At confirmation we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and confirm our baptismal promises. Greater awareness of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conferred through the anointing of chrism oil and the laying on of hands by the Bishop.
Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds. (CCC 1316)
Through the Sacrament of Confirmation we renew our baptismal promises and commit to living a life of maturity in the Christian faith. As we read in the Lumen Gentium (the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church) from the Second Vatican Council:
Bound more intimately to the Church by the sacrament of confirmation, [the baptized] are endowed by the Holy Spirit with special strength; hence they are more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith both by word and by deed as true witnesses of Christ. (no. 11) Scriptural Foundation for Confirmation
In the Acts of the Apostles we read of the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. While baptism is the sacrament of new life, confirmation gives birth to that life. Baptism initiates us into the Church and names us as children of God, whereas confirmation calls us forth as God’s children and unites us more fully to the active messianic mission of Christ in the world.
After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles went out and confirmed others, showing confirmation to be an individual and separate sacrament: Peter and John at Samaria (Acts 8:5-6, 14-17) and Paul at Ephesus (Acts 19:5-6). Also the Holy Spirit came down on Jews and Gentiles alike in Caesarea, prior to their baptisms. Recognizing this as a confirmation by the Holy Spirit, Peter commanded that they be baptized (cf. Acts 10:47).
Confirmation is a continuation of the Christian initiation inaugurated with baptism. In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is "sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit." He or she is now strengthened to be a witness of Christ by word and deed and obliged to spread and defend the faith. This Sacrament is conferred by the anointing of chrism on the forehead, which is done by the imposition of the hand and through the words prescribed in the approved liturgical books. To learn more, please watch
Why we are Confirmed and read
Strengthened by the Spirit, Called to Action or
Fortalecidos por el Espíritu, llamados a la acción.
Young adults are confirmed after successful completion of a preparatory program. To enroll in the program, please fill the Confirmation Candidate form. Unconfirmed Catholic adults wishing to receive the Sacrament should contact Rose Deffenbaugh, the Director of Religious Education to make arrangements for suitable instruction.
Those who are entering the Catholic Church as adults are confirmed at the Easter Vigil when they are baptized or received into the Church as a part of
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. To enroll in RCIA, complete the registration form and submit it to the parish office.
