CONFIRMATION

Confirmation

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

Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the "sacraments of Christian initiation, whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 1285 

For More Information Please Contact: The Parish Office 361-387-1312

Those who have been baptized continue the path of Christian Initiation through the Sacrament of Confirmation. In this sacrament they are strengthened in the Holy Spirit that the gifts of the Spirit may be confirmed in them as they face ever greater challenges to their Faith. For this reason the sacrament in the Diocese of Corpus Christi at present is usually administered to youth in high school at the end of their sophomore year and after two years of preparation in the religious education program. The Director of Religious Education may be contacted for further information on the times of classes and the means of registering young people for this period of preparation.
 
Adults who are received into full communion with the Catholic Church or who are returning to the Church after membership in a non-Catholic church are confirmed in the Faith at the time of making their Profession of Faith. These adults should call the office to learn more about the schedule of preparation for this sacramental moment.
 
Non-baptized adults who seek entrance into the Church receive the full sacraments of Initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and Communion—after completing the necessary instructions in the Faith to make their consent to the teachings of Christ as taught by the Catholic Church. The sacramental initiation traditionally takes place at the Easter Vigil as we celebrate the saving work of Christ Jesus in his passion, death, and resurrection. Those non-baptized adults who seek to learn more about the Catholic Faith should call the office to learn about the inquiry program. For the parish office, please call 361-387-1312.
 
Adults who are 18 years or older and who were baptized Catholic and made their First Communion, but never received the Sacrament of Confirmation are given an opportunity each year by the bishop to participate in a program of preparation and reception of the sacrament at the Cathedral along with others from throughout the diocese who are in a similar situation. Announcement of this program is made each year in the parish bulletin or you may call the office to learn of further details of this program.

 At confirmation we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and confirm our baptismal promises. Greater awareness of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conferred through the anointing of chrism oil and the laying on of hands by the Bishop.

Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace; it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds. (CCC 1316)

Through the Sacrament of Confirmation we renew our baptismal promises and commit to living a life of maturity in the Christian faith. As we read in the Lumen Gentium (the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church) from the Second Vatican Council:

Bound more intimately to the Church by the sacrament of confirmation, [the baptized] are endowed by the Holy Spirit with special strength; hence they are more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith both by word and by deed as true witnesses of Christ. (no. 11)

Scriptural Foundation for Confirmation

In the Acts of the Apostles we read of the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. While baptism is the sacrament of new life, confirmation gives birth to that life. Baptism initiates us into the Church and names us as children of God, whereas confirmation calls us forth as God’s children and unites us more fully to the active messianic mission of Christ in the world.

After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles went out and confirmed others, showing confirmation to be an individual and separate sacrament: Peter and John at Samaria (Acts 8:5-6, 14-17) and Paul at Ephesus (Acts 19:5-6). Also the Holy Spirit came down on Jews and Gentiles alike in Caesarea, prior to their baptisms. Recognizing this as a confirmation by the Holy Spirit, Peter commanded that they be baptized (cf. Acts 10:47).
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