top of page

Confirmation

What is  Confirmation?

As Catholic Christians, we are born spiritually in the Sacrament of Baptism. At that time, we become sharers in the divine life of the most Blessed Trinity — Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We begin to live a supernatural life even as infants. As we mature, we practice the virtues of faith, hope, and love and as we unite with Christ in the Church in offering worship to God, we also grow in grace and goodness. 
​
At Confirmation, we receive a special Grace by which our faith is deepened and strengthened, so that it will be strong enough not only for our own needs but for the needs of others with whom we shall try to share it. With the onset of adolescence a child begins to assume, progressively more and more, the responsibilities of adulthood. S/he begins to see his/her place in the total family picture and in the community at large.
​
Similarly, the Confirmed Catholic begins to see more clearly (or ought to) his/her responsibility to Christ for his/her neighbor. S/he becomes deeply concerned (or ought to) with the welfare of Christ-in-the-world — which is the Church — and the welfare of Christ-in-his-neighbor. It is in this sense that Confirmation is a spiritual growing up.
​

THE EFFECTS OF CONFIRMATION

The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Its effects are to:
  •  Root us more deeply in divine filiation (being children of God);
  •  Unites us more firmly to Christ;
  • Increases the Gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
  • Strengthens our bond with the Church;
  •  Associates us more closely to her mission of  bearing witness to Christ;
  • Helps us and more strictly obliges us to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.
In our Catholic tradition we often refer to Confirmed Catholics as ‘Soldiers of Christ.’ This indicates Confirmation’s effects: it configures us for a full and active mission of service to Christ, and a life of living and defending our Catholic Faith, now as adolescents and adults.
bottom of page