“Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit” Acts 8:14-17.
With the Sacrament of Confirmation, one continues his or her commitment to our Lord’s community, the Church, that began at Baptism. Just as Baptism is a personal Easter for Christians who die with Christ in the baptismal waters in order to rise with Him, Confirmation is a personal Pentecost in which the presence of God’s life-giving Spirit empowers Christians to witness to Christ.
Catechism
“On several occasions Christ promised [the] outpouring of the Spirit, a promise which he fulfilled first on Easter Sunday and then more strikingly at Pentecost” (CCC 1287).
“Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the ‘sacraments of Christian initiation,’ whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. 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'” (CCC 1285).
At Church of the Resurrection
The sacrament of Confirmation is the third of the three sacraments of initiation into the Catholic Church. Students preparing for this sacrament receive it in the spring of 8th grade, following required two years of Confirmation preparation (see below). For children not attending a Catholic school, preparation takes place during their religious education classes.
CONFIRMATION PREPARATION
Preparation for Confirmation is a multi-dimensional process of spiritual reflection, soul-searching, and faith-sharing in order to ready one’s heart for the strengthening grace of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is a commitment to follow Jesus’ way of life by participating fully in the sacramental life of the Church, serving the community, and continuing to deepen one’s faith. For this reason, our program combines various techniques to facilitate this process such as prayerful classroom discussion and reflection, home study, service projects, Eucharistic celebrations, liturgical rites, a sponsor/candidate event, and a day-long retreat.
