What happens when someone receives the sacrament of Confirmation?

Answer 1

It means that you have now confirmed your membership in the Church and repeated the promises made by your Godparents for you when you were baptized. It also means that you have had the Gifts of the Holy Spirit poured out onto you.

Answer 2

In churches where infant baptism is practised (like the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican church) the baby is too young to make the necessary promiises himself. These promises involve repentance, turning to God and renouncing evil. So, in baptism godparents promise that they will try to instil these values in the baby and therefore make these promises on the baby's behalf.

When the child grows up he or she may well wish to affirm these beliefs himself - in other words to 'confirm' the promises made on his behalf at his baptism by his godparents. This takes place in a special service called a 'confirmation'- where the older child or adult makes the promises for himself before the bishop.

Some churches, such as the baptist Church, do not have confirmation services, as they baptise as adults only, and therefore confirmation is not necessary.

You are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Catholic AnswerRoman is an epithet first commonly used in England after the protestant revolt to describe the Catholic Church. It is never used by the Catholic Church.

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Yes, an outpouring of the Holy Spirit to deepen your baptismal grace and strengthen you to be a true witness for Christ in the world:　

　

from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

1302 It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost.

1303 From this fact, Confirmation brings and increase and deepening of baptismal grace:

- it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "ABBA! Father!; (Rom 8:15)

- 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; (Cf. Lumen Gentium 11)

- 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: (Cf. Council of Florence (1439): Denzinger-Schometzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum {1965} 1319; Lumen Gentium 11; 12)

Recall then that you 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. (St. Ambrose, De myst. 7, 42: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina (Paris: 1841-1855) 16, 402-403)

Answer 3

When you receive the sacrament of Confirmation you are recieveing the gift of the Holy Spirit. You also receive the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit which are: Wisdom, Understanding, Right Judgement, Courage, Knowledge, Reverence and Wonder and Awe. When a person decides that they want to receive the sacrament of confirmation, they are proffessing their faith and taking responsibility for their faith and carrying on the promises that their parents made at Baptism (in churches such as The Catholic Church, it is usual for the person to be baptised when they are a baby, so when they grow older, they may decide that they want to receive the sacrament of confirmation, to show that they want to take responsibility for their faith).

Answer 4

The Sacrament of Confirmation confers special graces of the Holy Spirit upon the person being confirmed, just as such

graces were granted to the Apostles on Pentecost. Like Baptism, therefore, it can only be performed once, and

Confirmation increases and deepens all of the graces granted at Baptism.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church lists five effects of Confirmation:

· It roots us more deeply in the divine filiation [as sons of God] 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 because Confirmation perfects our baptism, we are obliged to receive it "in due time." Any Catholic who did not receive Confirmation at baptism or as part of his religious education during grade school or high school might have to contact a priest and arrange to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

Answer 5

Confirmation is an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the person being confirmed just as when the Holy Spirit descended in tongues of fire upon the Apostles at Pentecost. When one is confirmed, one receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Knowledge, Piety, Fortitude, and Fear of the Lord. These gifts help the confirmed to bear trials and temptations against their faith and better spread the defend the Catholic faith.

Answer 6

In the baptism, parents and godparents were the ones who made the promises to renounce Satan and believe in God and the Church on your behalf. But when you make your Confirmation, you will renew those same promises, this time speaking for yourself.

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Catholic AnswerThe answer above is only relevant for a Latin Rite Catholic, all other rites of the Church confirm children at the same time they are baptized. Our understanding of the sacrament of Confirmation must be founded on an understanding that it is a sacrament and always conveys the grace that it signifies. One must cooperate with that grace when one is capable of it and so the answer above is relevant only when one receives the sacrament as an adult.

from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

1285 Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the "sacraments of Christian initiation," whose united 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. (Cf. Roman Ritual, Rite of Confirmation {Ordo confirmationis}, Introduction 1.) For "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." (Lumen Gentium 11; cf. Ordo confirmationis, Introduction 2)

1302 It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost.

1303 From this fact, Confirmation brings and increase and deepening of baptismal grace:

- it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, "Abba! Father!; (Rom 8:15)

- 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; (Cf. Lumen Gentium 11)

- 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: (Cf. Council of Florence (1439): Denzinger-Schometzer, Enchiridion Symbolorum, definitionum et declarationum de rebus fidei et morum {1965} 1319; Lumen Gentium 11; 12)

Recall then that you 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. (St. Ambrose, De myst. 7, 42: J.P. Migne, ed., Patrologia Latina (Paris: 1841-1855) 16, 402-403)

Answer 7

I am a Lutheran, this is strait from Luther's small catechism. "Confirmation is a public rite of the church preceded by a period of instruction designed to help baptised Christians identify with the life and mission of the Christian community." At my church, you do not get "confirmed" or allowed to take the holy sacrement (communion) until 8th grade, you start taking the classes in 6th. Lutherans believe that the sacrement of the altar is "the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us Christians to eat and to drink."

Answer 8

Catholic AnswerConfirmation completes the sacrament of Baptism, and, along with the Eucharist, is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation. The Sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. (Cf. Roman Ritual, Rite of Confirmation {Ordo confirmationis}, Introduction 1.) For "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." (Lumen Gentium 11; cf. Ordo confirmationis, Introduction 2.)

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from The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

1297 The consecration of the sacred chrism is an important action that precedes the celebration of Confirmation, but is in a certain way a part of it. It is the bishop, who, in the course of the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday, consecrates the sacred chrism for his whole diocese. In some Eastern Church this consecration is even reserved to the patriarch...

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1298 When Confirmation is celebrated separately from Baptism, as is in the case in the Roman Rite, the Liturgy of Confirmation begins with the renewal of baptismal promises and the profession of faith by the confirmands. This clearly shows that Confirmation follows Baptism. (Cf. Sacrasanctum concilium 71) When adults are baptized, they immediately receive 'Confirmation and participate in the Eucharist. (Cf. Codex Iuris Canonici, can. 866)

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1299 In the Roman Rite the bishop extends his hands over the whole group of the confirmands. Since the time of the apostles this gesture has signified the gift of the Spirit. The bishop invokes the outpouring of the Spirit in these words:

All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

by water and the Holy Spirit

you freed your sons and daughters from sin

and gave them new life.

Send your Holy Spirit upon them

to be their helper and guide.

Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding,

the spirit of right judgment and courage,

the spirit of knowledge and reverence.

Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. (Ordo confirmationis 25)

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1300 The essential rite of the sacrament follows. In the Latin rite, "the sacrament of Confirmation is conferred through the anointing with chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the hand, and through the words: 'Accipe signaculum doni Spiritus Sancti' [Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.] (Paul VI, apostolic constitution, Divinae consortium naturae, 663. ...

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1301 The sign of peace that concludes the rite of the sacrament signifies and demonstrates ecclesial communion with the bishop and with all the faithful. (Cf. St. Hippolytus, Trad. Ap. 21: Sources Chretiennes {Paris: 1942-}11, 80-95.)

Answer 9

Becoming an adult member of the Church.