“For by the sacrament of Confirmation the baptized are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.” Catechism of Catholic Church #1285
In the early Church, all three of the Sacraments of Initiation were receive together at the same time. This came mostly from the fact that most of the new Christians were adults that were being baptized, confirmed and receiving the Eucharist for the first time all in the same ceremony with the local Bishop presiding. As the Church grew so did the need to make adjustments. It was no longer efficient for the Bishop to try to make all the baptisms as Christians started to have their children initiated into the faith as infants.
This change was the beginning of what we see now, specifically: infant baptisms, First Reconciliation, First Eucharist, and finally fullness of initiation in the Sacrament of Confirmation. Confirmation has always been intimately connected with Baptism. Confirmation is the completion of sealing an individual as a Christian.
It is now the norm that Confirmation occurs sometime in grades 6-12. Here in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston we typically celebrate Confirmation during the high school years, grades 11 and 12. Because of this, many see Confirmation as a “graduation” from religious education. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In actuality, Confirmation always has and always will be intimately united with Baptism. This Sacrament is where the individual receives the FULLNESS of the Holy Spirit just as the disciples did at Pentecost.
- Confirmation Preparation for Adults: The community of St. John Vianney welcomes and invites all baptized adults who were not confirmed as youth to continue their journey of initiation into a deeper spiritual relationship with God through the Sacrament of Confirmation.