Adult Confirmation refers to Roman Catholics who have been baptized, have celebrated their first Communion, and are seeking to celebrate their confirmation at an age later than the usual age for confirmation in the Diocese of Cleveland. It is hard to imagine with so many Catholic Schools and PSR programs that there would be a lot that would fall into this category. Surprisingly, we regularly get calls from people who have not been confirmed and find themselves in a place that they need or want to be. Here at St. Joseph Parish, we are happy to help in any way that we can! I thought this would be a good time to briefly review what Confirmation is, why we need it, and how we work with people to receive it.
The Sacrament of Confirmation is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation, the other two being Baptism and Eucharist. Confirmation is not graduation from religion class. Nor is it baptism part two, or a “rite of passage” in which you make your faith your own since baptism happened in your infancy, and now you can speak for yourself. Confirmation is its own Sacrament, that confers on us unique graces that we need to be strong Catholics in our world. It further strengthens our relationship with God the Father, firmly unites us to Christ, and increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Confirmation strengthens what God has given us so that we can defend and witness to the faith through the gifts and workings of the Holy Spirit - just like the Apostles at Pentecost.
In seeking this Sacrament, the Candidate is stating they want to fully participate in the Church’s mission of making God known, loved, and served. Canon Law states that a person is able to receive Confirmation if they are “suitably instructed, properly disposed, and able to renew the baptismal promises.” Therefore, the person must be baptized into the Roman Catholic Church and able to renew those promises, have celebrated their First Communion, and are not presently barred from the sacraments. Knowledge and awareness of the faith, personal conversion and a willingness to grow in faith through parish involvement are the major factors for determining personal readiness for Confirmation.
Some people may have missed their confirmation because of a family move, scheduling difficulties or some other family matter, but still are regular churchgoers and regularly participate in Parish life. Others may have had a negative experience with the church and deliberately chosen to stay away until something or someone has inspired them to come back and complete their initiation. Sometimes, when going through marriage preparation, people realize they want receive Confirmation before their wedding. Though Confirmation is not required to receive the sacrament of marriage, it is a nice time to re-familiarize with the faith that will be the foundation for family and married life.
The most common reason that people ask about adult Confirmation is that someone has asked them to be a Godparent or a Confirmation sponsor, and receiving all three Sacraments of Initiation (including confirmation) is one of the requirements to perform this task. Sometimes we are able to accommodate the preparation and reception of the Sacrament in time for the adult to act as a Godparent or sponsor, but there times that we cannot.
If you are a Catholic who previously received the Sacrament of Baptism and First Holy Communion but missed Confirmation as a teenager, consider joining us in preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation! This year we will be adding two sections of adult confirmation preparation to our Parish Calendar, one in the fall and one in the Spring. For those that prepare in the fall will receive the Sacrament on November 22th, here at the Parish. Those who prepare in the Spring, we will make arrangements for you to receive Confirmation at another Parish.
I highly encourage all those who missed their Confirmation to attend! Even if you are not getting married or becoming a Godparent, the graces of the sacrament seal us with the gift of the Holy Spirit and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ. And in our chaotic world, we need the gifts of the Spirit even more! Call our PCL, Jessica Plaspohl, at 330-928-2173 for more information and look for the dates of the preparation session coming in the next few weeks.