203 THE BISHOP IS THE ORDINARY MINISTER OF CONFIRMATION - part 5 of 5 parts

YOUCAT Lesson 203, part 5 of 5 parts

YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth

The Sacrament of Confirmation

203  What is Confirmation?

Confirmation is the sacrament that completes Baptism; in it the gift of the Holy Spirit is bestowed upon us.  Anyone who freely decides to live a life as God’s child and asks for God’s Spirit under the signs of the imposition of hands and anointing with chrism receives the strength to witness to God’s love and might in word and deed.  He is now a full-fledged, responsible member of the Catholic Church.  [1285-1314]

…….Photo above: …..The ordinary minister of Confirmation is the bishop. Here the bishop is anointing the girl’s forehead with the blessed oil.  The girl’s sponsor has her hand on the girl’s shoulder.  …..203

THE MINISTER OF CONFIRMATION

…….1312   The original minister of Confirmation is the bishop.(compare Lumen Gentium 26)¹³⁰

In the East, ordinarily the priest who baptizes also immediately confers Confirmation in one and the same celebration. But he does so with sacred chrism consecrated by the patriarch or the bishop, thus expressing the apostolic unity of the Church whose bonds are strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation. In the Latin Church, the same discipline applies to the Baptism of adults or to the reception into full communion with the Church of a person baptized in another Christian community that does not have valid Confirmation. (compare Codex Iuris Canonici, Can. 883 § 2)¹³¹ –CCC

…….1313   In the Latin Rite, the ordinary minister of Confirmation is the bishop.(compare  Codex Iuris Canonici, Can. 882)¹³²    If the need arises, the bishop may grant the faculty of administering Confirmation to priests,(compare Codex Iuris Canonici, Can. 884 § 2)¹³³   although it is fitting that he confer it himself, mindful that the celebration of Confirmation has been temporally separated from Baptism for this reason. Bishops are the successors of the apostles. They have received the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. The administration of this sacrament by them demonstrates clearly that its effect is to unite those who receive it more closely to the Church, to her apostolic origins, and to her mission of bearing witness to Christ. –CCC

…….1314   If a Christian is in danger of death, any priest can give him Confirmation. (compare  Codex Iuris Canonici, Can. 883 § 3)¹³⁴    Indeed the Church desires that none of her children, even the youngest, should depart this world without having been perfected by the Holy Spirit with the gift of Christ's fullness. –CCC

…..IN BRIEF

…….1315   "Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:14-17). –CCC

…….1316   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

…….1317   Confirmation, like Baptism, imprints a spiritual mark or indelible character on the Christian's soul; for this reason one can receive this sacrament only once in one's life. –CCC

…….1318   In the East this sacrament is administered immediately after Baptism and is followed by participation in the Eucharist; this tradition highlights the unity of the three sacraments of Christian initiation. In the Latin Church this sacrament is administered when the age of reason has been reached, and its celebration is ordinarily reserved to the bishop, thus signifying that this sacrament strengthens the ecclesial bond. –CCC

…….1319   A candidate for Confirmation who has attained the age of reason must profess the faith, be in the state of grace, have the intention of receiving the sacrament, and be prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs. –CCC

…….1320   The essential rite of Confirmation is anointing the forehead of the baptized with sacred chrism (in the East other sense-organs as well), together with the laying on of the minister's hand and the words: "Accipe signaculum doni Spiritus Sancti" (Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.) in the Roman rite, or: Signaculum doni Spiritus Sancti [the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit] in the Byzantine rite. –CCC

……..1321   When Confirmation is celebrated separately from Baptism, its connection with Baptism is expressed, among other ways, by the renewal of baptismal promises. The celebration of Confirmation during the Eucharist helps underline the unity of the sacraments of Christian initiation. --CCC