The Sacrament of

Confirmation
Entering into God’s Special Plan for you
 Opening Prayer

God our Father, you knew us before we

were born. You called us at Baptism to
be witnesses of your love for us in Christ.
Prepare our hearts and minds this
evening to welcome the gifts of your Holy
Spirit, that we may become everything
you desire us to be as your sons and
daughters in Christ. We make this prayer
to you in the name of Jesus, our Lord.
Amen.
 Why The Sacraments?
God is with us in the sacraments. The
sacraments mark times in our lives that are
especially important or significant for us in
our lives – times when we are happy; times
when we are sad; times when we make
important decisions.

In the sacraments, the Risen Jesus shows us

the same love, care and forgiveness of
God, as Jesus showed to those who lived
with him on Earth.
 Sacraments contd.
God is present in a special way when we
receive a sacrament. Each sacrament
helps us to celebrate and remember
God’s love for us.

Sacraments require us to have faith in

which we have to respond to the
invitation given to each of us by Jesus.
Initiation is...

Baptism
Washing

Confirmation
Anointing

Eucharist
Nourishment
Requirements for Reception of the
Sacrament of Confirmation
 Be prepared to profess the faith.
 Be in the state of grace.
 Intend to receive the sacrament.
 Be prepared to witness to Jesus Christ.
 Sacrament of Confirmation
 Is one of the 7 sacraments and completes our journey of
initiation/Confirms our baptism
 Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation
 Confirmation is not:
• a ‘rite of passage’
• confirming ‘my own faith’
 Although this can be a ‘by-product’
• a crash course in Catholicism
• getting the kids ‘done’ before we lose them
• about having lots of numbers attend
 The Holy Spirit is poured out onto the baptised candidate
 “be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”
 The holy spirit draws the candidate closer to Christ &
strengthens the person to live as a witness of Christ
How is Confirmation Celebrated
 The sacrament is celebrated through the
anointing with Chrism on the forehead
 And the laying on of hands
 And the Words: Be sealed with the gift of
the Holy Spirit
 Confirmation Ritual

 You Stand or Kneel before the Bishop

 Your sponsor lays one hand on your
shoulder and speaks your confirmation
name
 The bishop anoints you by using oil of
Chrism (a consecrated oil) to make the
Sign of the Cross on your forehead while
saying your confirmation name and “ Be
sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”
 Confirmation Ritual Contd.
 You Respond, “ Amen”
 The bishop then says “Peace be with you.”
 You respond, “And with your spirit”
 Confirmation
In Confirmation we say “yes” to the call of
God to work with other people to build a
better world for all. The community
assures us of the help of the Holy Spirit
in the work that we are about to do.

“Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”.

 Confirmation

 Being confirmed in the Catholic Church

means accepting responsibility for your
faith and destiny.
 Adulthood, even young adulthood, means
that you must do what’s right on your
own, not for the recognition or reward but
merely because it’s the right thing to do.
 Why Confirmation?

 Importance of the Sacrament of

Confirmation
 Faith
 Parent’s responsibility
 Link to baptism & Eucharist
 Regular practice
 Adulthood – ‘we grow up’
 Confirmation
 Each person wishing to be confirmed comes
forward with his or her sponsor, who usually is
one of the godparents chosen for baptism.
 The original minister for confirmation is the
bishop
 In the Eastern Churches priest can confirm
infants after baptism
 Like baptism Confirmation can only be received
once
 Sponsors
 The role of the sponsor is to help the one
being confirmed remain firm and strong in
the faith
 Sponsors are role models of faith, their
task is to give support and inspiration to
those living in the Christian faith
 Name
 Encourage Children to choose a saints
name
 A new name is often chosen when
someone decides a new way of life e.g.
Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson? Peter Gene Bayot Hernandez? Jorge Mario
Bergoglio?

 The website
www.actapublications.com/names &
www.Catholic.org is helpful in finding
saint’s names
 Effects
 A – Courage – Mental Strength
 B – Hope – A Positive outlook in life
 C – Strength – Power to conquer temptation
 D – Purpose – Direction and meaning in life
 E – Peace – The strength to overcome anxiety and Fear
 F – Grace – The power to do God’s Will
 G – Truth – The power to do and follow what is right and
true
 The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
 These Gifts are 7 Gifts
supernatural graces
given to the soul.
 The origin of these
gifts is found in Isaiah
11:1-3 where the
qualities of the
Messiah are foretold.
 Fruits of the Holy Spirit

 Human qualities that can be activated by the Holy Spirit

 The preparation
 Education in School
 Putting faith into practice
 Service of light (Saturday 27th February)
 Promises by confirmation candidates
 Promises by parents
 Personal works of charity
 Afterwards

 Regular attendance
 Participation in the parish life/life of the
Church
 Pentecost Sunday Mass 11:30am
Confirmation Day
17th April 11:30am
 Questions?
 Sponsors
 Names
 Clothing
 Robes and Sash
 Cameras
 Money
 Closing Prayer
God has created me to do him some definite service;
He has committed some work to me which he has not
committed to another. I have my mission – I may never
know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.
I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between
persons. He has not created me for nothing.
I shall do good. I shall do his work.
I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in
my own place while not intending it – if I do but keep his Commandments.
Therefore I will trust him. Whatever, wherever,
I am I can never be thrown away.
If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve him;
in perplexity, my perplexity may serve him;
if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve him.
He does nothing in vain.
He knows what he is about.
He may make me feel desolate, make
my spirits sink, hide my future from me – still he knows what he is about.
Cardinal Neman
 Pope Saint John Paul II
“Trust Christ; listen attentively to his
teachings, fix your eyes on his face,
persevere in listening to his Word.
Allow him to focus your search and
your aspirations, all your ideas and
desires of your heart”.