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CDNowak
Guest
Glad to here about the dioceses following the age set in Canon Law, a shame that theu are still so few…
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Glad to here about the dioceses following the age set in Canon Law, a shame that theu are still so few…
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countertenor
Guest
It’s a shame that canon law still allows for confirmation to be separated in the Latin Rite. It’s a shame that heterodox ideas have allowed the idea of the age of reason to creep into the Church to the point that they deny children full access to the sacraments based simply on their age.
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Callen
Guest
What is the reasoning behind delaying Confirmation until the age of reason - or for that matter delaying it for some until the age of eighteen?
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CDNowak
Guest
Canon Law mentions instruction (but does not define it) and capacity to renew baptismal promises. Other than that I don’t know why it is delayed until the age of reason. The delaying of Confirmation began when Communion was definitively pushed back (it was trending toward mid-teens) to the age of reason. I think part of the reason why this trend keeps occurring is the “right-of-passage” mentality. Catholicism has no right of passage into adulthood (partly because spiritual maturity is as often found in children, the CCC echoes Aquinas on this). In some cultures, such as hisipanic cultures in the US, there are rights of passage (Quincineras (sp?)) that have been introduced to the Church’s liturgical life, and I would suspect that these are more likely to avoid the outrageous delays I have seen in the North East.
edited to add:
countertenor: at most the word you are looking for is heteropraxis, and rightly or wrongly the distinction is made based on understanding (at least with Communion, so supposedly with Confirmation). I would love to see at least these last two reunited, but the amount of work it will take to catch up will be daunting.
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Catholicdude92
Guest
I was confirmed at 15. I had to get special permission because that was a year early for our Dioceses. I think it’s a bad Idea to wait until halfway through high school to Confirm teens. We need the graces BEFORE we go into HS in my opinion.
My guess is they are trying to make continue to go to religious education classes until they are older. By delaying the sacrament they can force teens to go to class and maybe learn about their faith (although sadly they have to start from square one 90% don’t even know the 7 sacraments) There’s only so much you can do I guess when parents don’t care or teach their kids about that faith.
My guess is they are trying to make continue to go to religious education classes until they are older. By delaying the sacrament they can force teens to go to class and maybe learn about their faith (although sadly they have to start from square one 90% don’t even know the 7 sacraments) There’s only so much you can do I guess when parents don’t care or teach their kids about that faith.
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Brendan
Guest
Sure, even now. In a nearby diocese, children are confirmed at the same Mass as they recieve their First Holy Communion.
Confirmations occur just after the homily, and First Communions happen…well at Communion time. But it is all done at the same Mass.
The age here are 2nd Graders
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puzzleannie
Guest
it arose because historically in the western Church bishops reserved the right to confirm to themselves, and it as populations grew the bishop became more separated geographically from his flock, and could usually visit a given parish infrequently, and at that time would confirm all those who had been baptized. The whole history of conferring 1st communion is tied up with this, and the practice until about 100 years ago in most places was confirmation and 1st communion together at the age children normally ended their formal schooling, academic and religious, and went out to work, usually anywhere from about age 12 to 16 or 18. When the age of 1st communion was lowered to the age of reason, about 7, by Pope St. Pius X, confirmation was not formally addressed, so stayed at the older age in most places, kind of an orphan sacrament. Then the theology surrounding the preparation for the sacrament had to change so it focused on its role since the early Church of strengthening the Catholic for spiritual warfare, withstanding persecution, and using the gifts of the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life.
With the restoration of the RCIA and the original order of the sacraments, and the decree of the catechetical documents of the Church since V2 that sacramental initiation should follow the RCIA model, the entire issue of age for the sacraments, and hence preparation, is being re-examined. Since baptism at any age from infancy on up has been accepted throughout Church history, so should confirmation.
My personal opinion is it will take at least 100 years for the way the theology of the initiation sacraments is presented to change, and for the timing and preparation to catch up with the theology. Note, the theology won’t change, the emphasis will change and the “way we explain it to the parents.” The direction is definitely toward earlier initiation and restoration of the original order, so post-initiation catechesis will be restored to its intended mystagogical nature. This is in opposition to the current mentality, which sees CCD/PSR/RE as analagous to sacramental prep. For that to happen, all this generation of DREs has to die off first.
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Cathhsmom
Guest
We had a priest who was baptized and confirmed at less than an hour old. Then again, he was a preemie and weighed only 1 1/2 pounds. 
Other than that, in the Roman Rite, the norm is to wait until from 7 to 17 for confirmation. Unless, you are being baptized, too. Then, you can get all 3 of the sacraments of initiation if you are over 7 or 8. At least, that has been my experience from what I saw going through RCIA.
Other than that, in the Roman Rite, the norm is to wait until from 7 to 17 for confirmation. Unless, you are being baptized, too. Then, you can get all 3 of the sacraments of initiation if you are over 7 or 8. At least, that has been my experience from what I saw going through RCIA.
