Sacraments in the Catholic Church - CCEAConfirmation
A sacrament is an outward sign of an inward truth. It is an act of faith that Christians do on the outside to celebrate what God has done for them on the inside.
Confirmation takes place at a later stage in life, often as a teenager. It is seen as a personal commitment to the faith that the baby was baptised into many years before.
Infant baptism means that the baby cannot make a decision to have faith for themselves.
However, a time comes when the child grows up and must make a personal commitment to following Jesus.
When a person decides to make the decision for themselves, they do it at a special service called confirmation.
At confirmation the young person is confirming the promises their parents and godparents made for them at their baptism.
Features of the ceremony include:
a bishop usually performs confirmation
the candidates renew their baptismal promises or say the Apostles' CreedA short summary of the Christian faith. A congregation may recite a creed during acts of worship, usually standing.
the bishop prays for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to come to the candidates
the bishop lays his hand on the head of each of the candidates, he might also anoint the forehead of each candidate with holy oil
the kiss of peace, a traditional Christian greeting, is exchanged
confirmation is believed to strengthen the candidate's faith and commitment to the Church
some Christians receive a further name during confirmation