Times & Ministers of Confirmation

[EugeneCharles]

I want to be confirmed sooner but my parents said that I need to wait for my brother and sister to grow up. They want us to be confirmed together. This made things clear. Thank you very much!!!

 

[Phemie]

Do you know if-in the case of those raised in the Catholic Church from infancy, this was always the order of things (Baptism-Eucharist-Confirmation) or was it ever done the same way as the Orthodox & then “reconsidered” at some point, if that’s the right word?

Peace & Blessings to all

Canon Law says Confirmation is to be conferred around the age of reason (7) but bishops can set an earlier age or a later age for their flock.

It has varied through the centuries, based on what was considered the age of reason. Generally Confirmation occurred first, then Communion.

In 1910, Pope Pius X, in his encyclical " Quam Singulari" “Decree of the Sacred Congregation of the Discipline of the Sacraments on First Communion” deplored the situation:

In accord with this Decree of the Lateran Council, still in effect, the faithful are obliged, as soon as they arrive at the years of discretion, to receive the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist at least once a year.

However, in the precise determination of “the age of reason or discretion” not a few errors and deplorable abuses have crept in during the course of time. There were some who maintained that one age of discretion must be assigned to reception of the Sacrament of Penance and another to the Holy Eucharist. They held that for Confession the age of discretion is reached when one can distinguish right from wrong, hence can commit sin; for Holy Eucharist, however, a greater age is required in which a full knowledge of matters of faith and a better preparation of the soul can be had. As a consequence, owing to various local customs and opinions, the age determined for the reception of First Communion was placed at ten years or twelve, and in places fourteen years or even more were required; and until that age children and youth were prohibited from Eucharistic Communion.

He went on to write

1. The age of discretion, both for Confession and for Holy Communion, is the time when a child begins to reason, that is about the seventh year, more or less. From that time on begins the obligation of fulfilling the precept of both Confession and Communion.
2. A full and perfect knowledge of Christian doctrine is not necessary either for First Confession or for First Communion. Afterwards, however, the child will be obliged to learn gradually the entire Catechism according to his ability.
3. The knowledge of religion which is required in a child in order to be properly prepared to receive First Communion is such that he will understand according to his capacity those Mysteries of faith which are necessary as a means of salvation ( necessitate medii ) and that he can distinguish between the Bread of the Eucharist and ordinary, material bread, and thus he may receive Holy Communion with a devotion becoming his years.

(continued…)

 

[Phemie]

Continued…
No mention of Confirmation in all this and in most places that toppled the order of the sacraments. Confession and First Communion, then Confirmation at a later date became the norm. I received my first Communion at the age of 6 (1960), and was confirmed a year later. The bishop used to visit our parish every two years so anyone who had received their first Communion since his last visit was prepared for Confirmation.

Now in our area (the province of New Brunswick in Canada) there was a tradition, imported from France, of Solemn Communion. This occurred around the age of 13-14, after a period of more intensive catechesis taught at night, by the Pastor, as opposed to the teachers in the schools. This Solemn Communion was considered our graduation from formal catechesis. The year I was supposed to go through this ceremony I told my parents I didn’t feel ready. By this time Confirmation has started to be conferred later and by the next year, Solemn Communion had fallen by the wayside, and Confirmation had been pushed back to the age of 12. It became the “graduation” from formal catechesis.

Fast forward to the 1990s and some bishops were starting to restore the order of the sacraments. Catechesis for both sacraments is given simultaneously and children receive both Confirmation and Communion during the same Mass. In our diocese that occurred during a time of great change. We lost our Catholic school system and catechesis moved to the parish level. For the first time the parents had to take responsibility for seeing that their children were catechized and it wasn’t easy when they’d always just left it in the schools’ hands. Most felt unprepared to teach religion and catechesis suffered. The restored order lasted about 8 years for us.

But it backfired. Parents still considered Confirmation “graduation” so they never registered their children for further catechesis. We have dozens of children who are fully initiated but whose catechesis level remains that of a 7 year old. Eventually the Bishop returned to the old "Communion at 7, Confirmation at 12+ system. In our parish we still have no catechesis in the intervening years.

 

[Pilgrim_Wanderer]

Phemie,

Thank you very much for this detailed & informative response, it’s very helpful in deciphering some of the differences & also explains the variation I’ve found in some online sources regarding ages.

It’s interesting (for me at least) that the Pope can issue a general rule apparently overriding Canon Law, especially when it comes to the Sacraments. Within the Orthodox Church there is a concept of “economy” (broadly “discretion”) as opposed to “akrivea” (strictness) by which Priests & Bishops can apply exceptions to Canon Law on certain issues but this is only ever on an individual one off basis for a certain compelling reason & it can’t be used to create a general exception or change like that.

Thanks again!

Peace & Blessings to all!

 

[LordofByz]

The Vigils of Easter and Pentecost were traditional times in the West to administer Baptism and Confirmation. That is why there are ceremonies related to it in the Vigil Mass for those feasts. Of course, it became common to administer the Sacraments outside those times. Like some other users have said, Confirmation was always before First Communion until the 20th century. Part of the reason for Confirmation being usually administered by the bishop is because it insures that every Catholic will meet his or her bishop at least once in his or her life.