CONFIRMATION CEREMONY

Strand: Liturgy and Prayer: Sacraments

Confirmation is a special ceremony in which we are sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and are strengthened in our Christian faith.

Confirmation is a unique and sacred occasion. The ceremony starts with the readings. Before the rite of Confirmation begins your teacher will read out each of your names from the altar.

On hearing your name being called out you will stand and remain standing until each of the names have been called. This is a sign that Jesus is calling you and you are saying ‘yes’ to him, of your own free will. You will then be invited to sit. The bishop will then give you a talk about what it means to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Renewal Of Baptismal Vows

You will then renew your baptismal vows. These are the vows that were made on your behalf by your parents and godparents when you were a baby. You are now getting the opportunity to answer these vows for yourself because when you were a baby you were not able to do so. Answer ‘I DO’ to each question.

1. Do you reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises?

2. Do you believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?

3. Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died, and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

4. Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who came upon the apostles at Pentecost and today is given to you sacramentally in Confirmation?

5. Do you believe in the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

6. This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord.

All present: Amen.

Laying On Of Hands

In the Old Testament times the laying on of hands was a sign of blessing. It showed that a person was being specially chosen by God to do his work.

Jesus often placed his hands on people as a sign of blessing and healing. The Apostles and other followers of Jesus in the early Church used it as a sign that the Holy Spirit was being invoked to come down on his people. This is what the Bishop also does to those that he is confirming to show that they are now receiving the gifts of the Holy Spirit. While he does this, your sponsor will keep their right hand placed on your shoulder as a sign that they will be a support to you on your Christian journey. Your sponsor should be a responsible person who has been confirmed themselves and who lives a Christian life as a follower of Jesus Christ.

Anointing With Chrism

Chrism is olive oil scented with sweet smelling perfume, usually balsam. It is consecrated (made holy/blessed) by the Bishop at the Mass of the Chrism on Holy Thursday morning.

Olive oil was very important at the time of Jesus. It comes from the olive tree, which grows in Mediterranean countries. Today, olive oil is very popular as a salad dressing. In the past it had a huge number of uses and was also used for anointing kings. The Bishop will make the sign of the cross on your forehead and will say, “(Your name) be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”. The Bishop will use your Confirmation card for this part of the ceremony in order to say the name that you have chosen. This is the most important part of the Confirmation ceremony as it is the point at which you are receiving the Holy Spirit. The Bishop will pray for you to receive the 7 gifts.

This is what we have been preparing for all year, boys and girls. We get cleaned up and dressed up and turn up at the Church with our family, friends and sponsors. It's a happy day for everyone.

We will only make our Confirmation once. We are following in the footsteps of God's people in the Old Testament and later the twelve Apostles, who were the first to be confirmed with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

We take on a responsibility when we accept the gifts that the Holy Spirit bestows on us. We are saying yes to God for ourselves. We do this of our own free will. As confirmed Christians we are continuing the Bible story. It is the story of God’s people.

His Holy Spirit should help guide us to understand what God's message to us is in these modern times.