Confirmation

"Be sealed with the Holy Spirit.” - Rite of Confirmation -

Confirmation as a sacrament is a sign whereby the Church, through the bishop or his delegate, accepts the faith of the confirmand (the candidate). Through the sacrament and through the recommitment of the candidate to the creed of the Church, the creed of our Baptism, a candidate fulfills on their own accord to live what they believe as the Gospels have taught us and as the Church teaches them. The grace of this recommitment is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The bishop in the rite of Confirmation signifies this acceptance with two major signs – the laying on of hands over the candidate, either individually or communally, and the anointing with Holy Chrism, candidate by candidate, individually. The sacrament itself, always celebrated within the context of the Eucharist, reminds us in the rite of the original sacraments of initiation – Baptism (the blessing with the baptismal water at the beginning of the service), Confirmation (the laying on of hands and anointing after the homily), and Eucharist itself to conclude the celebration.

The sacraments of initiation are the most ancient of all of our celebrations and date back to the first century itself. In this way, young men and young women are joined together with all the other Christians from the first century onwards.

The Confirmation program is to expose our young adults to the full measure of our faith. It is not just what we say, or pray, or the information we will have received about our faith, but it is also how that faith moves us to serve others in the spirit of Christ, especially those poorer than ourselves. The obligation of Eucharist and Confirmation is to reach out into the community to be evangelical in the way we live, following the teaching of Christ wholeheartedly. It is our hope that each candidate will derive something from this program, somehow that will remain with them throughout their lives.

Please contact Blessed Savior Parish (414-464-5033) for more information.