• Confirmation FAQ

  The third Sacrament of Initiation, Confirmation, brings us into full communion with our church.  It completes the process of initiation and nourishes us to accept the full responsibility of our faith. The Holy Spirit first came to the apostles on Pentecost and gave them the courage to go forth and live the good news of Christ.        
  
  Preparation for Confirmation is conducted within the parish in which you are registered. If your child is in the 8th grade or older, has been baptized and you wish them to be confirmed, please contact the parish offices. Preparation as a parish typically begins in the fall of each year and notice is sent out to all registered parents.
  
  I am not a registered parishioner at St. Paul, can my child be confirmed here anyway?
  We understand that children often want to receive their sacraments with their friends
  and classmates. As sacraments are community celebrations, the diocese encourages that the
  sacraments are celebrated within the parish in which the family is registered. If you have
  determined that this is not your desire, we encourage you to have this discussion with your
  pastor.
   
  What other requirements are there?
  First Reconciliation and First Communion are sacraments that must be received prior to Confirmation. Your child can be prepared for these sacraments as well as Confirmation, if needed. The Confirmation candidates are invited to participate in the Rite of Welcome at a Sunday Mass early in their preparation. This helps connect the larger parish in support of our young people preparing for this Sacrament and their families.
  
  When is Confirmation?
  We typically schedule Confirmation in the Spring of the Year.
  
  What are service hours?
  Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation includes involvement in Christian service activities. The candidate reaches beyond him or herself to help others and responds to the Gospel challenge to love our neighbor as Jesus loves us. All service is done free of charge. The candidate is to accept no personal compensation of any kind.
   

  Who can be a sponsor?
  Each person being confirmed must have a sponsor. Canon Law #893 outlines the qualifications and intentions of performing the role as:
   

  • “have completed the sixteenth year” (be 16 years of age)
  • be designated by the one to be confirmed and by the parents
  • “be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist and leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken.”
  • “not be bound by an canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared."
  • “not be the father or the mother of the one to be baptized.”
  • “It is desirable that the one who undertook the role of sponsor at Baptism be sponsor for Confirmation”

  
  What does a sponsor do?
  The renewed Rite of Confirmation seeks to return importance and a spiritual dimension to the role of the Sponsor/Godparent. In the early church, St. John Chrysostom called sponsors “spiritual parents who instructed spiritual children in Christian living.” 
  
  The new Rite of Confirmation seeks to restore to the Sponsor/Godparent an authentic ministry, with the sponsors giving personal witness to the faith of the Church, and guidance to their candidates both before and after reception of the sacrament. Sponsors and Godparents are for life. 
  
  Sponsors will attend all scheduled gatherings with the candidate and is encouraged to meet individually throughout the year to support the candidate’s faith journey. 
  
  How do I pick a Confirmation name?
  Ideally, the parent, sponsor, and candidate are all involved in the choosing of a Confirmation name. Diocesan policy states: “It is preferable that the baptismal name be chosen for Confirmation or a new name be selected. It is to be a Christian name.” (pg. 45)
  
  There are many resources on our great saints that will be shared throughout the preparation program. Candidates are encouraged to choose a name that has significance or meaning to them, perhaps someone they see as a role model.
  
  I am an adult interested in Confirmation
  Persons of any age are able to be confirmed. Typically, adults enter a process called OCIA, Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. Through this process they can receive all needed sacraments and become Catholic. For more information, please refer to the  OCIA section on our website.