What Is Confirmation?
The Sacrament of Confirmation is one of the three official Sacraments of Initiation, typically the last of the three received by members of our churches. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus promised His followers that He would send His Spirit to comfort and strengthen them, and he would keep this promise when the Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The Sacrament of Confirmation can be likened to our own Pentecost, a moment in which we are confirmed, strengthen, and sealed in the Holy Spirit.
Within the Sacrament, through the laying on of hands and anointing with Sacred Chrism, the candidates are formally Confirmed, usually by a bishop. As this takes place, we traditionally recognize seven “gifts” of the Holy Spirit that are imparted upon all those who are Confirmed. These gifts are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. In addition, we observe twelve “fruits” of the Holy Spirit that also also bestowed. These gifts are identified as charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity. Through the divine assistance of these fruits and gifts, the candidates of Confirmation are strengthened to live a holy, Christian life.
Confirmation at Our Churches
The Sacrament of Confirmation is most often reserved at Our Lady of Knock Parish for those who have finished the Confirmation Program run through our Religious Education Program. Those who complete are then invited to participate in the Sacrament of Confirmation held at marvelous the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford. For information about our Confirmation Program, please CLICK HERE.
We additionally welcome any adults who have never been Confirmed in the Catholic Church to consider this possibility. It is a beautiful Sacrament that offers grace, gifts, and fruits that can assist anyone in living a holy and happy life. Depending on your age and past religious experience, there are different routes that can be taken based on your personal situation, so the best first step would be to contact our OCIA Coordinator, Eileen Dignazio, to discuss what might be possible. You can also CLICK HERE to learn about the OCIA process.