Confirmation problems

[lionelow]

Hi

I’m 36 years old and in the progress of getting confirm but i faced upon registering for the rite of confirmation as the church request for my first holy communion certificate which i doesn’t have. Was baptize in 1987, doesn’t it mean that i can’t be confirm or need to undergo classes to get my fhc cert?

 

[Gorgias]

You were baptized in the Catholic Church?

Then, your sacramental records are held by the parish where you were baptized. They can send your sacramental records to the parish where you are getting confirmed.

 

[babochka]

Hi

I’m 36 years old and in the progress of getting confirm but i faced upon registering for the rite of confirmation as the church request for my first holy communion certificate which i doesn’t have. Was baptize in 1987, doesn’t it mean that i can’t be confirm or need to undergo classes to get my fhc cert?

Were you baptized in the Catholic Church, or received later? If you were baptized in a Catholic Church, a recent copy of your baptismal certificate might contain the relevant information about your First Communion. Recording of First Communion is not required by canon law, though, so it might not. If you’re 36, you would have been baptized at about 10 or 11, right? Did you receive First Communion at that time? You might not have received a separate certificate. I’d just explain the situation to your parish and tell them that you don’t have one. I would imagine that there are many, many people who cannot produce a certificate for their First Communion.

 

[lionelow]

Were you baptized in the Catholic Church, or received later? If you were baptized in a Catholic Church, a recent copy of your baptismal certificate might contain the relevant information about your First Communion. Recording of First Communion is not required by canon law, though, so it might not. If you’re 36, you would have been baptized at about 10 or 11, right? Did you receive First Communion at that time? You might not have received a separate certificate. I’d just explain the situation to your parish and tell them that you don’t have one. I would imagine that there are many, many people who cannot produce a certificate for their First Communion.

I was baptized in the catholic church when i was around 8-9 it was 1987. I don’t think I undergone any first holy communion even my parents does not have it. They only have baptismal and confirmation certificates.

 

[babochka]

I was baptized in the catholic church when i was around 8-9 it was 1987. I don’t think I undergone any first holy communion even my parents does not have it. They only have baptismal and confirmation certificates.

If you were baptized around 8 or 9, you would ordinarily have been prepared for your First Communion at the same time as your baptism. Not every parish issues First Communion certificates. I would just explain the situation to your parish. They’ll know what to do and it will not prevent you from being Confirmed.

 

[Usige]

My apologies if this sounds stupid, but if babochka is right and you were baptised around the age of 9 or 10 then you should have been baptised according to the norms for adult baptism. As such you would normally have been baptised, received first holy communion and been confirmed all at the same time. Given that are you sure you weren’t confirmed when you were baptised? It’s certainly possible you weren’t.

As babochka said, you sacramental records may record the date of first communion and they may not. Since the Eucharist is not a sacrament that can only be received once it doesn’t impact your canonical status. Simply request your sacramental records be sent from the baptismal parish to the parish for confirmation. If you received all 3 (baptism, first communion, and confirmation) on the same day those records would indicate that making it all moot.

 

[lionelow]

Thanks I think I was given communion during the baptismal ceremony.

 

[Phemie]

My apologies if this sounds stupid, but if babochka is right and you were baptised around the age of 9 or 10 then you should have been baptised according to the norms for adult baptism. As such you would normally have been baptised, received first holy communion and been confirmed all at the same time. Given that are you sure you weren’t confirmed when you were baptised? It’s certainly possible you weren’t.

As babochka said, you sacramental records may record the date of first communion and they may not. Since the Eucharist is not a sacrament that can only be received once it doesn’t impact your canonical status. Simply request your sacramental records be sent from the baptismal parish to the parish for confirmation. If you received all 3 (baptism, first communion, and confirmation) on the same day those records would indicate that making it all moot.

We have to remember that not every parish follows the RCIA when it comes to children.

I know that in my previous parish in the mid 90s, children were simply baptized. Even as recently as this past October, in my present parish, a family with 4 children presented all 4 for Baptism. We’d never heard of this family before, they claimed they didn’t have time to do the preparation, the kids ranged in age from just under a year to almost 9 years old. They were all baptized the next Sunday, after Mass (all our baptisms are routinely celebrated during a Sunday Mass). The oldest was not confirmed at the time and he will be expected to prepare for First Communion with his peers.

 

[Joan_M]

Hi

I’m 36 years old and in the progress of getting confirm but i faced upon registering for the rite of confirmation as the church request for my first holy communion certificate which i doesn’t have. Was baptize in 1987, doesn’t it mean that i can’t be confirm or need to undergo classes to get my fhc cert?

As others have said, it is not the norm to receive a First Holy Communion certificate. Really, the only sacraments that are inscribed in the Baptismal records are those that incur a mark on the soul (Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders) and also Marriage.

Have you been receiving Holy Communion since your baptism? First Holy Communion is not a separate sacrament from Holy Communion. Surely, you have been receiving all this time? The first time you received Holy Communion was, of course, you First Holy Communion, whether it was noted, and whether the priest giving It to you knew or not.

 

[Gorgias]

Thanks I think I was given communion during the baptismal ceremony.

OK – so, the parish where you were baptized, has your records. What your current parish needs isn’t a certificate that you were given back then – they just need verification that you received the sacraments. Call the parish where you were baptized and ask them to send your current parish your “baptismal extract with notations”. Explain that they need it in order to confirm you. They’ll be able to help you out.

(Do the folks at your current parish know you were baptized in a Catholic church? If so, then this “baptismal extract” is what they should have been asking you to get to them…)

 

[Usige]

We have to remember that not every parish follows the RCIA when it comes to children.

