Adult Confirmation will begin Sunday March 24, 2019 from 12:00 PM until 1:00 PM. The Sacrament of Confirmation will be received on Sunday may 12, 2019 at 12:00 Noon Mass

Meaning

The Sacrament of Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace and through the gifts of the Holy Spirit helps us grow to Christian maturity: Holy Baptism is the first sacrament of initiation, and Confirmation is the second. By Confirmation the baptized are more perfectly bound to the Lord Jesus and His Church, and they are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of Christ and of the truth of His Gospel.

It roots us more deeply in the divine filiation which makes us cry, “Abba! Father” It unites us more firmly to Christ. It increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us. It strengthens our bond with the Church

Origins

On several occasions in His preaching, the Lord Jesus promised an outpouring of God the Holy Spirit on His disciples, and this promise was fulfilled first on the Day of Resurrection and then more strikingly at Pentecost. St. Peter declared this outpouring of the Holy Spirit to be the sign of the messianic age. From that time on and in fulfillment of Christ’s command, the Apostles imparted to the newly baptized by the laying on of hands the gift of the Holy Spirit to complete the grace of Baptism.

The imposition of hands, therefore, is the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation which perpetuates the grace of Pentecost in the Church. Very early in the Church’s life this apostolic laying on of hands was accompanied by an anointing with perfumed oil called sacred chrism, the better to signify the gift of the Holy Spirit Who anointed the Lord Jesus at His own Baptism. This anointing highlights the name “Christian,” which derives from the sacred title of Messiah (or Christ from the Greek translation), meaning “the Anointed One.”

Confirmation at St. Anthony of Padua

Confirmation for young teens is a two year program they must complete the ninth and ten grade of our Faith Formation program, and will receive confirmation on ———–. For adult who want to come into our faith or have been baptized in an other faith and is interested in becoming Catholic we offer an R.C.I.A. program  which stands for (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) the program begins sometime in September and finishes on Palm Sunday, the Sacraments of Initiation will be done at the Easter Vigil. All Catholic Christians should receive the Sacrament of Confirmation to complete their communion with Christ and be marked by the perfection of the baptismal priesthood of the faithful in order to proclaim more boldly and publicly that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

Adult Confirmation is for any one 18 years or older who has not received the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is a six week program, that starts sometime in March and receives the Sacrament  sometime in May dates vary because we have to wait for the Bishop to come.

For more information please contact the rectory for dates and times. 781-289-1234