Archdiocese Particular Law On Confirmation

Introduction

The candidates who present themselves for Confirmation become “more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit.” (CCC 1285)
Confirmation is not necessary for marriage in the Church, “reception…of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace.” (CCC 1285)
Confirmation should be seen as a sacrament of initiation, conversion and renewal.
It also allows the candidate to experience conversion and renewal by having a deeper encounter with the Living God. However, the sacrament is not a rite of 7-2 passage serving to mark a certain milestone of adulthood. Further, it does not complete one’s formation in the Christian Life.
The sacrament of Confirmation is required for some roles in the life of the Church, i.e. Holy Orders, entrance into consecrated life and serving as a sponsor for baptism or Confirmation. It is not, however, required for the sacrament of holy matrimony.
The particular law of the archdiocese requires the sacrament of Confirmation to be received before one can be delegated by the archbishop to serve as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion.
Previously, at least one year of ongoing formation was required before entering into sacramental preparation. With the promulgation of this particular law, all that is required of a candidate who presents him or herself for Confirmation is the period of sacramental preparation described in this policy. However, there is a hope that the person has been engaged in youth ministry or ongoing formation.
 

Candidates should be dressed in their “Sunday best”. (Tennis shoes should not be worn. The attire of all the candidates should be modest.) If it is desirable candidates may be vested in a white or red robe prior to the start of the liturgy.
There is no tradition within the Church of vesting a candidate with a stole. The stole is a symbol of ordained ministry, not a sign of the universal priesthood of the baptized. Therefore, stoles are not to be worn by the candidates. 

 

In order to provide for suitable instruction the periods of preparation are established as:
a. Ongoing Faith Formation includes infancy and adolescence. During this period all young people should be actively participating in faith formation either at a Catholic school or in a parish catechetical program to further develop the formation that they are receiving from their parents, who are the primary teachers of the faith.
b. Sacramental Preparation includes the period of a parish based sacramental catechesis specific to the Sacrament of Confirmation, an interview with a member of the parish clergy or catechetical team, a retreat, service experiences and preparation for the liturgy itself. The process of completing the required elements of Confirmation preparation established in this document should begin no more than twelve (12) months prior to reception of the sacrament.
 

Preparation for Confirmation should aim at leading the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ and a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit-his actions, his gifts, and his biddings-in order to be more capable of assuming the apostolic responsibilities of Christian life. To this end catechesis for Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ, the universal Church as well as the parish community. (CCC 1309)
To accomplish this goal, the period of sacramental preparation will include twelve to fourteen (12-14) hours of parish based sacramental catechesis covering the following topics:
• Trinitarian Understanding of the Holy Spirit as the Bond of Love
• The Relationship between Baptism & Confirmation
• Understanding of the Mass
• Reconciliation & Mercy: The Sacrament of Reconciliation
• The Vocational Call: Priest, Prophet & King
• The Gifts & Fruits of the Holy Spirit
• Prayer: Personal and Communal
• Faith Lived: The Ongoing Journey of Formation & Living as a Witness
These parish based sessions will be required of all young people seeking Confirmation whether they are enrolled in a Catholic school or the parish school of religion.
The structure of the sessions is at the discretion of the individual parishes. However, the total number of hours is not to exceed fourteen (14). This does not include the retreat.
 

Confirmation preparation should encourage all candidates to actively participate in the life of the Church by regularly receiving the sacraments in their parish community.
To this end, there should be continual emphasis on the grave obligation to attend Holy Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.
While this is an obligation that the candidates should be living out, there will not be a process of verification as part of Confirmation preparation. Instead, we must invite, encourage, remind, and assist the candidates to attend Mass faithfully during the time of sacramental preparation and beyond.
 

The retreat should be an experience of prayer in which the encounter with the Holy Spirit can help the candidates discover the depth and beauty of the spiritual life. It will serve as a synthesis of the experience of Confirmation preparation and point them toward the celebration of the sacrament of Confirmation.
The parish based retreat should be a minimum of eight (8) hours but no longer than one (1) weekend.
The retreat should include, if possible, the opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation.
The retreat should also include, if possible, an opportunity for Mass.
 

In the Archdiocese of New Orleans Confirmation is to be celebrated in the eleventh grade. All parishes within the archdiocese are to adhere to this grade in establishing preparation programs for Confirmation. Request for exceptions must be made in writing to the Archbishop.
 

When possible, there is to be a sponsor for the person to be confirmed. The sponsor serves as a role model and mentor to the confirmand to ensure that the person lives a life in accord with Christ’s commandments and continuously practices the faith by participation in the sacramental life of the Church.
In order for a person to be a sponsor he/she must:
a. be designated by the one to be confirmed, by the parents or the person who takes their place. If necessary, the pastor may be requested to select a sponsor for the candidate;
b. be a Catholic who has celebrated Confirmation thus becoming fully initiated into the life of the Church;
c. be living a life in harmony with the Catholic faith and understand the role of a sponsor;
d. not be bound by any canonical penalty;
e. not be the parents, natural or adoptive, of the person being confirmed (cf. canons 893 & 874); and
f. be active in the Church and can serve as a model of faith
In order to highlight the relationship between baptism and Confirmation, it is appropriate to choose as sponsor the one who undertook the same function in baptism.
In order to standardize the process parishes use to certify that sponsors meet the requirements of canon law a Testimonial Form is attached in the appendix of this policy for use in all parishes of the Archdiocese of New Orleans. This allows pastors and coordinators of Confirmation to take the Sponsors ‘at the word of their sworn statements’ and eliminates the need for any other attestations regarding their ‘good standing’ in the Church, reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation, etc.
 

NOTE: The above are excerpts from the document Particular Law on Confirmation found on the Archdiocese website nolacatholic.org