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aptant1994
Guest
What is the appropriate age, from the Vatican, that a person should be confirmed and where can I find information to back this up?
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Mike_Dye
Guest
I believe it varies…good luck finding any guidelines.
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awalt
Guest
In our area of the US it seems to be 12 or 13, tied to a grade in school (I think 8th).
Here is an interesting thought we are grappling with - children are part of an orderly progression from baptism through Confirmation, which culminates around age 13, when the Church considers them “an adult”. They are not physically, or in maturity an adult, and the Church infrastructure to continue to grow one’s faith is a lot less post-Confirmation. So teens and young adults can easily drift away from the Church. It would sure be nice if there was just as aggressive a Catechesis effort post confirmation as before, it might help a lot of people!
Here is an interesting thought we are grappling with - children are part of an orderly progression from baptism through Confirmation, which culminates around age 13, when the Church considers them “an adult”. They are not physically, or in maturity an adult, and the Church infrastructure to continue to grow one’s faith is a lot less post-Confirmation. So teens and young adults can easily drift away from the Church. It would sure be nice if there was just as aggressive a Catechesis effort post confirmation as before, it might help a lot of people!
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kaymart
Guest
When my daughter made her Confirmation, she was 11. in the 6th grade. That was the norm here.(1990) When my son made his (1998) it was changed that year to 13/14 or 8th grade. I, as a CCD teacher when it was in the 6th grade many children never returned, some never went back to Mass, never join the CYO ect. In fact, 7 and 8 grade (one group) CCD class had about 5 to 7 children as opposed to 3 to 4 classes of 25-30 kids in 1st-6th grade.(over 100 children per grade) I think it helped to promote more involment as the after Confirmation the children were invited to join CYO and continue going to Mass and being involved in their Faith. Plus 13-14 a bit more mature.
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puzzleannie
Guest
Mike Dye:
yes there are guidelines, called Canon law for the universal Church, and particular law for each diocese. Simply call your diocese and find out, or ask your pastor or DRE, don’t make things harder than they have to be. It is the Church, in the person of the bishop, who chooses the candidate for confirmation in his Christian initiation, and who decides when, where and how to call him. If you want yet another debate on the proper age for confirmation please do a search and look at the numerous threads on the topic, because we are all sick to death of it.
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Joe_Kelley
Guest
I think that the Vatican has left it to the national councils of bishops to set the age for their area. The USCCB waffled ans set it as anywhere between 7 and 18. [Or something close to that. I don’t have the exact ages at hand.]
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Patchunky
Guest
This depends on the Rite of the Church.
In the Eastern Rites, Confirmation is adminstered as part of the Baptism ceremony of the infant.
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hilde_the_dog
Guest
As I recently read as I recall 7 to whatever. I think that was in the " Essenatial Handbook of the Catholic Sacraments"
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