MUNDELEIN, Ill.(CNA) — Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, N.D., in a recent lecture, examined the sacrament of confirmation and explained his reasons for believing children should receive it before first Eucharist.
“One can speak of the many effects of confirmation and the impact it makes upon one’s life, but it is always important to remember that the divine Person of the Holy Spirit is received in confirmation,” he said in July 6 remarks at the Liturgical Institute at Mundelein Seminary in Illinois. “We need the gifts of the Holy Spirit every day, every hour, every minute and every second to live a life that gives
glory to the Father as Jesus glorified the Father.”
The bishop explained that he had initially favored the view that confirmation was a “sacrament of maturity” that should be reserved to high-school students only. However, his view changed after further studies, work with the sacraments of initiation, and experience with young children who were confirmed when they entered the Church.
Placing confirmation after first Communion “only muddied the primacy of the Eucharist as the completion of initiation into the Church and the lifelong nourishment of the relationship established with the Trinity and the Church in the sacraments of baptism and confirmation,” the Fargo bishop said.
In an August 2002 pastoral letter, Bishop Aquila instructed that after children receive the sacrament of reconciliation in second grade, they should receive confirmation and first Eucharist in the third grade during the same Mass.
The bishop’s July 6 remarks surveyed the history the sacrament. Originally, confirmation was part of a “continuous rite of initiation” leading up to the reception of the holy Eucharist. This is still the practice in the Eastern Catholic Churches.
After the fifth century, Bishop Aquila said, it became difficult in the West for a bishop to travel to all parishes to baptize and confirm all at once, and so the administration of the sacraments became separated.
The custom of receiving first Communion as a second-grader and later receiving confirmation in middle or high school is “a recent practice of the Church,” and the Second Vatican council had called for a revision of the rite of confirmation.
Turning to the present administration of the sacrament, Bishop Aquila questioned whether the common placement of confirmation in late adolescence treats it as “a reward, or worse, as something earned or deserved for attendance and work in a parish catechetical program.”
“Should the fear of not receiving a sacrament ever be used as a means to keep a young person involved in the life of the Church? Should the gift and strengthening of the Holy Spirit be denied young persons in their most formative years?” he asked.
Bishop Aquila also wondered whether the special attention and length of preparation given to confirmation makes many perceive it to be more important than baptism and the Eucharist.
The view that confirmation is a way for young people to make a personal commitment to their faith “distorts” the sacrament, he said.
“Confirmation is not marked by a choice to believe or not believe in the Catholic faith. Rather, as disciples, we are chosen by God to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, to be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit generously bestowed by God, and we are called to cooperate with that grace,” he explained.
Confirmation confers a gift of the Holy Spirit that is ordered to “the life of worship,” the bishop said while summarizing Catholic thought. It helps the person achieve a “more perfect integration” into the body of Christ. This helps us understand how confirmation is ordered to the Eucharist.
In this light, it appears “odd” to have someone participate in the Eucharistic life of the Church if he or she has not received “the seal of the Holy Spirit, which perfects the personal bond with the community.”
While some have said that maturity is necessary for the sacrament, the bishop said that children can be mature spiritually.
“If they are mature enough to receive the Eucharist, the crown of the sacraments, are they not mature enough to receive a sacrament that is ordered to it?” he asked.
“I have found the third-graders to be most receptive to the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and their childlike trust and wonder is beautiful to behold. Many times their ability to see the truth and have complete trust in God is strikingly better than our own. It allows for a deeper receptivity of the graces of the sacrament.”
By contrast, he said, too many young adults have regressed spiritually into a state of indifference or despondence towards God.
He suggested that restoring the order of the sacraments of initiation will aid the local community in forming effective catechesis which acknowledges growth in faith as a lifelong process.
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This is interesting, but I always thought the order was defined by the gospels. First, Jesus was baptized, then he instituted the Eucharist and finally the decent of the Holy Spirit. Isn’t that the reason the Church ordered our initiation in that manner?
Yes! This makes so much more sense than the current “maturity sacrament” fad. It might truly help with East-West ecumenism as well, since the Eastern churches include all three sacraments of initiation in one day. I have never been able to explain very well to my Eastern friends (or anti-sacrament Protestant friends) why the West separates the three so radically.
It does make sense. Children need the gifts of the Holy Spirit BEFORE they reach the rebellious adolescent years. Confirmation gives one the grace to suffer for one’s Faith and to stand firm in it—qualities even the very young need desperately these days.
