Q: One blog post you wrote about confirmation isn’t correct. You said that at confirmation, the concelebrating priests join the bishop in extending hands during the prayer that begins “Almighty God” (https://paulturner.org/handlayings-at-confirmation/). When I was archbishop, I would not let the priests do that. The Order of Confirmation 9 is not referring to any priest who concelebrates, but to those who are going to administer confirmation together with the bishop in the rare instances when the numbers are so great that he needs extra help. == A: OK, I’ve checked this again, and you’re right. I still say that the …
Confirmation sponsor?
Thank you in advance for your great work. Question about Confirmation sponsor. Cannon 893 §1 – A person who would undertake the office of sponsor must fulfill the conditions mentioned in 874. Canon 874 – That states that it not be the parent of the candidate. The Rite of Confirmation introduction #5 says a parent can present. Then are they a sponsor? What is the difference?Can you clarify? == You are looking at the old translation of the Rite of Confirmation. That sentence from #5 has been removed. The question came up at an ICEL meeting when the bishops were …
Confirmation names
Q: Could I get a clarification on a confirmation name. Does the person the candidate picks have to be a Saint or can it be a person who has been beatified. The family would like to use the name Alberto Marveli. Your advice is greatly appreciated. A: There are absolutely no universal laws governing confirmation names. The Order of Confirmation actually presumes that the bishop will use the candidate’s own name. Confirmation names are customary in some countries, but not universally. If a person wishes to use a confirmation name, I think it makes sense to follow what canon 855 …
Confirmation during lent
Q: If we have confirmation during Lent, do we omit the Gloria? A: It depends on what day it is. If the confirmation takes place on a Sunday in Lent, then there is no Gloria. You do the complete Lent liturgy and shove in the parts that pertain to confirmation. The presidential prayers and readings all stay the same for the Lenten Sunday. The same applies to Ash Wednesday and to weekdays of Holy Week. But I hope you’re not having confirmation on one of those days. if it’s St. Joseph Day or the Annunciation, then you celebrate that solemnity with the …
Non-Catholic confirmation
Q: We have a situation here in which we were told about a person who is of another Christian tradition and has been baptized and confirmed in their faith tradition. Would that person need to be re-confirmed upon entering into the Catholic faith? Is there a book or article that we could also refer to for information of this type? Thank you for whatever help you can give us. A: The only non-Catholic confirmations we recognize are those from Orthodox Churches. Other Christian churches who practice confirmation do not regard it as a sacrament, and we do not recognize …
Confirmation names
Q: Quick question re Confirmation: Is there any canonical or liturgical prohibition on candidates taking a Confirmation name of the opposite sex? A: There is no official legislation anywhere on confirmation names. Nothing at all in the Rite of Confirmation, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, the Code of Canon Law, or the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The clear implication is that the priest or bishop is supposed to use the candidate’s baptismal name, not a confirmation name. But the practice is widely different. I never promote the taking of a confirmation name, but I tolerate it because of …
Eucharist before Confirmation
Q: My Bishop is currently reviewing the order of celebrating the Sacraments of initiation and is seeking to return Eucharist to being received before Confirmation. If Confirmation is the Gift of the Holy Spirit, (which you affirm so strongly in your book, “Guide for Celebrating Confirmation”), and by that gift we are one with Christ the Priest, why do we not link our catechesis of Confirmation with the giving of the priesthood to the faithful? Such a catechesis would then link Confirmation directly with Eucharist where the faithful are able to exercise their priesthood especially by the offering of …
Confirmation sponsor
Q: I was under the impression that a Confirmation sponsor must be Catholic. I have a friend who was excited as she had been asked by a young girl to be her sponsor. This friend is not a Catholic. A: Canon 893 §1 says that a confirmation sponsor must fulfill the conditions of the baptismal sponsor (godparent) outlined in canon 874. Canon 874/3 says that a sponsor must be a Catholic who has been confirmed and received the Eucharist. Your friend, I’m sure, is a wonderful person and a model Christian. But she is ineligible to serve as a Catholic …
Valid confirmation
Q: Hypothetically (of course!), if the “bishop’s delegate” came to a parish for the sacrament of confirmation and said something like (for the anointing), “______, be anointed with the Spirit, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (or, “_____, be sealed with the Spirit, in the name of the Father…”) would it be a “valid” confirmation? Maybe that is not the right question to ask – but if this happened (again, hypothetically!)… Just wondering what to make of it? A: This is a canonical question, not a liturgical one. So I could be wrong. But I believe …
Litany of the Saints at Confirmation
Q: Some of our parishes want to use the Litany of the Saints for Confirmation Liturgy. Where exactly should this take place? I realize that it should take place before the reception of the sacrament/anointing – and in that case also takes the place of the General Intercessions…but after the Kyrie? After the readings? What is recommended? A: Well, the Order of Confirmation does not envision this, but if you want to include it, I’d suggest placing it in a similar location as it falls in the baptism of adults: near the beginning of the sacramental ritual when the candidates …