Confirmation
Confirmation is one of the Sacraments of Christian Initiation of the Catholic Church, along with Baptism and the Eucharist. It bestows the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, which strengthens the faithful to be a powerful witness to God’s love and might in word and deed.
“Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once, for it too imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the ‘character,’ which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1304)
During confirmation, a priest or a bishop lays his hands on the candidate and anoints them with Chrism, a holy oil meant to symbolize the spreading of “the aroma of Christ” (2 Cor 2:15).
Common Questions
No. Catholics acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin. If you were baptized validly in a different Evangelical Christian faith tradition, you will be received to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church, then you will receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. This is usually done during the Easter Vigil, after the completion of the Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA) program.
Yes, we receive the Holy Spirit during Baptism. During Confirmation, the soul of a baptized Christian is imprinted with the permanent seal that sets you apart as a Christian forever. “Confirmation brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:
it roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, ‘Abba! Father!’;
it unites us more firmly to Christ;
it increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;
it renders our bond with the Church more perfect;
it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross:” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1303)
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). Receiving these gifts at Confirmation equips the confirmand to be an effective witness for Jesus Christ and the Gospel.