I agree that the Sacrament of Confirmation should not be postponed until the teen years. This may have been done to try to keep the young teen attending religious education longer, but only led to feeling they were “done” when they were confirmed, and needed no further catechesis, rather than realizing the conversion is ongoing. Our diocese (Phoenix) no longer practices this. I am undecided whether I believe that Confirmation should be concurrent with First Eucharist, or if there should occur separately, but not too far apart.
Well said Bishop Samuel Aquila! I could not agree more, I truly believe that our young people need this sacrament today to help them battle the secular society. Confirmation is the receiving of the Holy Spirit, children need the gifts of the Holy Spirit to guide them in the Spiritual battles they face daily.
I couldn’t agree more with this bishop. He is absolutely right!
FOLLOWING THE CHURCH’S HISTORY THE BISHOP HAS A SOLID ARGUMENT.
THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH RECEPTION OF FIRST COMMUNION AND CONFIRMATION AND TAGGING THEM TO SPECIFIC CLASSES HAVE NOT HELPED THE CHURCH IN EUROPE IN PARTICULAR WHERE THE LEVEL OF PREPARATION FOR THESE SACRAMENTS IS VERY LOW. PARENTS OF THESE CHILDREN ARE HARDLY COMMITTED TO THE THEIR FAITH AND IRREGULAR IN ATTENDANCE AT EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATIONS. THE PREPARATION IS LEFT FOR PEOPLE WHO UNFORTUNATELY DO NOT HAVE MUCH INFLUENCE OVER THE CHILDREN. PRIESTS DO NOT COMMIT THEMSELVES ENOUGH AS THEY SHOULD . THREE QUARTERS OF CHILDREN WHO RECEIVE HOLY COMMUNION DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE RECEIVING. IT IS A MERE ROUTINE THING. SOME PARISHES IN GERMANY FOR INSTANCE NO LONGER OFFER FIRST COMMUNION CANDIDATES THE OPPORTUNITY OF HAVING SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION BEFORE THEIR FIRST COMMUNION. MOST PARENTS SEE FIRST COMMUNION AND CONFIRMATION AS MERE ROUTINE AND FOLLOWING THE TREND, JUST AS AT 18 YEARS AN ADOLESCENT IS EXPECTED TO OBTAIN DRIVER’S LICENCE. MY ARGUMENT IS THAT, ADEQUATE PREPARATION FOR THE RECEPTION OF THESE SACRAMENTS SHOULD OCCUPY THE PRIESTS AND CLERGY MORE THAN DUELLING ON ACCIDENTALS OF WHICH ONE SHOULD COME FIRST. SPRIRITUAL MATURITY IS ALWAYS PREECEDED BY PERSONAL MATURITY.
While I don’t disagree; it does leave the question of when does the youth make their profession of faith. I dearly love my eight year old niece but don’t thnk she can resisit the creed and claim it as her own ~ fully understanding to what she was promising and professing. Perhaps First Eucharist is moved to early adulthood?
Confirmation should be at age 60 not before….
I was confirmed in the 3rd grade (in the early 1960’s) and actually wore my first communion dress with a small chapel veil and a small red ribbon. I remember a sense of awe and wonder. With children maturing earlier and being exposed to so much at an earlier age, I think the Bishop is absolutely right in completing the sacraments of initiation sooner.
Actually Babs the Church doesn’t order them that way. The proper order IS Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. [ CCC 1212 The sacraments of Christian initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - lay the foundations of every Christian life. “The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life. The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life. By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity.”]
But for some reason, most celebrate them with Confirmation last—except for when a child over the age of 7 joins the Church, in which case they receive them in the correct order.
If you put confirmation at such a young age you will quickly see the amount of young people in youth groups decrease drastically. It is unfortunate but having youth group retreats as a requirement for confirmation keeps kids involved in the Church. After confirmation it is true that some stop participatingin their faith, but the hope is that hopefully by the grace of God their involvement in youth groups will touch their hearts in a way that they will want to continue growing in their faith. And also technically we receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism. You are born again of water and the Holy Ghost. I don’t see how you can honestly say that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not working in people until the age of 15 or 16 or whenever they are confirmed. No! The Spirit is definately working in their lives and they are open to the gifts which the Spirit provides. I think when it comes to this sacrament it is better to be pastoral rather than legalistic and theological. Confirmation keeps kids involved in their faith. At this point in time when it is already so difficult for kids to live their faith because of the culture we are in, I don’t see moving confirmation to such a young age being a good thing for the Church.
