PowerQuest/Religion
The Sacrament of Confirmation
The Basics
Easier - The sacrament of Confirmation as celebrated in the Roman Catholic tradition, has been said to be the "Cinderella" sacrament, as it's often misunderstood and sometimes neglected, because it's one of the most difficult sacraments for people to grasp. Basically Confirmation is meant to be a continuation of the beliefs we affirmed  when we celebrated the first sacrament of initiation, our Baptism.  Through the Baptism,  the sacrament of Eucharist, and finally through Confirmation,  we rededicate ourselves to Christ.  It's no longer "automatic" to be confirmed, but a conscious decision that young adults make to recommit their lives to Christ and the Catholic Church.  

Since the sacrament of Confirmation calls us to be witnesses of the Church and God's love, (aka defenders of the faith), it's important to know the specifics of what we are defending. That's why it's vital  for people who choose to be confirmed to be knowledgeable about scripture, the Catholic Church and its traditions.

Through the process of preparing for Confirmation, candidates choose a sponsor. The sponsor must be a confirmed practicing Catholic, not their mother and/or father, and a person with whom the candidate feels comfortable discussing their faith. Another tradition is that the candidate choose a patron saint and name. The patron saint is chosen by the candidate to be someone whom the candidate particularly admires. When the sponsor presents the candidate to the bishop during the Mass, the candidate is presented as the new name of their patron saint. 

Lastly, candidates for Confirmation are encouraged to perform many hours of service in the community. Since we are all gifted in many different ways and these gifts come from God, it is appropriate that we use our gifts in service to others as a way of serving and loving God through our neighbor. Young adults are encouraged to volunteer in a variety of different ways and in different places.

Harder - Many times adults, through the process of Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), choose to become Catholic.  Normally the process takes about six months and Baptism, First Eucharist and Confirmation are celebrated at the Easter Vigil.  However if the individual has been baptized, formation for the other two sacraments takes place. Leaders of RCIA, including the parish priest,  Director of Religious Education (DRE) and pastoral associate may appoint parishioners to help lead some formation meetings. The parish as a whole takes part in the RCIA process praying for the catechumen and finally celebrating with them at Mass at the Easter Vigil.  The parish even provides a sponsor that "walks" with the individual through their sacramental preparation offering insights, encouragement and personal experiences.

The "Best of the Quest"

What is Confirmation?
http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/growinginfaith/basicqas/sacraments/confirmation92.html
Find out answers to your basic questions about Confirmation working through a simple question and answer format.

Saints and Angels - Catholic Online
http://www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php
An excellent clearing house of nearly every saint and angel and the details about them.

Confirmation 
Article by Charles M. Mangan (from Catholic Faith, July/August 1998)
http://www.catholic.net/rcc/Periodicals/Faith/7-8-98/SACRAMENTS2.html
Excellent up-to-date article by Fr. Mangan. Easily understood, Father explains the significance of the sacrament of Confirmation.
(Catholic Encyclopedia)
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04215b.htm
New Advent's article in its Catholic Encyclopedia on the sacrament of Confirmation. Very detailed and enlightening.

 
After visiting several of the websites to learn more about the holy sacrament of Confirmation, complete one or more of the following projects:
 
Complete a timeline with important dates in the process of YOUR Confirmation.  
 
Compare and Contrast Religions. Bar mitzvah (boys)/Bat mitzvah (girls) and Confirmation are somewhat similar in the Jewish and Catholic faiths. Write a brief essay citing how the two are alike and how they are different.
 
Conduct an investigation. What was Confirmation like when your parents and/or grandparents received the sacrament?  Ask investigative questions such as, "how old was your grandparent when they received Confirmation, how did they prepare to receive the sacrament, do they remember  the day they were confirmed, who was was their Confirmation patron saint, who was their Confirmation sponsor, why did they choose that person?" 
Search for as much information possible about the patron saint you chose. What did he or she do to make him or her a saint?  What do you admire about the saint?  What qualities does this saint have that you would like to model? Is there a special prayer your patron saint held close to their soul? Memorize this prayer to invoke the saint's help in your daily trials, temptations and struggles.

Create a timeline of your patron saint. Were there any other saints living at the time of the patron saint you chose? What specific world events helped  shape the life of your saint. For example, the events of WWII dramatically affected Fr. Max Kolbe. 

