CONFIRMATION

Confirmation

For on him the Father, God, has set his seal. (John 6:27)

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).

Preparing for Confirmation at St. Clare Parish

Confirmation preparation for our students builds on the foundation that began at Baptism and will continue for the rest of their lives. The receiving of the Holy Spirit will unite them more firmly to Christ, increase the gifts of the Holy Spirit in them, and give them the strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ.

Last year, Archbishop Sample changed the age requirement for Confirmation from high school to the 7^th grade. We were challenged to create a separate grade level program that would work for both high school and middle school students. Our program combines catechetical teaching with opportunities for the teens to bond in friendships, build community by participating in team building events including a ropes course, a weekend retreat, service and outreach options with their sponsors, and fun events.

Please spend some time in conversation and prayer with your teen on whether this is the year to join Confirmation preparation classes. If you are interested, please complete the Registration Packet below and return it to the parish office.

Volunteers are needed. For more information, please contact Kim Zea, our Pastoral Associate, at kim@saintclarechurch.org.

2023-24 Registration Packet 2023 - 24 Preparation Schedule