The sacrament
With Baptism and the Eucharist, the sacrament of Confirmation completes the process of our becoming full members of the Church. In the sacrament we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the grace Our Lord Jesus Christ won for us on the Cross, the help we need to live our lives as adult Christians.
At what age are people confirmed?
In the Diocese of Westminster, people are normally confirmed when they have reached at least school Year 9. If you are significantly older than this, it might be better to join the group of adults preparing to be received into the Catholic Church through the RCIA programme.
What are the requirements?
If you were not baptised at St Peter’s, you will need to produce your Baptism certificate.
- You must be serious about the practice of your faith and receiving the sacrament. That means you should be coming to Mass on Sunday.
- You must attend all of the preparation sessions, participating in them in a mature way. If you are not able to do this, you may wish to consider delaying your Confirmation until another year.
- You need to choose a Confirmation name. This is the name of a saint who inspires you. It may be that the Bishop will ask you about that saint at the Confirmation ceremony.
- You need a sponsor, someone who gives you a good example as a practising Catholic. This can be any practising Catholic – other than your parents – aged 16 or over.
The Programme
The Confirmation programme will be advertised in the parish newsletter, and you will be able to find out details by coming to Mass. You must enrol on the programme before the first session and attend all the sessions. There will be about ten sessions of preparation and a day’s retreat. During the sessions we think in a mature and adult way about what we believe as Catholics and how the teachings of Jesus and His Church affect the daily lives we live. We also prepare for the sacrament by going to Confession.
The Ceremony
Normally the Confirmation Mass will be celebrated by the Bishop in the Easter season. We may join with the young people at Marychurch for the celebration of Confirmation.