Explore the use of the symbols in the Catholic faith.  Why is the dove used as a symbol of the coming of the Holy Spirit? 
 
Perform MORE than your required service hours by helping the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry, Catholic Social Services, The Irish Children's Fund, Marquette Manor, Lucious Newsom, Fatima Retreat House, The Julian Center, St. Augustine Home for the Aged, and/or  The Children's Guardian Home.  It's okay to do MORE than your required service work.
 
Discover how different movements in the Catholic Church foster ecumenism by fostering unity among the faithful followers from all  faiths. Specifically learn more about the Focolare Movement.  Who was the foundress? What were the circumstances surrounding the beginnings of the movement?  What is the Word of Life? How does the Buddhist, the Jew and the Catholic see truth in this movement?
 

"Next in the Quest"

Our Beloved Catholic Saints

Selecting a patron saint is one of the most meaningful traditions in the rite of Confirmation.  Explore the following links to find out more about saints, and in particular, a patron saint worthy of choosing for your own.

Frequently Asked Questions about Saints
http://www.catholic.org/saints/faq.php

Saint of the Day
http://www.catholic.org/saints/sofd.php

Timeline for Saints
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/time0000.htm

Doctors of the Church
http://www.catholic.org/saints/doctors.php

Saint News
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/news0000.htm

Patron Saint Index
By topic: http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/patron00.htm
By name: http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/patron02.htm
By place: http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/patron12.htm

Patron Saint Index -  United States of America
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/patron11.htm

More Websites, Games and Activities on Confirmation, Sacraments and Catholicism

ID the Patron Saint
http://www.monksofadoration.org/patrons.html

What do you know about  . . .
Confirmation? http://www.quia.com/jq/48909.html
the Holy Spirit? http://www.quia.com/jq/48905.html
the Sacraments?  http://www.quia.com/jq/48893.html
the Catholic Church? http://www.quia.com/jq/48907.html
        Play these games and find out!

Who's the patron saint of . . .
http://www.quia.com/cm/15118.html

"Hang it up" if you don't know these!
http://www.quia.com/hm/90967.html

Websites for Teachers

Classroom Activities on Saints
 http://www.silk.net/RelEd/saintsactivities.htm
 Classroom activities that help children and young adults learn more about saints. Saint cards, Patron Saint Trivia Game and Patron Saint Row Race are among some of the many games to learn more about saints.

Resources for Catholic Educators
 http://www.silk.net/RelEd/
 Clip art, lesson plans, Catholic magazines and more.  Great resource for Religious Education.

Recent Church Documents and other Resources a Relating to Confirmation and Catholisism

Catechism of the Catholic Church
 http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c1a2.htm
 The most up-to-date teachings from the Catholic Church regarding the sacrament of Confirmation.

Who May Receive Confirmation and What Is the Proper Age? by Nicholas Halligan.
 http://www.ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/AGECONF.TXT
 Taken from Book IV, Chapter III of the book of Canon Law this text discusses at what age and whom would be candidates for receiving the sacrament of Confirmation.  There is a particularly useful part about wisdom and how the age of discression is not necessarily measured in years. Interestingly, at the time of this writing, it was preferred that Confirmation be received before First Eucharist.

Confirmation - What did the Fathers of the Catholic Church have to say about it?
 http://www.catholic.com/library/Confirmation.asp
 Tertullian, Theophilus, Hippolytus, Cyprian, and many, many more. What was their "take" on the sacrament of Confirmation?

More Resources about Catholicism

The Vatican Home Page
http://www.vatican.va/
Home page for the Holy Father written in six different languages.

New Advent
http://www.newadvent.org/
A clearing house for everything you always wanted to know about Catholicism. Very helpful resource.

Catholic Prayers
http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/link.asp?ref=19433
The words to every Catholic prayer you could ever imagine. Prayers to the angels, special blessings, prayers to say in front of the cross, after Confession, before and after Communion, and many special prayers to the Blessed Mother also.

Catholic Net
http://www.catholic.net
Up-to-the-minute Catholic news, hot topics, faith in the workplace and much, much more.

Catholic Culture:
http://www.catholicculture.org
Document libraries, site reviews, Catholic calendars and more.

 

Please e-mail comments and/or questions to:
Debbie Mattson
mattsondeb@aol.com