Bishop Aquila’s statement is so far from reality it’s pathetic. The article reads that: Instead, young people in Fargo now have “the fullness of the Spirit and the completion of the gifts of the Spirit” to assist them in “living their lives within the world,” especially “in the trials they face in junior high and high school.”

Unless his words were quoted out of context, which is normal for the liberal National Catholic Register.

Catholic kids of today have absolutely no awareness of this “fullness of the Spirit” nor the grace that goes with it. And, grace without understanding and without acting upon it is grace that does not change hearts, minds and actions, therefore it is not full grace. The receiver of grace must be a willful and full participant in that grace for it to be effective. The Bishop knows this. . it is basic theology.

The later the sacrament of Confirmation is in a young persons life the more apt they are to understand what it is about and make a commitment in their Faith to Jesus Christ and His Church.  The earlier it is in life the less likely such and understanding and awareness.  It becomes nothing more than a sacred tradition in the line of “cultural catholic” practices where the “catholic” knows almost nothing about his/her Faith.  Thus, by necessarily delaying confirmation (but retaining the order of the sacraments that the Bishop defers to), this also delays reception of the grace that is Jesus Christ in the Eucharist.

The change , that is the restoration of the order of receiving the sacraments is welcome. The interpretation of confirmation as adult acceptance of christ by a person is wrong , as sacraments are grace of God and not maturity of understanding catholicism.  My question is should there be no uniformity ?  In Eastern Churches baptism and eucharist are given same time to infants.

For those who are concerned with children being too young for the sacraments, I am a Melkite Christian (Eastern Catholic) and grew up in the Eastern tradition.  I was baptized, confirmed, and received first communion as an infant, as in the tradition among the Eastern Churches.  My children have gone through this same process of receiving the sacraments of initiation.  Are we less catechized?  No.  Are we not as well prepared for it?  Are you better prepared for reception of the sacraments than an innocent child who has committed no personal sin?

Education doesn’t end after the sacraments of initiation.  First off, the PARENTS are the primary educators and are the ones to first introduce the faith the their children.  Don’t we all need to continue to grow and learn in faith?  We have Sunday school through 12th grade and we have Adult Education classes as well. 

As for those concerned about their child understanding, I have seen time and time again that it is often the case that the child better understands the awesomeness of the mysteries of the faith.  My daughter (2) is well aware that the Eucharist is something special and to be desired.  She asks if she is going to “receive Jesus today.”  She makes the sign of the Cross when we walk into a church.  She ASKS to go to confession with me.  Christ said, let the children come unto me.  So I say, why not? This has been the tradition of the Church and remained so in the East. 

Have more faith in your children.  Be examples of the Living Word to you children.  They will come to love and know God if you do, not if their CCD teacher does.

Good for Bishop Aquila for restoring the traditional order of the sacraments.

I agree with Bishop Aquila. They should be confirmed at a younger age. I have four children and the younger ones had to do the two year ” how do we rope them in to attending our high school youth program with co ed overnight retreats?” with which I was unimpressed. It was really just a burden for children and parents alike. It was more meaningful for them to go through these sacraments with their childhood/grade school classmates.
Confirmation in the freshman or sophomore year of high school often means getting confirmed with people you just met , who go to different schools, with whom you have no connection other than the weekly confirmation class. Most of the kids do not want to be there, and who can blame them?

BTW , my children are adults now and are all practicing Catholics so in my family (so far) it did not affect future church attendance.
And please dump the coed overnights. They just put young people in harm’s way.

First Let Me say I agree, however I think it would be worth showing where in the Bible/Church Teaching this would be evident. My reading says The Apostles Received the Eucharist at the Last Supper and The Power of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, I realize that was/is (for lack of a better term) The Ultimate Power of Forgiveness, even-though are all charged to forgive those who sinned against US, and realizing we do not have the power to forgive the sins of those who have sinned against Others, but knowing we should pray that God will have Mercy on those Most in Need, Who is Likely to be US who can share in the prayers of others.

To all of you who favor confirmation in the teens:  clearly the last generation of Catholics were so well catechized and have done a great job handing on the Faith to their kids.  Can you feel my vehement sarcasm?

You ask what reason kids will have to keep coming to church.  Honestly, if their parents aren’t going to take it seriously, educate them, and raise them in the faith, no amount of carrot-and-stick “educational” imprisonment in parish halls is going to fix that.  Sure catechesis sucks in America.  Mine did.  I am an educated Catholic because I choose to be.  I sought knowledge for myself and learned my faith for real.  Honestly, I have rarely seen any parish program worth the trouble.  When parish-level catechesis rises above the Jesus-and-rainbows gutter, then we can worry what kids might be missing when they don’t participate in it.

