Date of Confirmation: October 12, 2024
Where: St. Anselm Catholic Church in Madisonville, LA
What IS Confirmation?
Confirmation is the sacrament of anointing, committing and affirming yourself to the Catholic faith. This sacrament is not only a spiritual rite but also a physical one! Confirmation allows you to physically absolve yourself from your past and take on a new version of yourself; a new version that overflows you with grace of the Holy Spirit. After all, this sacrament is the “outpouring” of the Holy Spirit into your life–kind of like Pentecost!
Regarding Confirmation’s relation to Pentecost, Jennifer Gregory Miller from “Catholic Culture” states the following:
What’s the purpose of Confirmation?
This sacrament is also known as the sacrament of initiation; it’s the final initiation of being a full Catholic church member! While some may picture this sacrament as the next step closer in their relationship to God, this sacrament it seals oneself in faith. It’s as glorious and simple as that!
One of the most special things about Confirmation is that you can only receive it once. Like Baptism, which cleanses us from original sin for the rest of our lives, Confirmation seals us with an “indelible mark” of the Holy Spirit. Another special component about Confirmation is that it strengthens the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit we received once we were Baptized:
- Wisdom: to dispose the perishable things of this world and aspire only after things that are eternal.
- Counsel: to chose the sacred way of pleasing God and awaiting one’s place in Heaven.
- Piety: to find the service of God reliantly, deeply, and genuinely.
- Fear of God: to be filled with loving reverence towards God.
- Knowledge: to know God and know oneself, and grow perfect in the science of the Savior.
- Fortitude: to bear one’s cross with The and overcome with courage all the obstacles that oppose one’s salvation.
- Understanding: to enlighten one’s mind with the light of Thy divine truth.
Source: Google Images
How does someone become a candidate for Confirmation?
A candidate is a Catholic teenager who aspires to grow stronger in their faith.
To be a candidate, one must…
- Be baptized
- Received the Eucharist (First Communion) and First Reconciliation (Confession)–and continue to attend confession, especially before the day of Confirmation!
How does someone become a Confirmation sponsor?
A sponsor is a confirmed man/woman specifically chosen by a candidate to stand at her side and walk her through the process of Confirmation.
To be a sponsor, one must…
- Be baptized
- Received the Eucharist (First Communion) and First Reconciliation (Confession)
- Received Confirmation
How does someone find her “saint name?”
A “saint name” is a very personal and special part of Confirmation; it leaves candidates with an individual, distinct connection to the Catholic faith and the saints that have exemplified faith through their sanctification. The name of a saint must resonate with a candidate, through thorough investigation/knowledge of saints, this not only allows candidates to determine what name to take on but learn a little more about the history of Catholicism in regards to Catholic saints.
Some candidates may choose a saint depending on that saint’s story, patronage, feast day, or a specific aspect or characteristic they hold; it is all up to the candidate!
If you or someone you know is looking into getting confirmed and in need of picking out a saint name, visit this link below!
Biggest and Best List of Confirmation Saints (for Guys and Girls)
What happens at Confirmation?
Accompanied by their sponsors, candidates walk towards the church’s altar during the Confirmation mass. At the church, the bishop greets the candidate and their sponsor. The bishop then blesses the candidate with a special anointment called chrism.
According to Father Michael Van Sloun of “The Catholic Spirit:”
From there, the candidate (now sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit) and the sponsor walk back to the pews, closer together in faith.
This is only the beginning…
This sacrament is absolutely beautiful; it helps ensure Catholics a stronger foundation of their faith. They take the vow of devotion to God and willingly take a step closer in their relationship to Him and the Catholic faith as well.
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