Confirmation in Anglican church

[JoyToTheWhirled]

I am struggling today as my husband wants my eldest to be confirmed into the Anglican church he attends. She is 14. I am not yet a Catholic so in a real sense I don’t have a good (name removed by moderator)ut in my eldest daughter’s spiritual life, she is very much a follower of her father’s religion. I feel so powerless, as my husband is very reticent about my interest in Catholicism anyway, and I am finding it difficult to move forward or attend Mass, and this just feels horribly painful. Any advice?

 

[Vic_Taltrees_UK]

In 2016 it’s God’s will that Christians get a great deal of catechesis.

Even if the Anglicans don’t offer much of that, she can always get more from the catholic church at a later date if it ever offers it.

What’s the quality of your husband’s church? Even if it’s not much good, it could be God’s way of giving gifts to her one after another over the course of her life.

Even if there is some error, God can correct that later.

If they are the kind of Anglicans that really keep people back from the Christian life, pray hard. If they are the fairly good kind, pray anyway.

In addition, I think Catholic catechesis is open to those not planning to formally join the Church on a no-obligation basis - I imagine her existing faith would be sufficient to reassure that she was going to be receptive in some sense rather than disruptive in the class. Likewise I doubt there is anything in Anglican rules that would forbid her from doing so.

The only things we mustn’t mix up are the sacraments. Our confirmation is God strengthening us (they didn’t tell me what for), the Anglican one is sometimes said to be about them confirming their walk with God though each church may have its own version!

 

[jeffrey_erwin]

**I took Episcopal (Anglican) confirmation, and I think that it had a profound meaning for my life.
The Anglican Church has traditionally been the closest of the Protestant denominations to the Catholic Church. The separation was more for the King of England’s political reasons than for theological issues.
You won’t find the Anglican Church speaking in a negative way about the Bishop of Rome.
You will find the Stations of the Cross icons, the making of the Sign of the Cross, the addressing of Anglican priests as “father,” and the same weekly liturgy.
There are even Anglican Franciscan monks.

And I did attend a good Sunday School there.

**

 

[Phemie]

I am struggling today as my husband wants my eldest to be confirmed into the Anglican church he attends. She is 14. I am not yet a Catholic so in a real sense I don’t have a good (name removed by moderator)ut in my eldest daughter’s spiritual life, she is very much a follower of her father’s religion. I feel so powerless, as my husband is very reticent about my interest in Catholicism anyway, and I am finding it difficult to move forward or attend Mass, and this just feels horribly painful. Any advice?

She is Anglican by baptism, is she not? While you may want her to be Catholic, she is not at that point yet and may never be. Let her be catechized in her church and be confirmed. It may well increase her spiritual life, not a bad thing, wouldn’t you agree? If, later on, she decides she’d like to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church she will be confirmed at that time and you can rejoice.

For now, concentrate on your journey and don’t let her journey make yours more difficult. Keep studying the Catholic faith and realize that even if you remain the only one who “converts”, you’ll still have come “home” and you can pray that the rest of your family eventually make the same choice.

 

[7_Sorrows]

She is Anglican by baptism, is she not? While you may want her to be Catholic, she is not at that point yet and may never be. Let her be catechized in her church and be confirmed. It may well increase her spiritual life, not a bad thing, wouldn’t you agree? If, later on, she decides she’d like to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church she will be confirmed at that time and you can rejoice.

For now, concentrate on your journey and don’t let her journey make yours more difficult. Keep studying the Catholic faith and realize that even if you remain the only one who “converts”, you’ll still have come “home” and you can pray that the rest of your family eventually make the same choice.

well said. she is only 14 also. once you become Catholic and as she matures she may come to you and want to find out more about the Catholic faith and the differences between Anglicanism and Catholicism.
if this is important to her you should be happy for her. I was baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal church. I think I knew one day I would be Catholic.

