Is my confirmation invalid?

[hartleymartin]

I refer to the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 269:

“Only those already baptised can and should receive this sacrament which can be received only once. To receive Confirmation efficaciously the candidate must be in a state of grace.”

Now, I was Confirmed some 12 or 13 years ago, and I was not aware of this requirement, and I had no concept of the state of grace, and in fact had probably not received the sacrament of reconciliation (confession and penance) in months if not years. Neither of my parents were practising Catholics at the time, so I had no real idea. I do not know it, but if I were not in a state of grace at the time of my confirmation, does that mean that my confirmation is then invalid?

I know that I was above the age of reason (7 years) I was about 11 years old at the time, but since I was in a state of ignorance does that make any difference?

I’ve only recently started to take my faith seriously and came across this whilst reading the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I have a strong desire for piety and to do my best to practise the faith correctly.

 

[Cristiano]

The confirmation was valid.The efficacy of the sacrament was diminished if you were in a state of mortal sin.

 

[Catholicben]

I refer to the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 269:

“Only those already baptized can and should receive this sacrament which can be received only once. To receive Confirmation efficaciously the candidate must be in a state of grace.”

Now, I was Confirmed some 12 or 13 years ago, and I was not aware of this requirement, and I had no concept of the state of grace, and in fact had probably not received the sacrament of reconciliation (confession and penance) in months if not years. Neither of my parents were practising Catholics at the time, so I had no real idea. I do not know it, but if I were not in a state of grace at the time of my confirmation, does that mean that my confirmation is then invalid?

I know that I was above the age of reason (7 years) I was about 11 years old at the time, but since I was in a state of ignorance does that make any difference?

I’ve only recently started to take my faith seriously and came across this whilst reading the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I have a strong desire for piety and to do my best to practise the faith correctly.

The confirmation was valid.The efficacy of the sacrament was diminished if you were in a state of mortal sin.

Yes, your confirmation was vaild. I believe the key word here is “efficaciously”.

 

[FrDavid96]

I refer to the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 269:

“Only those already baptised can and should receive this sacrament which can be received only once. To receive Confirmation efficaciously the candidate must be in a state of grace.”

Now, I was Confirmed some 12 or 13 years ago, and I was not aware of this requirement, and I had no concept of the state of grace, and in fact had probably not received the sacrament of reconciliation (confession and penance) in months if not years. Neither of my parents were practising Catholics at the time, so I had no real idea. I do not know it, but if I were not in a state of grace at the time of my confirmation, does that mean that my confirmation is then invalid?

I know that I was above the age of reason (7 years) I was about 11 years old at the time, but since I was in a state of ignorance does that make any difference?

I’ve only recently started to take my faith seriously and came across this whilst reading the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I have a strong desire for piety and to do my best to practise the faith correctly.

A little explanation of the vocabulary is in-order here.

Valid means that there was truly a Sacrament.
Efficaciously means that the “effects” of that valid Sacrament were received.

So, non-efficacious is not the same thing as non-valid.

 

[Cristiano]

Just think of confirmation as a multi-course meal.

You can start with an appetizer, once you are done enjoying it you can move to some fancy pasta dish and after that what about some savory meat dish with a nice spring salad on the side, and then close the meal with a silky ice cream. Is that a meal that gives you a lot of nutrients and puts you in a good mood toward life?

You can also take a food processor and stick the meat and ice cream in it, blend it and eat it. It will give enough nutrients to move on, but is it going to give you the right predisposition to face life?

The first is like Confirmation in a state of grace and the second is like Confirmation in a state of mortal sin.