I’m concerned about this.  I can understand both sides of the debate.  However, what will be the purpose of continuing C.C.D. or some other form of Catholic Education if all of the Sacraments are indeed received at such an early age?  Our youth will have the initiation Sacraments received by 8 years old and then, those not in Catholic Schools, will have no further Catholic instruction other than at Mass or, in some places, in the home?  I don’t think this is enough.  Some other type of furthering Catholic education should be in place before a change is made.  Youth of this young age need to have much more instruction and reinforcement of lessons learned.  I can’t imagine how my own kids would have grown in their faith without their out of home religious education lasting much longer into their lives.

The Spokane diocese does this, and when we lived there, my oldest daughter was confirmed in 2nd grade.  I used to struggle with the concept, especially as a convert, but now appreciate it.  I fully believe that being confirmed at 7 was a much more fulfilling experience for her and that she has a better grasp of her faith at 15 because of it. Thank you, Bishop Skylstad!  (I only wish they did this in the Yakima Diocese.)

It use to be in Mexico children were baptized and while they were still very young they were confirmed. I think that the Pope is correct. Children need all the special graces and protection they can get as soon as possible. Children at very early ages are exposed to great evil that exists in the world today. I believe that children should be confirmed at an early age and the church should explain and promote this. We hear
in the news today of horrible shootings and bullying of children of very young ages. With technology and the media young children are exposed to alot of negative behavior, morals and lack of ethics in games ie xbox etc and this can be confusing to young minds. Confirmation can strengthen young children giving them an additional shield of grace to baptism that can help them survive the world today and follow the light of God’s goodness.

In the order of things the Body and Blood of Christ at the last supper preceded the coming of the Paraclete.

My children were asking me,” why do we have to make confirmation after communion”?  And since I myself was not raised in a strong Catholic family I didn’t know so I told them that perhaps the church wanted them to reiterate to them that they were making an informed consent of confirming what they believe in.  Needless to say they they resented being in the classes. I know that it is important to be educated in catechesis but I must agree with Bishop Aquila that it is better to stick to tradition when it comes to the sequence of order. It makes sense to baptize and confirm because as parents we commend our children to God and when children are little they are more receptive to learning the importance of Eucharist. Thus, when they become teens they will now be able to “put on their guard and armour” by being able to partake in the sacrament of Communon to give them the grace they need during the turbulent teen years. I feel they are much more vulnerable to attack from the influence of the world without their sacraments to protect them. PLEASE let’s go back to how it should be. Let’s keep in mind that we shouldn’t hinder the little ones for such is the kingdom of God. Jesus said,“Let the children come to me” yet we deny them…...Mrs. Edna Ruiz-Manrique

I think it is good to restore the order of the sacraments. Hopefully this will equip them to live their faith and by so doing hand on the faith to the coming generations much more effectively than the last few have. This seems to be whats missing, not the factual learning which we have been doing but the witness of saintly lives. This is the difference between what Mother Theresa did and social work. She served the poor for love of God. She brought them in contact with Him without even saying anything or even speaking His name. No, we do not have a shortage of information or learning. We have a shortage of saints who by the witness of their faithfilled love of God make Him present and available to everyone they meet.

Great news. The US Bishops moved the age up (how many years back?) This move will be good we hope. I expect noe that the demand that first reconciliation precede first Eucharist will be dropped. That is not required for anyone except those in serious sin or the devout for spiritual direction. Not for very young kids who cannot commit mortal sins, most are not ready for spiritual direction, some are for sure. The continuing preparation for full membership is of course never over for any of us as we journey from self-centred hubris to becoming Christ-like. Working out that formation-transformation will be a great headache for all- the families and the children and the parish staff.  Time to quit bingo and fund-raising, work sincerely at Stewardship, and take time for more serious Jesus Time for all. PRAYERS are in order all round

While the idea may have worked in the early Church, I fear that it would be a big mistake today. We all know that children only attend CCD classes in order to be confirmed. Once they receive confirmation, we often never see them again, but at least we have had the chance to plant the seeds of faith. I fear that in this scenario, they are baptized and confirmed; they receive communion in 2nd or 3rd grade; and we never see them again. In this situation they leave with no knowledge of their faith.

For those of you who are against this my prayers are with you. It is very sound thinking and remember we vow to follow the Pope in order to be good Catholics. This revision of the sacraments is by far the best way to train young Catholics. In most churches today the confirmation comes in the middle teens (high school) and after they have been confirmed almost 65% stop attending Mass on Sunday. Why? They think they have graduated. That’s right—its all over and they can move on to other things. Are you aware that in the Public (government) schools they start sex education in the first or second grade? And Senator Obama (Illinois) wanted to start sex education in Kindergarten in Illinois. Think people—what the future brings will effect your children and grandchildren. The bishop and the Pope have done a good thing. Are you ready to take a step in the right direction?

Perhaps The Eastern Churches have it right…!!! They administer all three sacraments simultaneously at Baptism…!!! I think they refer to Confirmation as Chrismation…!!! This makes the Sacrament of Reconciliation fit in nicely as it requires the Penitent to decide once they reach the age of reason.

Does anyone know why the Eastern Rite churches do Baptism/Confirmation/Eucharist one right after the other, but with the Western churches there is a delay of several years between Baptism and Confirmation/Eurcharist?