I would say that it’s MORE pastoral to allow for confirmation at an earlier age. While it is true that the holy spirit is working in their lives before Confirmation we need to remember that Confirmation isn’t just a sign of something, it confers an indelible mark on the soul and is a “special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost”[CCC 1302].
Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:
- it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation 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: Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of right judgment and courage, the spirit of knowledge and reverence, the spirit of holy fear in God’s presence. Guard what you have received. God the Father has marked you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in your hearts. [CCC 1303]
If the only motivation for kids to be in youth groups is so that they can be confirmed that’s a problem. By the time they are in their teens, young Catholics need to be active in evangelization and ministry and the sooner we confer the fullness of initiation the better.
The “they’ll leave religious education too early” argument is indeed a poor one and proven wrong by our own Eastern Churches and Orthodox, who have more young people participate, not less! ;-) It certainly won’t employ more or create job security for DREs, if that’s the thought. ;-) Further, moving it to a younger age will give those children GRACES and the operational gifts of the Holy Spirit during their teen years. Yes, we are filled with the gifts, but a truly believing Catholic would also realize that Confirmation seals and perfect the baptized Christian.
I, too, am tired of the “jumping through hoops” to receive a sacrament that is rightfully theirs to request and PROPERLY prepare to receive, while Eastern Church babies and those children who enter the Western Church through RCIC are just as confirmed; more importantly, didn’t have to wait 2-3 years, do umteedump hours of community service, attend classes all during the 2-3 year period, attend a weekend retreat, write a report on the chosen saint, attend Mass by having it recorded that one has done so the entire time, and petition the bishop. I have heard of ALL these clauses being listed as “requirements” for Confirmation in parishes and dioceses throughout the US.
RCIC often takes no longer than 9 months preparation, for an uncatechized child of any age over 7-ish, possibly who has never studied Christianity, to become a full member of the Household of Faith. Why are the children who are born to the Western Church and who parents have raised them in that Faith pushed to second-class status and required to work harder for the sealing of their baptisms by the Holy Spirit? That’s what Confirmation is, the sealing of baptism by a bishop or his appointed priest, and the infilling for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. It’s not a Catholic bar mitzvah or Catholic altar call “come to Jesus” event. If that were true, canon law would reflect that 13 year old boys and 12 year old girls should be confirmed as soon as possible to that birthday, after months of planning; in the alternative, that children and adults of all educational backgrounds should be confirmed the moment they get religion and then study it afterwards. That’s how bar mitzvah and altar calls work. Clearly neither of those are a close comparison to Confirmation.
My diocese (Great Falls/ Billings, MT) confirms children in conjunction with first communion. I think it is a solid practice which is truer to the tradition of the Church. For all most the entirety of the Church’s history Confirmation was received before baptism. It was only when Pope Pius X lowered the age for first communion that the two sacraments were flip-flopped. I believe restoring the traditional order of receiving sacraments is admirable. I’ve lived in dioceses where confirmation was reserved to the high school years and I didn’t see any greater degree of involvement by teenagers in youth groups or religious ed programs. Unfortunately most teenagers are as apathetic about religion as their parents are.
I was confirmed back when I was 12 in 1954, four years after my First Communion. At age 12, I’m sure I hadn’t ever committed a mortal sin. Frankly it was a big disappointment to me and I imagine to all the others in the three grades of my Catholic school who were confirmed at the same time. Nobody seemed to be any different; nobody all of a sudden became an evangelist. Life went on pretty much the same.
I can imagine that being confirmed in the second grade would have been the same, maybe worse.
As it was, after 12 years of parochial education, Mass every day, lots of confessions and 45 minutes of religion every school day, I quickly fell away from practice of my faith soon after going to college. All my Catholic friends did too. I wasn’t angry. I didn’t disagree with anything the Church taught. I was just lazy and figured someday I’d get married, have kids and return to the Church.
Well, I never got married, but I did return to the Church, at age 40, and it probably took me 15 more years to really become a Catholic after such a long lapse. And I’m still reverting.
I’m incredibly thankful that God didn’t give up on me and found ways to use me productively.
I’ll throw out the argument that Confirmation should be given to adults.
I say, give them all the Sacraments of Initiation at once as babies. If they need the Holy Spirit in their youth why wait till second grade? The Bishops can get to all their churches now. It’s time to restore the ancient practice. At the age of reason there can be classes to prepare one for First Confession, and on going classes for continued education. We don’t need to hold a carrot out to keep people going to church. Frankly, if they don’t want to be there they shouldn’t be there.
Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist, and then was confirmed by His Father (signified through the appearance of the Dove) when He said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit was sent to the Apostles and the Church.
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