My 8 yr old doing 1st communion and confirmation on same day

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Does your parish do second grade communion and confirmation on the same day?

Parents have complained that when done this way, the children don’t remember that they have been confirmed.
 
joclucsylv said:
Does your parish do second grade communion and confirmation on the same day?

Parents have complained that when done this way, the children don’t remember that they have been confirmed.
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If it’s any consolation, many people don’t remember it when it happens at 12 either (I give myself as an example. I know it happened, but I don’t really remember any of it).
 
Yes, this is how it’s supposed to be done. Many dioceses are choosing to restore the order of the sacraments, and it has Rome’s praises. Confirmation is supposed to happen before First Communion.

Only those children whose parents fail to live up to their promise to raise their children in the Catholic faith won’t remember being Confirmed.
 
The ‘proper’ order of the Sacraments of Initiation is Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist.
Doing it on the same day is just restoring the order and is perfectly acceptable.
 
I’m just wondering if the bishops in the US go to the parishes to confer Confirmation or is permission given to the parish priests. I was confirmed at 10 and remember the importance and significance of this sacrament because of the presence of the Bishop.

I haven’t heard anything about a change here yet. The Bishop is coming later this year to my parish to confirm teenagers in our Deanery but it makes theological sense to be confirmed before receiving the Eucharist.
 
In many places, Confirmation is explained as , “Confirming your faith” or “Choosing for yourself to be Catholic”. Neither is accurate.

I’ve heard the argument that if we Confirm kids in 2nd grade, we’ll never get them back to Religious Ed.

What’s being done now isn’t showing great results, why not try the old fashioned way?
 
When I was born premature many years ago, a Bishop baptized and confirmed me on that day. This year one of the RCIA instructors used my story to show that Catholic teaching does not have an age requirement on Confirmation,nor is it “choosing to be Catholic!”
Personally,I think that extra grace kept my heart beating!
 
I made my first communion at age 8 and seven months later, at age 9 I made my confirmation (in Ohio in 1974). I remember both-not very clearly yet I still remember making both sacraments. I don’t remember how I came up with my confirmation name, Marie. Oh well-:p:thumbsup:
 
Saintlucy said:
I’m just wondering if the bishops in the US go to the parishes to confer Confirmation or is permission given to the parish priests. I was confirmed at 10 and remember the importance and significance of this sacrament because of the presence of the Bishop.

I haven’t heard anything about a change here yet. The Bishop is coming later this year to my parish to confirm teenagers in our Deanery but it makes theological sense to be confirmed before receiving the Eucharist.
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A nearby diocese has adopted the restored order and does Confirmation and First Communion at the same Mass, usually in third grade. The Bishop does the Confirmation just the same as when it is done at an older age.

I really like the restored order and wish my diocese would adopt it.
 
1ke said:
Yes, the Bishop confirms.
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I know that the bishop is the ordinary minister of this sacrament but at Easter the Parish Priests have permission to confirm the new converts after reception into the Church or baptism.
I’m just wondering if the bishops will go out to the parishes to confirm the children. I live in a large diocese and most first Communions occur in June. I suppose they would have to be staggered throughout the summer or even year. A good idea would be for all of the children to go to the Cathedral together to be confirmed by the Bishop, receive their first Holy Communion and have a celebration Mass in the parish on the following Sunday.
 
Saintlucy said:
I know that the bishop is the ordinary minister of this sacrament but at Easter the Parish Priests have permission to confirm the new converts after reception into the Church or baptism.
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That was not the question asked. Here you are talking about non-Catholics, and about specific delegation of faculties.
Saintlucy said:
I’m just wondering if the bishops will go out to the parishes to confirm the children.
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That is the question I answered. Yes.

Whether he goes individually to parishes or whether he has parishes grouped by deanery or some other scheme is up to the bishop.
 
About 30 years ago our bishop wanted the Sacraments of Initiation to be restored to their traditional order within the diocese , i.e. Baptism , Confirmation and the Eucharist .

There was widespread consultation and discussion throughout the diocese .

When the bishop finalised his judgement about what had been said he submitted his wishes to Rome and approval was given .

The result is that the children are baptised as normal , as infants . They are confirmed by the priest about the age of seven in their own parish churches on the Feast of Pentecost . They receive their first Holy Communion at Easter the following year .
 
When our former diocese restored the order the bishop still visited each parish for Confirmation. The only exception was when a planned visit to one parish was rendered impossible due to the weather – he phoned the priest to grant him the faculty to Confirm those who were ready. Sadly, some parents opted to not have their children confirmed because it wasn’t the bishop thereby denying their children the graces Confirmation imparts for at least another year.
 
Our local Catholic school has First Holy Communion In 2nd and Confirmation in 8th grade.
My personal opinion is that you should be able to decide if you want to be confirmed into the faith and not done at a early age.
 
Having missed my own confirmation instruction and doing it as an adult…

Why was the confirmation order reversed? Why was confirmation delayed until the person was at least 13, sometimes 17?

Why is it being restored?

What actually IS confirmation if it’s OK to receive that sacrament before the Eucharist?
 
indiecath said:
Our local Catholic school has First Holy Communion In 2nd and Confirmation in 8th grade.
My personal opinion is that you should be able to decide if you want to be confirmed into the faith and not done at a early age.
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You are not ‘confirmed into the faith’, you are baptized into the faith and that baptism obliges you to be confirmed. It’s as simple as that. Confirmation is not something you do, it’s something that is done to you. You need the graces that Confirmation imparts and you need them sooner rather than later.
 
TheRealJuliane said:
Having missed my own confirmation instruction and doing it as an adult…

Why was the confirmation order reversed? Why was confirmation delayed until the person was at least 13, sometimes 17?

Why is it being restored?

What actually IS confirmation if it’s OK to receive that sacrament before the Eucharist?
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Good question! I did my confirmation when I was a Sophomore in HS.
 
1ke said:
I suggest this quick read:

ewtn.com/library/BISHOPS/ordsacinit.htm
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Thank you. So this is something that is being done within a diocese? I mean by that, it hasn’t been mandated by the US Bishops or the Pope?

And, I have had a BIG problem with the confirmation instruction being given through the Life Teen program. Neither of my sons has been confirmed because that program demands 2 years of Sunday night attendance at a teen Mass :eek: and then “hanging out” afterward, and Sunday nights are one of our traditional family meals. I know a lot of parents are happy to get rid of their teenagers but not me.
 
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