• Confirmation...

    • increases and deepens the grace we received at our Baptism
    • brings us closer to God
    • unites us more firmly to Christ
    • increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us
    • strengthens our bond with the Church
    • gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to live the Christian life 
      (in our words and actions)
    • gives us a special strength and courage to defend the faith
    • gives us boldness to spread the Good News to others
    • imprints our soul with an indelible spiritual mark or seal of the Holy Spirit

    Based on The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1303-04

    Here is a two-page handout from the U.S. Bishops: "Confirmation: Strengthened by the Spirit, Called to Action"

    Confirmation deepens our baptismal life....

    "Confirmation deepens our baptismal life that calls us to be missionary witnesses of Jesus Christ in our families, neighborhoods, society, and the world.

    Through Confirmation, our personal relationship with Jesus Christ is strengthened.

    We receive the message of faith in a deeper and more intensive manner with great emphasis given to the person of Jesus Christ, who asked the Father to give the Holy Spirit to the Church for building up the community in loving service.

    The Holy Spirit bestows Seven Gifts—wisdom, understanding, knowledge, fortitude [courage], counsel [right judgment], piety [reverence], and fear of the Lord [wonder and awe in God's presence]—to assist us in our mission and witness. The impact of these gifts accompanies us in the various stages of our spiritual development...

    When we are responsive to the grace of Confirmation and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, we begin to bear Fruits of the Spirit. The Tradition of the Church names Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity (cf. CCC, no. 1832; Galatians 5:22)."  

    (United States Catholic Catechism of Adults pgs. 207-209)

     Baptismal Life

    "Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit...and the door which gives access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: "Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word."

    This sacrament is called Baptism, after the central rite by which it is carried out: to baptize (Greek baptizein) means to "plunge" or "immerse"; the "plunge" into the water symbolizes the catechumen's burial into Christ's death, from which he rises up by resurrection with him, as "a new creature." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1213, 1214)

     What does it mean to "live our Baptism?"

    It means…

    • being welcomed, and becoming a person who is welcoming.
    • being healed, and becoming a person who is healing.
    • seeing others as Christ would see them.
    • being positive and life-giving in our attitudes and actions.
    • turning to Christ for guidance through prayer.
    • turning to the faith community for support in times of need, confusion, and doubt.
    • staying connected to Jesus and to the faith community by participating in church activities, celebrations, and sacraments.
    • being Christ’s light to the world by serving those in need.