The Sacrament of Confirmation

Confirmation completes and strengthens the grace of Baptism, deepening our relationship with Christ and strengthening us through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Through this sacrament, we are more closely united to Churst and the Church and we receive a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation calls us to live as faithful witnesses of Christ and to share and defend our faith through our words and actions.

The Signs of Confirmation

The two primary signs of Confirmation are:

• The laying on of the hands by the bishop, invoking the Holy Spirit upon the baptized person.
• The anointing with Sacred Chrism, a perfumed oil which is consecrated by a bishop.

Through these signs, we are reminded of the grace of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Mary and the Apostles.

Confirmation in Scripture

The Sacrament of Confirmation roots in the practice of the early Church. In the Book of Acts, we see Peter and John pray over baptized believers so that they might receive the Holy Spirit:

"The apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had received the word of God, so they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for the believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit had not yet come down on any on them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus..." ~ Acts 8:14-16

From the earliest centuries of Christianity, the Church continued this practice of prayer, the laying on of hands, and anointing with oil as signs of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

A Sacrament Rooting in the Early Church

Early Christian writes also provided testimony to this sacrament of the anointing with oil and invoking the Holy Spirit.

St. Theophilus of Antioch (181 AD) wrote:

"Are you unwilling to be anointed with the oil of God? It is on this account that we are called Christians: because we are anointed with the oil of God." ~  To Autolycus

The Apostolic Tradition, traditionally associated with St. Hippolytus and dated to the early 3rd century, also describes the bishop laying hands upen the baptized and anointing them with holy oil while invoking the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

These early witnesses demonstrate the Church's longstanding practice of strengthening the Bpatized through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Confirmation in the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church celebrated Confirmation differently according to its various traditions.

In the Eastern Catholic Churches, Confirmation is called Chrismation, it is ordinarily celebrated immediately after Baptism, including for infants. It is usually administered by a priest using Chrism blessed by the bishop.

In the Latin Church, Confirmation is celebrated after the person has reached the age of reason and has received appropriate preparation. Those who are baptized as infants receive Confirmation at a later time.

Adults who enter the Catholic Church through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) normally receive Confirmation after baptism as part of their Christian initiation.

In cases of danger of death, a priest who baptizes a person may also confer Confirmation when the appropriate conditions are present.

The Graces of Confirmation

Confirmation deepens and strengthens the grace received at Baptism. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC1303) Confirmation:

• It roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!";
• 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.

A Call to Live Our Faith

Confirmation is not simply a ceremony or a graduation from religious education. It is a sacrament through which the Holy Spirit strengthens us to live our faith more fully.

Through Confirmation, we are sent forth as witnesses of Christ, called to live the Gospel and share God's love with others.