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Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation is normally administered by a bishop, as bishops alone have the authority to confirm and ordain members of the clergy. A priest may administer Confirmation if given permission by universal law or by the local bishop. Confirmation completes the grace received in Baptism and marks a person as ready to receive the Holy Spirit. While sometimes called the "sacrament of Christian maturity", Confirmation does not require a level of maturity or ratification of one's baptismal grace. A pastor could deny Confirmation to someone not properly disposed, such as one who denies the faith or does not attend Mass, but cannot deny it solely due to a lack of service hours, knowledge or occasional Mass absence.

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326 views2 pages

Confirmation

The Sacrament of Confirmation is normally administered by a bishop, as bishops alone have the authority to confirm and ordain members of the clergy. A priest may administer Confirmation if given permission by universal law or by the local bishop. Confirmation completes the grace received in Baptism and marks a person as ready to receive the Holy Spirit. While sometimes called the "sacrament of Christian maturity", Confirmation does not require a level of maturity or ratification of one's baptismal grace. A pastor could deny Confirmation to someone not properly disposed, such as one who denies the faith or does not attend Mass, but cannot deny it solely due to a lack of service hours, knowledge or occasional Mass absence.

Uploaded by

Anniston Puyot
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Sacrament of Confirmation

Who administers this sacrament?

Bishop

A high ranking Christian religious leader having the authority and who oversees the priests in
your parish and supervises the church. Bishops alone have the right to confirm and ordain
members of the clergy, and their main duty is to supervise the clergy within their diocese. In the
Roman Catholic Church, the bishop is selected by the pope and receives confirmation in his
office at the hands of an archbishop and two other bishops.

Priest

An ordained minister of the Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican Church, authorized to perform


certain rites and administer certain sacraments. They are the member of the clergy of the order
next below that of bishop, authorized to carry out the Christian ministry

The 1983 Code of Canon law states (canon 882): "The ordinary minister of
confirmation is a bishop; a presbyter provided with this faculty in virtue of universal
law or the special grant of the competent authority also confers this sacrament validly."
But priests can administer Confirmation either by mandate of the law or by
delegation by the bishop.

Concerns and Issues


What if I am a Catholic, but not yet have been confirmed?
- 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.
Confirmation is a time for the child/teen to 'confirm'
or 'accept for themselves' what was begun at their
Baptism.
Confirmation completes the reception of grace that was begun with the grace of Baptism. It's not
about what you have to proclaim. It is about the Church confirming what happened to you at
Baptism and saying that you are ready to receive the Holy Spirit in this manner.

Misconception
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1308, warns: "Although Confirmation is
sometimes called the 'sacrament of Christian maturity,' we must not confuse adult
faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace
of free, unmerited election and does not need 'ratification'

Can a Pastor deny the Sacrament of Confirmation?

A pastor could legitimately question the proper disposition of someone asking for confirmation
who fails to regularly attend Mass, explicitly denies the faith, expresses desire not to be
confirmed, displays an exaggerated ignorance of the faith, or other similar actions.
A pastor cannot deny the sacrament based solely on lack of service hours, attendance at parish
programs or activities, lack of knowledge of the faith beyond the child’s years, occasional lack of
Mass attendance, etc.

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