“Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts.”
St. Ambrose
The Sacrament of Confirmation is the spiritual equivalent to the physical growth we experience from childhood into adulthood. It “strengthens the baptized and obliges them more firmly to be witnesses of Christ,” by spreading and defending the Faith as mature Christians (Canon Law 879).
Like the Sacrament of Baptism, “Confirmation is only given once, for it too imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark. . . which is a sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with a seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high,” (CCC 1304) so that one has the power to “profess faith in Christ publicly and. as it were. officially” (CCC 1305).
Confirmation “is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost,” where those who are confirmed receive an increase in the gifts of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1302).
Confirmation, along with Eucharist and Baptism, is also one of the three sacraments of Christian Initiation. As such, “Confirmation is necessary for the completion of Baptismal grace” (CCC 1285).
To learn more about Confirmation
Need more information on Confirmation in our Archdiocese?
In our Archdiocese, the children are typically registered for Confirmation in Grade 6 or older. For adults new to Catholicism, Confirmation is prepared for through RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Archdiocesan Standards For Preparing Children And Youth For The Sacraments (PDF, see especially pages 61-72.)
- Archdiocesan Sacramental Standards Additional Resources (PDF, primarily for teachers)
Please contact your local parish office to register for the next Confirmation or RCIA preparation session.