Confirmation is a Catholic sacrament of mature Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal gifts. Like Baptism and Eucharist, it is a Sacrament of Initiation for Catholics and a Sacrament of faith in God's fidelity to us.

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Confirmation is a Catholic sacrament of mature Christian commitment and a deepening of baptismal gifts. Like Baptism and Eucharist, it is a Sacrament of Initiation for Catholics and a Sacrament of faith in God's fidelity to us

Confirmation is the moment when two things are confirmed. The candidate confirms his/her faith in Christ and takes full responsibility for that faith and for membership of the community of faith, which we call the “church”. God, through the Bishop, confirms God’s claim on the candidate’s life.

Whatever happens at confirmation, the moment for those who are confirmed is a significant one because they take a step of faith. Like some others in the list, this is a once for all sacraments. You’re only confirmed once in a lifetime, though some, coming in from other denominations, find confirmation much like what they did as an affirmation of their faith in their own church years before.

The primary symbol of Confirmation is the community itself. Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist are sacraments of initiation, initiation into a community.

The community that gathers to celebrate your Confirmation is not there merely to watch; it is the community into which you are being initiated. The community is the sign of Christ’s presence for you.  Every Confirmation begins with Baptism. This is true whether the Baptism was celebrated only a few moments before Confirmation (as in many Eastern rites and in our Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), whether the Baptism was celebrated six years before (as in those dioceses where Confirmation is celebrated before first holy Communion), 14 years before Confirmation, or even 50 years before Confirmation.  Confirmation complements the symbols of Baptism. The historical origins of the symbols of Confirmation are many and diverse. One source of the rituals for the Sacrament of Confirmation can be found in the bathing customs of the Roman Empire.   The water ritual (Baptism) came to mean the washing away of sin, and the oil ritual (Confirmation) was interpreted to mean the sweet fragrance of God’s presence: sanctifying grace.  In the same way God’s grace fills us with redemption and salvation. This grace, this presence of God in us, is the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit.  Anointing can mean many things. From ancient times, oil has been a symbol of strength, healing and agility. For Jews, our ancestors in the faith, oil is the sign of God appointing someone to be a priest, prophet and king.  Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth was this anointed one.  As "Christ" means "anointed," we call ourselves "Christians" because we are the anointed ones, the "Oiled People," so to speak. The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist initiate us into that "oiled" community, the community anointed to continue the vocation of the Messiah, the Christ.

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At Baptism, the priest lays his hand on those to be baptised and marks them with the sign of the cross. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the priest lays his hands on the head of the penitent and proclaims the words of absolution. During the Anointing of the Sick, the priest imposes hands on the person to be anointed.

In the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the bishop imposes hands on the one to be ordained priest. During the Sacrament of Matrimony (Catholic marriage), the presider extends hands over the couple who have pronounced their wedding vows and calls ...

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