Confirmation

Confirmation is a Sacrament in the Catholic Church in which the one who is confirmed (confirmandi) receives the gifts of the Holy Spirit through the imposition of hand and anointing with oils, in most cases by the bishop.

It’s considered a sacrament of initiation which means that it brings you deeper into communion with the Church. Any Catholic who has been baptized properly can and should be confirmed.

Confirmation is performed with the ordinary minister extending his hand over the one to be confirmed and anointing his/her head with the oil of chrism saying, “be sealed with the Holy Spirit.” The actual Confirmation ceremony is much longer than this, but this is the “meat” of the action. The oil of chrism is consecrated by the bishop at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday and is reserved for special things like Baptism Confirmation, Holy Orders, and even some non-sacramental events.

In short it is the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost. Confirmation brings Catholics a deepening of baptismal grace and unites us more firmly to Christ. It increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit and leaves an indelible mark on the soul just like baptism.

At Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Confirmation takes place in the spring. For more information about it, or other sacraments, please contact Deacon Bob Koslosky, Director of Spiritual Formation, at rkoslosky@mountcarmelpgh.org.