The Sacrament of Confirmation is a Sacrament of Initiation (along with Baptism and the Eucharist). While it is the end of initiation, confirmation is never really meant to be an ending, but the start of something new. It is a kind of personal Pentecost, a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our hearts that makes us doers of the Word of God, not hearers only. Confirmation completes the good work that was begun in baptism and that is continually strengthened in receiving the Eucharist.
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4
There are generally two paths for celebrating Confirmation at St. Mary:
Becoming Catholic--This process is designed for people who either have never been baptized or who were baptized in a Christian community other than the Catholic Church.
Confirmation Preparation--Generally young people at St. Mary are confirmed in 7th or 8th grade. Preparation begins two years before the Sacrament of Confirmation is received.
We know that things don't always go the way we've planned. If you're an adult or a high school student who is baptized in the Catholic Church, but missed Confirmation, please contact Deacon Steve Eischens. He will help you through the process of preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.