the holy sacrament of

Confirmation

“Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit”.

A bishop is the celebrant of the Sacrament of Confirmation. During the celebration the bishop extends his hands over those to be confirmed and calls upon God:

“Send your Holy Spirit upon them to be their helper and guide.”

This comes from the Acts Of The Apostles. It’s in this book of the Bible that Jesus asks his disciples to wait to be baptised by the Holy Spirit. Over a hundred of His disciples gathered in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came in the form of wind and fire. 

Receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Christian’s relationship with God is made stronger. The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are strengthened: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. In this way the Christian is equipped to become a better witness to Christ in the world.

receive the

holy spirit

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.” 
– Acts 2 1:3

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Confirmation is usually administered to young people in the sixth year of school who are ready to take on a more adult role in the Church. These candidates for Confirmation, or confirmands, as they are called, were usually baptised as infants and now accept the Catholic faith as their own and make a commitment to live it out with God’s help. Most confirmands participate in one year preparation classes before receiving the sacrament. As part of that preparation, each confirmand chooses a Confirmation name; (usually that of a favourite saint), which indicates that he or she is ready to assume a new position in the community.

Adults joining the Catholic Church also receive the sacrament of Confirmation after baptism and a period of instruction. (Rite of Christian Initiation – RCIA). Any baptised person, even an infant, may receive Confirmation, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that it provides, if he or she is in danger of death.