The Sacrament:
The sacrament of Confirmation completes the sacrament of baptism. If baptism is the sacrament of re-birth to a new Christian life, confirmation is the sacrament of maturity and coming of age. Confirmation is a true sacrament instituted by Christ and different from Baptism. It is administered by laying-on of hands and anointing with chrism accompanied by prayer. The chrism is blessed by the bishop and the bishop administers the sacrament. All baptized persons can and should be confirmed. The effect of the sacrament of confirmation is to give strength in faith and for the confession of faith and to impress an indelible character.
In the Roman Catholic Church, Confirmation is usually administered to young people in tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade who are ready to take on a more adult role in the Church. These candidates for Confirmation, or Confirmandi, as they are called, were usually baptized as infants and must now accept the Catholic faith as their own and make a commitment to live it out with God’s help. Most Confirmandi participate in one or two years of preparation classes before receiving the sacrament.
As part of that preparation, each Confirmandi chooses a ‘Confirmation name’ (usually that of a favorite saint), which indicates that he or she is ready to assume a new position in the community. Adults joining the Catholic Church also receive the sacrament of Confirmation after baptism and a period of instruction. They, too, must freely accept the Catholic faith and commit to practicing it at all times. Any baptized person, even an infant, may receive Confirmation, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that it provides, if he or she is in danger of death.
In Good Shepherd Church, the preparation for the sacrament starts in June or July of the year. We classify the preparation into three sections: Cult, Creed and Code. We ensure the Confirmandi understand the following rituals and codes followed by the church:
The Bible
I believe
Our Father
Eucharist
Liturgy
The Ten Commandments
Moral Ethics
Mary and devotions
Seasons celebrated by the church
Sacraments
Religious life
Family and marriage
Most of these preparatory classes are conducted by our internal teachers.
Confirmation is usually concluded in January or February the following year with the Bishop administering the sacrament at a regular church service.
For the year 2024- 25 we have 13 youth who will receive the Sacrament early next year.
Priest in charge- Fr. Frankie Crasto.
Lay co-ordinator- Belinda Rodrigues.