I know that in my previous parish in the mid 90s, children were simply baptized. Even as recently as this past October, in my present parish, a family with 4 children presented all 4 for Baptism. We’d never heard of this family before, they claimed they didn’t have time to do the preparation, the kids ranged in age from just under a year to almost 9 years old. They were all baptized the next Sunday, after Mass (all our baptisms are routinely celebrated during a Sunday Mass). The oldest was not confirmed at the time and he will be expected to prepare for First Communion with his peers.

I realize that even though RCIA was promulgated in 1972 that many parishes don’t follow it for children. It’s often tied up with thinking adult equals legal majority rather than the age of reason. It’s why I said they should have, but certainly might not have.

I guess I was just trying to bring up the possibility that the OP might already have been confirmed. If they were not well prepared they might not have realized what all was happening on that day.

 

[Cider]

Hi

I’m 36 years old and in the progress of getting confirm but i faced upon registering for the rite of confirmation as the church request for my first holy communion certificate which i doesn’t have. Was baptize in 1987, doesn’t it mean that i can’t be confirm or need to undergo classes to get my fhc cert?

I can see them wanting to verify your baptismal status but FHC?

 

[lionelow]

Now waiting for the priest to decide on it but i think the catechist was asking for it.

Thought was straight forward issue… just register with the baptismal extract but now make it so complicated.

 

[Phemie]

OK – so, the parish where you were baptized, has your records. What your current parish needs isn’t a certificate that you were given back then – they just need verification that you received the sacraments. Call the parish where you were baptized and ask them to send your current parish your “baptismal extract with notations”. Explain that they need it in order to confirm you. They’ll be able to help you out.

(Do the folks at your current parish know you were baptized in a Catholic church? If so, then this “baptismal extract” is what they should have been asking you to get to them…)

I know that when I worked at a parish the only thing that was entered on the Certificate of Baptism was Baptism, Confirmation and Marriage. Well, Holy Orders too, but I never had to include that one on any certificate I issued since as far as I know there were only 2 ordinations in all the years our diocese was in existence and one was an import from another diocese.

I know for a fact that no priest in 50 years ever entered First Communion in the person’s baptismal record even though they were recorded in a separate First Communion register.

 

[Gorgias]

I know for a fact that no priest in 50 years ever entered First Communion in the person’s baptismal record even though they were recorded in a separate First Communion register.

In the extract, though, it’s supposed to be recorded. In the parish records, it’s hit and miss to see FHC info in the baptismal register. The parish where the records are kept is supposed to have the FHC info recorded. (Suppose I get baptized at St Albert’s, get my FHC at St Bernard’s, and want to be confirmed at St Catherine’s. The staff at St Catherine’s needs to verify that I received FHC. They have two choices: blow off the requirement to verify I’ve received my sacraments, or contact St Albert’s. If the folks at St Bernard’s never communicated the date of my FHC, or the folks at St Albert’s never recorded it, how are the folks at St Catherine’s supposed to verify that my FHC took place?)

 

[Phemie]

In the extract, though, it’s supposed to be recorded. In the parish records, it’s hit and miss to see FHC info in the baptismal register. The parish where the records are kept is supposed to have the FHC info recorded. (Suppose I get baptized at St Albert’s, get my FHC at St Bernard’s, and want to be confirmed at St Catherine’s. The staff at St Catherine’s needs to verify that I received FHC. They have two choices: blow off the requirement to verify I’ve received my sacraments, or contact St Albert’s. If the folks at St Bernard’s never communicated the date of my FHC, or the folks at St Albert’s never recorded it, how are the folks at St Catherine’s supposed to verify that my FHC took place?)

Obviously if you received Communion in the parish at least once your FHC has taken place. There is simply no logical reason for them to know when you received the first time since it doesn’t matter.

First Communion and Confession are not sacraments that are mandated to be recorded and in 11 years as parish secretary I know we never once received a notification of First Communion nor did we ever sent one out to another parish as we did with Confirmation and Marriage.

 

[Gorgias]

Obviously if you received Communion in the parish at least once your FHC has taken place. There is simply no logical reason for them to know when you received the first time since it doesn’t matter.

It speaks to the fact that you received the appropriate catechetical formation in advance of your FHC.

First Communion and Confession are not sacraments that are mandated to be recorded and in 11 years as parish secretary I know we never once received a notification of First Communion nor did we ever sent one out to another parish as we did with Confirmation and Marriage.

When your confirmation team was preparing the confirmands to receive the sacrament, did they check that they had received FHC? (They should have.)

 

[Phemie]

It speaks to the fact that you received the appropriate catechetical formation in advance of your FHC.

When your confirmation team was preparing the confirmands to receive the sacrament, did they check that they had received FHC? (They should have.)

No, they checked that they were baptized. If they were older they were already receiving Communion and if they were 6 or 7, they would be receiving Communion after they were confirmed – at least that’s what happened for the first 9 years I was secretary. We had no confirmations in the last couple of years.

 

[Usige]

When your confirmation team was preparing the confirmands to receive the sacrament, did they check that they had received FHC? (They should have.)

There is no requirement to have received the Eucharist before Confirmation. Its only been in the past century that FHC proceeds Confirmation. Anyone that goes through RCIA actually still receives the Eucharist for the first time after they receive Confirmation. Just saying.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

There is no requirement to have received the Eucharist before Confirmation. Its only been in the past century that FHC proceeds Confirmation. Anyone that goes through RCIA actually still receives the Eucharist for the first time after they receive Confirmation. Just saying.

Similarly, in those dioceses that have restored the order of the Sacraments of Initiation, children are confirmed and then receive their first communion.