church
“ The poor are the real treasures of the Church, by the inestimable gift of their faith and because they convert our alms into imperishable treasures for us.” St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr
