Catholic Confirmation Requirements
Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments of the Catholic religion. When the Catholic is confirmed, he is blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and he becomes a full member of the Catholic community. Catholics believe that confirmation gives them the grace of the Holy Spirit so that they can go forth and continue doing God's work as a Catholic adult.
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Baptism: The First Holy Sacrament
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The Catholic who wishes to be confirmed needs to have been baptized in the Catholic Church. Most Catholics are baptized as a baby; however, the priest will set up a special baptism ceremony for young children or adults who have not been baptized. Baptism represents a child becoming a child of God.
The Act of Reconcilation: The Second Sacrament
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Catholics confess sins to the priest. Before a Catholic can receive communion, she will confess her sins to the priest. The act of confession is also called reconciliation, and it is a way that Catholics communicate their sins to God and ask for forgiveness. Catholics must reconcile with God before confirmation.
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Holy Communion: The Third Sacrament
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Children who participate in first communion wear white. Catholics who want to become confirmed in the church will participate in a first communion ceremony if they did not participate in the ceremony as a child. Receiving communion is an important act for a Catholic because it connects him with the body and blood of Christ. Children who are raised in the Catholic Church and participate in religion classes usually receive their first communion in second grade. Older children and adults can take classes to prepare for their first communion separate from the children if the person who wants to get confirmed was not raised in the church.
Confirmation
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A Catholic who wishes to become confirmed will go through a two-year confirmation class if the person was raised traditionally or an adult Catholic class he was not raised traditionally. After completing the class, he will participate in a ceremony and profess his faith in God. A Catholic who is getting confirmed will have a sponsor, someone who is an adult in good standing in the church and can guide the new Catholic's way through confirmation.
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References
- Photo Credit priest and bible image by Lars Christensen from Fotolia.com holy communion dress image by Gary Blakeley from Fotolia.com