Now if the practice of putting the Eucharist in the hand would be abolished and kneeling rails put at the front during Communion so that the Sacrament can be practiced correctly we’d all be in better shape!!

Question: At what age is confirmation and First Holy Eucharist given (and separate or together?) in dioceses that have returned to the traditional order of the sacraments of initiation???

It is a great idea. Hopefully, other bishops will follow suit. I suspect that confirmation has become a “graduation” ceremony encouraging the attitude that one need not any longer attend Mass after one has “graduated.” Instead, it can now be seen as the gateway to a far greater relationship with Christ through the Holy Eucharist and a relationship that should be renewed each Sunday.

We have had Restored Order Sacraments here in Phoenix for years, thanks to the leadership of Bishop Olmsted.  I can honestly say that I see the effects in my daughter who started high school this year.  The Holy Spirit is with her, guiding her, helping her be the best version of herself she can be.  She stands out, people notice her, and it’s for good reasons.  My son starts junior high next year, and I would not want any of my 5 children to face those challenges without the Holy Spirit’s help.  The first comment on this post is clearly from someone who has embraced the faulty theology of Confirmation, which just shows more education of adult Catholics is needed.

Amen, Amen, Amen!

Perhaps someday paedoconfirmation and paedocommunion will be restored fully to the West. But as I have said for years (and not just me, obviously) the restored Ordo of Initiation would be a great blessing to the whole Catholic Communion of Churches. It is a grave distortion and abuse of the Sacrament to have it so completely disassociated from Holy Baptism by being delayed practically until young adulthood.

And if a child is confirmed by his or her Bishop in keeping with the Western tradition, how much more fitting is it that he or she should receive the Holy Eucharist in the same Mass from the same Bishop.

Let’s hope this is the beginning of a global trend in the Latin West.

I applaud a return to tradition, but fear that children being confirmed earlier will only increase the problems of people not knowing the most basic aspects of the faith that are already all too prevalent.  Claiming that liberation from educational programs is a good thing is pretty naive.  In our society, adolescence has become extended to the point that what used to be considered the age of reason is now nothing of the sort.  Combine this with the fact that most parents do not give even the slightest effort in attempt to educate their children in the faith and we have an unmitigated disaster in the Church.

Perhaps this is the beginning of the liberation of young people from mandatory 2-year Confirmation education programs? Yippee!

If the Holy Father, is so happy with Bishop Aquila’s suggestion, then why doesn’t the Holy Father implement this himself, so that all the different parishes will be doing the same thing?  I know how much my Confirmation, meant to me, as a small child.  My children, on the other hand, who were confirmed when they were older, only saw it as a burden, something they had to go through, doing silly things.

Oh how I wish the Archdiocese of Newark would follow suit!  I agree with this order wholeheartedly!

Changing the order of the Sacraments of Initiation appears to me to be a pastoral response to the needs of young and new Catholics in response to the onslaught against our faith and consciences by our secular culture in the U.S. As parents become aware of the extent of this onslaught, I believe they will welcome the earlier availability of Confirmation. I applaud this shepherd in North Dakota.

This is wonderful news! Confirmation anymore is looked upon as though it is a “sacrament of graduation” - in other words - no further catechesis is needed. That is a shame.

I imagine that younger children, by their very nature (which inclines them to readily accept the truths of our Faith), will be more open to receive the graces of Confirmation as opposed to the “know it all and doubt everything” teenager.

I grew up in a very Catholic country and this was always the way things were done. It isn’t a surprise for me? I suppose here in America the order is different. Only in America things like this happen. Other Catholic countries don’t have this problem on a wider scale because their culture customs and traditions are closely linked with Roman Catholicism.

Very cool! This is the way it SHOULD be and how the catechumens were brought in during the infancy of the church.

Excellent!  Thank you Bishop Aquila!! A gracefilled understanding of confirmation and reception prior to junior high will give them the grace needed to live in the world.  When my children received confirmation prior to junior high, the Bishop gave an excellent homily on this very point - how it gives the grace to fight off the temptation of the culture.  It was the first homily of its kind I had heard since I received the sacrament in 8th grade.  Sacraments are gifts from Christ so that he can be within us at the different stages and times of our lives when we need his grace.  The beauty of the Eucharist - it is Christ’s gift to us that we can open every day and receive with new delight.
Thank you Bishop for being a shepherd to our children!

Deo Gratias to Bishop Aquila and other good shepherds who have begun this important restoration.  While Confirmation has value received later in the teenage years I don’t feel that value is strong enough to outweigh the important theological and pastoral connection between Baptism and Confirmation.  The usual argument is that children don’t understand and need to mature before receiving Confirmation.  How many adults “understand” the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Children are an open book and receptive to the mystery of God’s grace within them. Our youth programs can then no longer be preparations for Confirmation but a building upon the grace given through that sacrament in a call to mission and vocation.

Boooooo! if anything it should come much later—late high school age