The Sacrament of Confirmation

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I have a question. To my fellow Catholics of the Latin Rite, now, I know that the ordinary minister of the Sacrament of Confirmation is a bishop, and that there are circumstances that would allow a priest to confirm. Could someone please tell me/elaborate on what (exactly) those circumstances are, and if you can please point out where I can find this (i.e., evidence, from either the Code of Canon Law or from the Catechism of the Catholic Church)? Any help is appreciated.

Pax Vobiscum,

Herbert Cruz
 
For example, people coming into the church at Easter are Confirmed by their Pastor, as the Bishops cannot be in every parish that same evening.

Our priest is Confirming 16 on Holy Saturday. 🙂
 
As you can read in the Code of Canon Law that 1ke gave you the link for, the law gives the priest the faculty to confer Confirmation on those adults whom he baptizes or receives into the Church and anyone who has not been confirmed if they are in danger of dying (he confirms infants he is called to baptize when they are in danger of dying).

He may be given the faculty by the Bishop to confer Confirmation on Catholics in specific situations. We’ve dealt with this in our parish.

In two cases someone who had prepared for Confirmation was unable to be present on the day due to a family trip to Europe having been booked before the date for Confirmation was set. Bishop gave priest the faculty to confirm when the family returned.

In another case, the bishop celebrated our Confirmation but weather forced cancellation of his flight to the isolated parish that was next on his schedule. This happened at the last minute when everything was in place in that parish. He gave the priest the faculty to confirm all those who were expecting to be confirmed. According to the Pastor, the parents all refused, they opted to wait until next year not wanting their children confirmed by a priest. Yes, we obviously have more work to do on explaining this sacrament.

A priest may be acting in place of the Bishop in circumstances where the diocese is between bishops. That also occurred in our diocese and the confirmations that year were conferred by a priest who was temporarily in looking after the diocese.
 
Phemie, wow. That really surprises me. Some people are not very versed in Canon Law, when it comes to the Sacraments, unfortunately (In thinking that only a bishop is able to confirm). We need to do more in educating parents and children in Canon Law and the Sacraments. I mean, by Canon Law, from what I’ve just read, as well as based on what you’ve addressed, there are quite a few circumstances, in which a priest has the faculties to confirm. It’s not like a layperson or a deacon was trying to celebrate Mass or hear Confessions, or something else that would be canonically invalid. So, to that end, that means that the only Sacrament that is exclusively reserved to a bishop would be the Sacrament of Holy Orders/Ordination, correct?
 
hcruz402 said:
(…)from what I’ve just read, as well as based on what you’ve addressed, there are quite a few circumstances, in which a priest has the faculties to confirm. It’s not like a layperson or a deacon was trying to celebrate Mass or hear Confessions, or something else that would be canonically invalid. So, to that end, that means that the only Sacrament that is exclusively reserved to a bishop would be the Sacrament of Holy Orders/Ordination, correct?
Click to expand...
Yes, that would be it.
 
hcruz402 said:
I have a question. To my fellow Catholics of the Latin Rite, now, I know that the ordinary minister of the Sacrament of Confirmation is a bishop, and that there are circumstances that would allow a priest to confirm. Could someone please tell me/elaborate on what (exactly) those circumstances are, and if you can please point out where I can find this (i.e., evidence, from either the Code of Canon Law or from the Catechism of the Catholic Church)? Any help is appreciated.

Pax Vobiscum,

Herbert Cruz
Click to expand...
There are situations where the priest can confirm, from the law itself, when:
  • a baptized Catholic is in danger of death. (1)
  • he baptizes an adult person (2)
  • he receives a baptized non-Catholic (or one that formally defected) into the full communion of the Catholic Church (3)
  • he readmits to communion an apostatized baptized person (4)
  • he welcomes a baptized Catholic who, without fault, was instructed in or adhered to a non-Catholic religion (5)
1 CIC cann. 883 /3, 889 §2, 891. CIC can. 880 §2.
2 CIC can. 883 /2.
3 CIC can. 883 /2.
4 National Statutes for the Catechumenate 28 a.
5 National Statutes for the Catechumenate 28 b.
 
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