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jayk15
Guest
Where I come from the normal age to get confirmed is when you are 16/17 years old. Your 11th year of high school. We have a two year cathecism programme for confirmation. I think it’s best. We need to be instructed properly in our faith because if we are confirmed at an early age some parents might not even bother to bring their children to cathecism in the future
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Phemie
Guest
Unfortunately, that is the kind of thought that has led to confirmation being used as a tool to keep kids in religious education rather than as a sacrament to help them deal with the assaults on their Faith that they will encounter much younger.
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choy
Guest
i was confirmed as an infant in the Philippines
that was some time ago. the age of confirmation is set by the Bishop of the Archdiocese. i know in the Philippines they have raised it now to 12. but back when i was a baby (70s), infant confirmation was allowed
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choy
Guest
the bishop can delegate the authority to confirm in some cases
but in the Philippines, one of the prevailing traditions in the country is the Fiesta, or Feast that a Church will celebrate in honor of its patron Saint. as you will imagine, the Fiesta is a big celebration, a party, with music, lots of food, and a program held by the Church on the grounds. there will also be a mass and it will usually be celebrated by the local bishop, so he would also do confirmations for the parish during this time. if this was during the time that infant confirmation was allowed, its not far off that a family would also have the baptism during the town fiesta. religious occasions are very well celebrated in the Philippines and you’d have to throw a party (prepare food for guests, etc.) and you’d do the same thing during a fiesta anyways, so do everything in the same day and you would only have to prepare food once
also, for the Archdiocese of Manila, the parish where the archbishop’s residence is and where he says mass, would have weekly confirmation. i took my then-fiancee there for confirmation in preparation for our wedding
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dburns
Guest
My sentiments exactly. I was confirmed as a 7th grader. I went to school in the South East. Savannah, GA. So I was a year younger than most of my classmates. They were 12 and I was eleven. It was a big deal and I was ushered through it but I knew from my instruction that it was important and felt it has made all the difference when I went off to college.
I live now where the tradition is for High Schoolers in their Junior year have confirmation. I think that is too late. The graces are needed way before HS. When you are younger, you are more open to God. There are so many distractions these days as teenagers.
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jaaraf
Guest
Maybe what happened in my family can clear it up… All of us siblings were confirmed at the Archdiocese of Cebu, Philippines.
I was confirmed at about 3 1/2 years old at the same time as my younger sister who was about to turn 2 in Jan. of 1984. I think at that time, infant confirmations were allowed. At that time also, we were about to join our father who was working in Saudi Arabia (where one cannot practice any faith other than Islam in public). My brother was confirmed at age 7 or 8 when the minimum age for confirmation was 7 years old (around early '90’s).My youngest sister was confirmed at age 12, since in the late '90’s, the new indication was minimum age of 12 for confirmation.
I wished I had full use of reason and was instructed beforehand for my confirmation.
I was confirmed at about 3 1/2 years old at the same time as my younger sister who was about to turn 2 in Jan. of 1984. I think at that time, infant confirmations were allowed. At that time also, we were about to join our father who was working in Saudi Arabia (where one cannot practice any faith other than Islam in public). My brother was confirmed at age 7 or 8 when the minimum age for confirmation was 7 years old (around early '90’s).My youngest sister was confirmed at age 12, since in the late '90’s, the new indication was minimum age of 12 for confirmation.
I wished I had full use of reason and was instructed beforehand for my confirmation.
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Brendan
Guest
And in some cases, authority is given automatically. When a priest bapizes an adult, they are required to confirm them the same day. The authority to do so is then given by the Holy See.
Also, if a priest attends a person in danger of death, regardless of age, they are to confirm the person as well.
My cousin was confirmed in this manner when he was 3 while he was hospitalized due to a serious fever.
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CDNowak
Guest
And by “adult”, the Church means over the age of reason
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CDNowak
Guest
The Eastern Churches have (AFAIK) always Confirmed immediately after Baptism (and just before Communion) at infancy. Therefore either all Eastern Catholics and Orthodox Confirm invalidly or you presupposition is incorrect.tee_eff_em said:
Of course you also quoted the canon that disproves you position in the Latin Rite: " **Every baptized person not yet confirmed **and only such a person is capable of receiving confirmation."
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tee_eff_em
Guest
I had no idea that infants among our Eastern brethren had attained the use of reason!? *Mea culpa *
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tee_eff_em
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That would be “inside” the danger of death, not *outside *of it, as noted in the canon, no?ByzCath said:
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
Attaining the use of reason is not a requirement for the Sacrament of Confirmation.I had no idea that infants among our Eastern brethren had attained the use of reason!? *Mea culpa *
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I think it is great that Latin Bishops are starting to restore the ancient and Traditional order of the Sacraments of Initiation, Baptism, Confirmation, First Eucharist.
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