Confirmation

Confirmation is the Perfection of Baptism:

Although, in the West, Confirmation is usually received as a teenager, several years after making First Communion, the Catholic Church considers it the second of the three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism being the first and Communion the third).

Confirmation is regarded as the perfection of Baptism, because, as the introduction to the Rite of Confirmation states:

By the sacrament of Confirmation (the baptized) are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence, they are as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.

The Form of the Sacrament of Confirmation:

Many people think of the laying on of hands, which signifies the descent of the Holy Spirit, as the central act in the Sacrament of Confirmation. The essential element, however, is the anointing of the confirmed (the person being confirmed) with chrism (an aromatic oil that has been consecrated by a bishop), accompanied by the words “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit”. This seal is a consecration, representing the safeguarding by the Holy Spirit of the graces conferred on the Christian at Baptism.

At Saint Bernadette, the Sacrament of Confirmation is administered in early spring to all eighth grade students, including those enrolled at St. Bernadette School, and those enrolled in the PSR program. Adults participating in the R.C.I.A. program are Confirmed on Holy Saturday.

For on him the Father, God, has set his seal. (John 6:27)