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[Paul] said to [some disciples], "Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?" They answered him, "We have never even heard that there is holy Spirit."...Paul then said, "John baptized with a baptism of repentence, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid [his] hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them.
Acts of the Apostles 19:2, 4-6
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What is the Sacrament of Confirmation?
The Sacrament of Confirmation is the Sacrament of Initiation that confers the grace of the Holy Spirit by a laying on of the hands, anointing of Sacred Chrism (holy oil), and the words, "Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit."
Confirmation perfects the grace of Baptism through the action of the Holy Spirit. With the graces of this Sacrament, a person is enabled to spread and courageously defend the teachings of Christ and his Church. (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 1212, 1303, 1316, 1320, 1533)
Confirmation Christians share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. They witness Christ's love and wisdom; in the words of Saint Paul, they exude the "aroma of Christ" (2 Corintians 2:15)
-The Didache Bible
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What is the scriptual basis for the Sacrament of Confirmation?
The prophets of the Old Testament foretold that God’s Spirit would
rest upon the Messiah to sustain his mission. Their prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus the Messiah was conceived by the Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus on the occasion of his baptism by John. Jesus’ entire mission occurred in communion with the Spirit. Before he died, Jesus promised that the Spirit would be given to the Apostles and to the entire Church. After his death, he was raised by the Father in the power of the Spirit.
The New Testament reports many manifestations of the Holy Spirit, two of which we note here. Saint John’s Gospel describes an outpouring of the Spirit on Easter night when Jesus breathed on the Apostles and said, “Receive the holy Spirit” (John 20:22).
Saint Luke’s Acts of the Apostles gives another account of the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ (cf. Acts of the Apostles 2). Filled with the Holy Spirit, the Apostles proclaimed God’s mighty deeds. Peter preached that this coming of the Spirit fulfilled the prophecy of Joel: “In the last days ... I will pour out a portion of my spirit / upon all flesh” (Acts of the Apostles 2:17; cf. JoeI 3:1).
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
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Confirmation is rooted in the descent of the Holy Spirit and the Apostles' practice of the "laying on the hands" as part of the initiation of the newly baptized.
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 of the Apostles 8:14-17
Those who believed in the Apostles’ preaching were baptized and received the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. The Apostles baptized believers in water and the Spirit. Then they imparted the special gift of the Spirit through the laying on of hands. “The imposition of hands is rightly recognized by the Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church” (Catholic Catechism of the Church, no. 1288, citing Pope Paul VI, Divinae Consortium Naturae, no.659).
By the second century, Confirmation was also conferred by anointing with holy oil, which came to be called sacred Chrism. “This anointing highlights the name ‘Christian,’ which means ‘anointed’ and derives from that of Christ himself whom God ‘anointed with the Holy Spirit’” (CCC, no. 1289, citing Acts of the Apostles 10:38).
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
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What are the effects of Confirmation?
Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of
baptismal grace:- it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation [becoming adopted sons and daughters of God] which makes us cry, “Abba! Father!’’;
- it unites us more firmly to Christ;
- it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
- it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;
- it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross.
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adult
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Who may receive Confirmation?
Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Since Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a unity, it follows that "the faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament at the appropriate time." Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1306, citing Code of Canon Law, 890)
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The Mission and Witness of the Confirmed
Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighborhoods, society, and the world. Through Confirmation, our personal relationship with Christ is strengthened. We receive the message of faith in a deeper and more intensive manner with great emphasis given to the person of Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to give the Holy Spirit to the Church for building up the community in loving service.
The Holy Spirit bestows seven gifts—Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Fortitude, Counsel, Piety, and Fear of the Lord—to assist us in our mission and witness.
The impact of these gifts accompanies us in the various stages of our spiritual development.
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
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Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
As the confirmed, we walk with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.- Wisdom enables us to see the world from God’s viewpoint, which can help us come to grasp the purpose and plan of God. It grants us the long range view of history, examining the present in the light of the past and the mystery of the future. It saves us from the illusion that the spirit of the times is our only guide. The Spirit’s gift of knowledge directs us to acontemplation, or thoughtful reflection, of the mystery of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—as well as of the mysteries of the Catholic faith. We are drawn to meditative prayer, where we allow God to lead us while we rest patiently in the divine presence.
- The gift of understanding stimulates us to work on knowing ourselves as part of our growth in knowing God. It is what St. Augustine meant when he prayed, “That I may know You, may I know myself.”
- When the Spirit pours fortitude or courage into our hearts, we can trust that we will be prepared to stand up for Christ and the Gospel when challenged.
- As the gift of counsel or right judgment grows in us, we can sense the quiet teaching that the Spirit gives us about our moral lives and the training of our consciences.
- The gift of piety or reverence is an act of respect for the Father who created us, for Jesus who saved us, and for the Spirit who is sanctifying us. We learn reverence for God and people from our parents and others who train us in virtue. The Spirit fills us with this gift at liturgy, which is a masterful school of reverence, as well as through popular devotions and piety.
- Finally, the gift of fear of the Lord or wonder and awe in God’s presence can infuse honesty into our relationship with God, a frankness that places us in awe before the majesty of God. Yet the gift also imparts an attitude of grateful wonder that God loves us and that we can share in his life.
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"In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law..If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit."
Galatians 5:22-23, 25
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Fruits of the Spirit
When we are responsive to the grace of Confirmation and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, we begin to bear the fruits of the Spirit.
The tradition of the Church names twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness,
modesty, self-control, and chastity (cf. CCC, no. 1832; Galatians 5:22).
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
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Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sarament of Confirmation together constitute the "Sacraments of Christian Inititation", 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."
-Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1285
What are the commitments to Confirmation at Saint Boniface?
- A desire to be confirmed
- An understanding of the Sacrament of Confirmation
- A good foundational understanding of our Catholic Faith and regular participation in faith formation classes
- Weekly participation of Mass
- A serious and firm commitment to continue to grow in the Catholic faith
Confirmation completes our initiation into the Catholic Church. Through an outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Confirmation “seals” our relationship with Christ and equips us with the grace needed to commit and actively participate in the life and mission of the Church.
Confirmation is not a “graduation” marking the end of an individual’s faith formation or participation in the Church. Confirmation is not about a Catholic reaching some abstract moment of maturity, rather it is about embracing and continuing to grow into the mission that Christ has given all of us.
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Readiness
Confirmation is a gift freely given to us by God. He invites our free and open response to this gift of grace but will not force us to receive it or respond to it. Sometimes for a variety of reasons students are simply not ready to make the commitment to receive this sacrament. While we strongly encourage you to sit down and discuss the issue with the Pastor or Director of Religious Education before making a final decision, you should know that we will ultimately respect students’ right to choose not to be confirmed.
What does our Confirmation
program look like for students of Religious Education?
The focus of our confirmation program is on the sacrament itself and building the tools needed to be a faithful disciple of Jesus. They will gather for a retreat and three sessions that will focus on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Sacrament of Confirmation and the Life of a Disciple. Students will also be asked to put their faith into action.
Students will not automatically be in our Confirmation program simply because they are in the 10th grade. They will need to meet with our Director of Religious Education for an interview before entering the confirmation program itself. Students may be confirmed when they show "readiness" at any time during high school. -
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