Confirmation
The Restored Order
Following the guidance of the Archbishop, SGBM practices the Restored Order of the sacraments. In this traditional sequence, a baptized child makes their First Reconciliation and then receives both Confirmation and First Communion at the same Mass.
[Click here for a detailed explanation of why we use the Restored Order.]
Children & Youth
If your child or teenager is a baptized Catholic but has not yet received Confirmation or First Eucharist, our sacramental preparation program opens every July. Please contact the parish office to enroll.
Adult Confirmation
Are you an adult Catholic who was baptized but never confirmed? Our 14-month Adult Confirmation program begins each October. This journey of faith includes:
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Formation: Weekly preparation classes led by our priests.
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Sponsorship: Candidates choose a faithful Catholic mentor (other than a parent) to guide them. Sponsors must complete an Eligibility Form.
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Reception of Sacraments: Sacraments are traditionally received in the Spring, often at or near the Easter Vigil.
Note: If you have not yet received First Eucharist, please speak with Father Jason before beginning to ensure the best path for your journey.
FAQs
Confirmation requires two years of preparation in the second and third grades. First Reconciliation occurs in second grade. Confirmation and First Communion are received together in third grade.
Confirmation is a gift of God’s grace, increasing the presence of the Holy Spirit in our life. Some have mistakenly held that Confirmation means choosing to become an adult in the Church. Rather, Confirmation completes the graces given at Baptism and can be given at any time (if there is a risk of death), though age seven through sixteen is the range in the United States.
The Archdiocese of Denver has provided a curriculum for 2nd and 3rd grades at www.saintsdenver.com.
If a parent has a just cause for requesting Confirmation and First Communion at another age, they should speak with the pastor. If the age is younger than third grade, the pastor will need to send a letter to the Archbishop’s office.
The parents should speak with the pastor and/or catechetical leaders of the parish to arrange for preparation.
Adults and children older than seven are prepared for baptism and confirmation together through the Rites of Initiation.
The Code of Canon Law stipulates requirements for sponsors. Speaking of Confirmation sponsors, it states:
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Can. 892 Insofar as possible, there is to be a sponsor for the person to be confirmed; the sponsor is to take care that the confirmed person behaves as a true witness of Christ and faithfully fulfills the obligations inherent in this sacrament.
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Can. 893 §1. To perform the function of sponsor, a person must fulfill the conditions mentioned in can. 874. (see below)
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2. It is desirable to choose as sponsor the one who undertook the same function in baptism.
The following requirements apply to both godparents for Baptism and Confirmation sponsors:
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Can. 874 §1. To be permitted to take on the function of sponsor a person must:
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1/ be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the person who takes their place, or in their absence by the pastor or minister and have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function;
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2/ have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the diocesan bishop has established another age, or the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause;
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3/ be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on;
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4/ not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared;
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5/ not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized.
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2. A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism.
If a sponsor cannot attend the Confirmation is it permissible to use a proxy? Yes.
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Taking a Confirmation name is a pious practice. It is not required unless one did not take a Christian name at Baptism. The name should be that of a saint and be of the same gender as the candidate.
No. All parishes must transition to Restored Order Confirmation by 2020.
Parents interested in homeschooling should discuss this possibility with their parish.
“Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For he had not yet fallen upon any of them; They had had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.”