 

[Padres1969]

I am struggling today as my husband wants my eldest to be confirmed into the Anglican church he attends. She is 14. I am not yet a Catholic so in a real sense I don’t have a good (name removed by moderator)ut in my eldest daughter’s spiritual life, she is very much a follower of her father’s religion. I feel so powerless, as my husband is very reticent about my interest in Catholicism anyway, and I am finding it difficult to move forward or attend Mass, and this just feels horribly painful. Any advice?

What faith has your daughter been raised in?

 

[ComplineSanFran]

My confirmation at age 12 was one of the most important events in my spiritual life. It was in the Episcopal Church and of course the sacrament was performed by the Bishop. I believe that both the Anglican Church and the Roman Church teach that to be Confirmed is to receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and blessings for the spiritual journey ahead.

 

[JoyToTheWhirled]

Thanks all. We were Baptists for a long time and the church my husband attends is evangelical in character, and sadly does indeed have issues with Catholicism. Of course I am happy for her to pursue her own faith, and am grateful that she has one, but I don’t really know what is the appropriate course of action to support her.

What faith has your daughter been raised in?

She has been raised evangelical protestant, so of course this is hardly surprising, I just don’t know how I’m supposed to respond.

 

[Sophie_Lawrence]

She is Anglican by baptism, is she not? While you may want her to be Catholic, she is not at that point yet and may never be. Let her be catechized in her church and be confirmed. It may well increase her spiritual life, not a bad thing, wouldn’t you agree? If, later on, she decides she’d like to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church she will be confirmed at that time and you can rejoice.

For now, concentrate on your journey and don’t let her journey make yours more difficult. Keep studying the Catholic faith and realize that even if you remain the only one who “converts”, you’ll still have come “home” and you can pray that the rest of your family eventually make the same choice.

Yes.

 

[Isca]

The Anglican Church truly is a broad one. In England, it ranges from modern Evangelical to Anglo-Catholic, where you get the full experience of bells, incense and everything else.

I was confirmed in a traditional CofE church. When I eventually became a Catholic (many, many years later) I was confirmed again. I don’t regret my Anglican past, and if your daughter feels drawn to the Catholic Church at any time in the future, she can also be confirmed again.

It’s good that she wants to be confirmed. Many youngsters don’t have those feelings towards spiritual matters.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I am struggling today as my husband wants my eldest to be confirmed into the Anglican church he attends. She is 14. I am not yet a Catholic so in a real sense I don’t have a good (name removed by moderator)ut in my eldest daughter’s spiritual life, she is very much a follower of her father’s religion. I feel so powerless, as my husband is very reticent about my interest in Catholicism anyway, and I am finding it difficult to move forward or attend Mass, and this just feels horribly painful. Any advice?

I must be missing something. I am
Quite shocked at the responses so far. If you don’t want your child to recieve a sacrament in a church that is hostile to the faith you wish to have… DONT!

Does your husbands church know you object? Would they still be willing to do it if one parent objected?!

You are the primary educator of your child’s faith. I fail to see why you have no say in this. From what you indicate your husband just chose a church faster than you. That does not mean you have to sit on the sidelines and watch something you don’t feel right about for your child…

 

[thecolorsblend]

My experience is Anglicans experience the tug of Rome deeper than any other Protestant denomination. I experienced it myself as an Anglican (hint: Rome won). Canterbury is separated from Rome, it’s true. But there’s a better than average chance that being separated from Rome eventually will bother her more than the prospect of being separated from Canterbury.

Have faith.

EDIT- And for everything else, there’s the Anglican Use Mass, which is absolutely incredible and everything I always wanted from Novus Ordo but never got.

 

[7_Sorrows]

My experience is Anglicans experience the tug of Rome deeper than any other Protestant denomination. I experienced it myself as an Anglican (hint: Rome won). Canterbury is separated from Rome, it’s true. But there’s a better than average chance that being separated from Rome eventually will bother her more than the prospect of being separated from Canterbury.

Have faith.

EDIT- And for everything else, there’s the Anglican Use Mass, which is absolutely incredible and everything I always wanted from Novus Ordo but never got.