Tag: Confirmation

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Sacraments

What is the Sacrament of Holy Orders?

Father Reginald Martin

August 22, 2022 8:01 am August 22, 2022

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes a number of pages to its discussion of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. It remarks three degrees of the sacrament: deacons, priests and…

The Catechism of the Catholic Church devotes a number of pages to its discussion of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. It remarks three degrees of the sacrament: deacons, priests and bishops, and describes the sacramental tasks properly assigned to each (see No. 1554). Bishops, because they represent the apostles, exercise a ministry of special honor — one that extends back to the earliest days of our faith, and, through an unbroken tradition, connects us to the early Church.

Priests share in this ministry, although to a lesser degree, and a document of the Second Vatican Council, Presbyterorum Ordinis, describes both the priest’s ministry and the authority by which he receives it from the bishop. The Catechism pulls from this document to teach that priests “depend on the bishops in the exercise of their own proper power” and “so are configured to Christ . . . in such a way that they are able to act in the person of Christ the head” (see Nos. 1563-1564).

The point here is to connect the Sacrament of Holy Orders with Jesus, the High Priest. For this reason, too, the bishop is the ordinary minister of the Sacrament of Confirmation. This is to remind us of the apostolic origins of the sacrament (see Catechism, No. 1313)

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Sacraments

Choosing A Confirmation Name

Msgr. Charles Pope

August 9, 2022 10:19 pm August 9, 2022

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Choosing a saint’s name is a matter of custom and is not, therefore, regulated strictly by Church law. Candidates for confirmation may choose a name of a Christian saint by…

Choosing a saint’s name is a matter of custom and is not, therefore, regulated strictly by Church law. Candidates for confirmation may choose a name of a Christian saint by which to be called, but they are not required to do so. They may also choose to be confirmed using their baptismal name.

If a confirmation name is to be picked from among the saints, the surest answer is to pick from among those who are fully canonized. If one is to use the name of an individual not yet fully canonized it would seem that their status should be announced.

In general, candidates for confirmation who choose a special name should pick a saint or blessed who provides a role model for living the Christian life. They should also consider that choosing such a name will place them under the patronage of the saint. Thus in determining a certain saint they may wish to consider a saint who gives them special inspiration or a saint who can intercede for them in a special matter based on their own needs.

Rev. Msgr. Charles E. Pope is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

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Sacraments

Godparents and Sponsors: Who Qualifies?

Father Francis Hoffman

May 3, 2022 7:14 am May 3, 2022

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The answer is in the Code of Canon Law. Canon 874 tells us that a sponsor should be (1) at least 16, unless the bishop or pastor makes an exception;…

The answer is in the Code of Canon Law. Canon 874 tells us that a sponsor should be (1) at least 16, unless the bishop or pastor makes an exception; (2) a practicing Catholic who has already been confirmed and made his first Communion; (3) free of any canonical penalty; and (4) neither the father nor mother of the person to be baptized.

The same criteria apply for confirmation sponsors. In my opinion, the most important criterion is that the sponsor be a good practicing Catholic.

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Sacraments

What are the current rules for determining the age of reason for first holy Communion?

Father Francis Hoffman

April 22, 2021 6:00 am April 22, 2021

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There is no hard-and-fast rule for determining the age of reason: it is a judgment call on the part of parents, pastors and teachers — the ones who know the…

There is no hard-and-fast rule for determining the age of reason: it is a judgment call on the part of parents, pastors and teachers — the ones who know the child the best. In general, throughout the United States, second grade is the time when children receive first Communion. Typically, the children in second grade are between the ages of 7 and 9.

First Communion and confirmation are not typically given at the same time in the Latin rite of the Church, but the three sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation, Eucharist) are administered at the same time in the Eastern rite. For Latin-rite Catholics — about 99 percent of Catholics around the world — baptism is to be given within the first weeks of birth. First confession and first Communion follow around age 7, and confirmation may be administered at the age of reason or after. Across the United States, the typical age range for confirmation is 12 to 17, and there are good reasons advanced both for the younger and older ages.

The Code of Canon Law states: “The administration of the Most Holy Eucharist to children requires that they have sufficient knowledge and careful preparation so that they understand the mystery of Christ according to their capacity and are able to receive the body of Christ with faith and devotion.

“The Most Holy Eucharist, however, can be administered to children in danger of death if they can distinguish the body of Christ from ordinary food and receive Communion reverently.

“It is primarily the duty of parents and those who take the place of parents, as well as the duty of pastors, to take care that children who have reached the use of reason are prepared properly and, after they have made sacramental confession, are refreshed with this divine food as soon as possible. It is for the pastor to exercise vigilance so that children who have not attained the use of reason or whom he judges are not sufficiently disposed do not approach holy Communion” (Canons 913-914).

Rev. Francis Hoffman, J.C.D., Executive Director of Relevant Radio. Follow him on his Facebook page “Father Rocky.”

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Sacraments

Confirmation and Marriage

Father Francis Hoffman

October 18, 2019 7:05 am October 18, 2019

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One would assume that if you must be at least 18 years old to marry validly in the Catholic Church in the United States, you would have already received baptism,…

One would assume that if you must be at least 18 years old to marry validly in the Catholic Church in the United States, you would have already received baptism, confirmation, holy Eucharist and confession.

The Code of Canon Law makes this statement: “Catholics who have not yet received the Sacrament of Confirmation are to receive it before being admitted to marriage, if this can be done without grave inconvenience” (Canon 1065.1).

The question is: Why is it fitting to receive confirmation before marriage? Because confirmation, if received worthily, brings with it the grace and strength you need to fight the good fight and live as a Christian. With confirmation the gifts of the Holy Spirit are strengthened: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord. All of these are helpful for married life.

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Sacraments

Is Confirmation Biblical?

Msgr. Charles E. Pope

February 21, 2019 10:52 am February 21, 2019

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On Pentecost Sunday the apostles and disciples experienced a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit that they continued to share with later converts by the laying on of hands. Scripture…

On Pentecost Sunday the apostles and disciples experienced a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit that they continued to share with later converts by the laying on of hands. Scripture describes this as distinct from baptism.

Thus, Phillip (a deacon) went to Samaria and baptized many there.

Hearing of the conversions and baptisms, Peter and John came north and laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. This was done as the text says, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 8:14-17). This shows some separation in the celebration of these sacraments and a reservation of the conferring of the sacrament of confirmation to bishops.

However, later in Acts, we see St. Paul (who was a bishop) first baptizing a group, and then imposing hands on them so they would receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:5-6). This shows the sacraments, though distinct, being celebrated together.

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