Can Priests Do Confirmation?

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flatlanderjenn

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Hi!

My daughter is in the 7th grade and yesterday she received the Sacrament of Confirmation at a Mass in the cathedral with 7th graders from 5 different parishes in the diocese.

When it was time for confirmation, the kids got in multiple lines. The one my daughter was in led to the Bishop, so he confirmed her. But there were 3 other lines in which the priests there confirmed the other kids. Is this ok? I thought it had to be the bishop only who confirmed.

Thanks!
 
flatlanderjenn said:
Hi!

My daughter is in the 7th grade and yesterday she received the Sacrament of Confirmation at a Mass in the cathedral with 7th graders from 5 different parishes in the diocese.

When it was time for confirmation, the kids got in multiple lines. The one my daughter was in led to the Bishop, so he confirmed her. But there were 3 other lines in which the priests there confirmed the other kids. Is this ok? I thought it had to be the bishop only who confirmed.

Thanks!
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The Bishop can grant the faculty to a priest to confirm. I’ve seen the scenario you describe before, when the number of confirmandi was so large that the ceremony would have lasted a very long time if the Bishop had conferred them all himself. In that case he granted the faculty to each of the priests who were assisting him.

Our bishop has also granted the priest the faculty to confirm in two other situations:
  1. a storm prevented him from flying into the community where Confirmation was scheduled for that night, and
  2. a family had tickets purchased to fly to overseas to visit family before the date for Confirmation was set. Father was granted the faculty to confirm that child when the family returned to the parish.
You should also be aware that Canon Law grants priests the faculty to confirm anyone who is in danger of dying, including infants, and any adult they baptize or receive into full communion.
 
And a parish priest will confirm those who are prepared for it at the Easter vigil. We had about 6 this year plus my husband who was confirmed privately by our priest earlier in the day.
 
Blessedwithfive said:
And a parish priest will confirm those who are prepared for it at the Easter vigil. We had about 6 this year plus my husband who was confirmed privately by our priest earlier in the day.
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Yes sometimes the priest confirms Catholics at the Vigil, along with converts. While the law grants him the faculty to confirm converts, the Bishop must grant him the faculty to confirm the Catholics.
 
Blessedwithfive said:
And a parish priest will confirm those who are prepared for it at the Easter vigil. We had about 6 this year plus my husband who was confirmed privately by our priest earlier in the day.
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Similar to what happened during our Easter Vigil. When I told this to my aunt the next day, she said that only Bishops can confirm, I replied though, that our priest was delegated by the bishop.
 
It should also be noted that Eastern priests are ordinary ministers of chrismation (confirmation). As the norm is to chrismate / confirm infants immediately after baptism, most confirmations are conferred by the local priest in the Eastern Catholic / Orthodox churches.
 
I was confirmed by my priest - he wanted us to have an early Christmas present since we had compelted RCIA rather than wait until Easter to be confirmed by the Bishop. For me, it was nicer than being confirmed by someone I did not know and was not directly invovled in helping me convert to Catholicism and become part of the church.
 
It’s fine. And allowed.
The Bishop was THERE. He would not have allowed anything illicit to occur while he was presiding, right?
 
LouiseHine said:
I was confirmed by my priest - he wanted us to have an early Christmas present since we had completed RCIA rather than wait until Easter to be confirmed by the Bishop. For me, it was nicer than being confirmed by someone I did not know and was not directly involved in helping me convert to Catholicism and become part of the church.
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Your priest did exactly what the Church says about previously baptized converts. They should have no hardships imposed on them when they wish to be received into full communion and they should be received when they are ready – for some that could take a year, for others a few months at most. It all depends on how well catechized they are at the beginning.
 
flatlanderjenn said:
Hi!

My daughter is in the 7th grade and yesterday she received the Sacrament of Confirmation at a Mass in the cathedral with 7th graders from 5 different parishes in the diocese.

When it was time for confirmation, the kids got in multiple lines. The one my daughter was in led to the Bishop, so he confirmed her. But there were 3 other lines in which the priests there confirmed the other kids. Is this ok? I thought it had to be the bishop only who confirmed.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I had a similar concern as the poster above. While I understand your question, I hope you wouldn’t think that your bishop would permit 3/4ths of the Confirmation class to receive the Sacrament invalidly.
 
In our diocese the Bishop cannot make it to all of the parishes for all of the Confirmations (my parish is so big we have two Confirmation Masses). He splits the Confirmations between himself, our Bishop Emeritus, our Vicar General and the Abbot from our local Benedictine monastery.
 
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