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folklaur
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| Posted: Aug 18 2007 at 1:54pm | IP Logged
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Okay - with some of the recent talk about Confirmation, it was mentioned that some people thought that 5th grade was kind of young....
So...now I am wondering...here in our Diocese in AZ, it is now 3rd grade. For years it had been a Jr/Sr in high school, but our new Bishop changed it, saying this is the "restored" order of the Sacraments.
Most of the homeschoolers in the area really were happy with it being moved to the younger age, they had really disliked the 16/17 age for it. I, personally, am not loving the 3rd grade age for it, as now they receive First Communion and Confirmation at the exact same time, and it seems to me most of the focus is on First Communion, and Confirmation gets lost in the process.
Back in NJ in the 70's, I had my Confirmation in 6th grade - so I was about 12.
What is the (or IS there?) the official Church stance on this for those in the Latin rite? I know my Byzantine Catholic friends don't have to worry about this at all...
Thanks for any help,
~Laura
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Helen
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I believe the "proper age" for Confirmation is involved in a big discussion and has for years.
We confirm our children before they reach puberty - hopefully by the age of 10. We believe that children need the grace of Confirmation to ensure a good transition into adulthood - not afterwards.
We were taught in our Franciscan Classes that this was the belief and practice of St. Pius X. I wouldn't be surprised if 3rd grade would be the "restored" version.
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Lisbet
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Ugh! I so dislike the 'age of confirmation' confusion. My son was denied confirmation last year because he was 2 weeks shy of the arbitrary age of 12. It has been a squabble within the local Catholic homeschooling group, which I am not even a part of, for YEARS. They 'use' our parish (which our family has belonged to for 10 years now!) so they don't have to go through the religious ed classes at their own, and came up with the age of 12 years ago so they wouldn't look like a group of 'weird homeschoolers' confirming their bitty children. Our wonderful, wonderful priest flat out told me he doesn't allow 'exceptions' for anyone because he doesn't want to deal with the homeschooling group.  OUCH!
It's an awful situation for our parish memebers that should be, NEED to be, confirmed.
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msclavel
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Confirmation is a sacrament of initiation and I don't think was ever meant to be tied to the teen years as some sort of right of passage. I don't think it should to be some sort of proving ground for teens, somehow "earning" the grace so they can be adults. I think (I may be wrong) that this theology about the sacrament developed recently (as in within the last 50-60 years).
Jenn would know...Jenn?
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Barbara C.
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The way Confirmation was explained to me when I was being confirmed was that Baptism was our parents choice for us but Confirmation was our turn to declare for ourselves. And we were also told that having it done in 8th grade was tied to the Jewish rite of passage. That's when they also told us that whole bit about Confirmation making us adults in the Church.
Now I don't know how much of this is correct, because looking back my Catholic education about Catholicism wasn't really the best. I understand everyone's lament about the lapse of religious education post-VII.
Given what I was taught, I can understand concerns people have about having children Confirmed at too young of an age. Because, if what I was taught, has any truth behind it than I would rather my children be Confirmed of their own choosing than just because "everyone else is doing it".
My dad and I have talked about this, too, and he explained that when he was confirmed it wasn't a matter of choice. You just did it and didn't question it. I don't know how much of this is just how things were and how much of it is just him. He's not really one to question the status quo at all.
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folklaur
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Barbara C. wrote:
You just did it and didn't question it. I don't know how much of this is just how things were and how much of it is just him. He's not really one to question the status quo at all.
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I think it was probably just how things were. My mom is always saying, "that is just the way they did things, and you didn't ask questions. You just would NEVER question a Priest or a Nun, you just didn't do it." Her wedding was almost cancelled the night before because the Best Man genuflected on the wrong knee during the rehersal and the Priest was furious. Can you imagine?
Anyway, I know I was taught the same thing as was mentioned, that it was "confirming" MY choice to be part of the Church, and also - now I was a "soldier in the army of Christ." I have no idea if this is right, wrong, or otherwise.
I never felt that 16/17 was a good age. And I really disliked how it was tied to all sorts of service hours in our Diocese. But, as I said, I am not loving the grade 3 age either. Especially with the way it is done at the exact same time as First Communion.
I actually like the idea of it being tied in a way to the Jewish "rite of passages." That would make sense, in a way, I guess. If that is what it is supposed to be "doing." I like when I can the the fulfillment of Judaism in Catholicism. But I have no idea if that is the right explanation either.
So - excuse the immense ignorance from this lifelong Catholic  but what exactly IS Confirmation doing then? I understand it is giving you certain Graces, but other than that I am kind of lost.
I must sound horribly inept.
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chicken lady
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Actually if you read up in the CCC all your questions will be answered. I was also ignorant on this issue, so when our Bishop lowered the age to 8 I was totally confused. I did notice however that all the Theology Professors were happy, so I started to ask questions and research.
The history and meaning of the sacrament are laid out for us in the CCC. After reading the CCC I was delighted that my 3 dd's were receiving at an early age. I even had 4 yrs of Theology under my belt from FUS and no idea of the answers. All that is to tell you, you are not alone, there are a couple of generations of fumbling Catholics 
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msclavel
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I should add that I spent years on a youth retreat team putting on one day retreats for teens in preparation for Confirmation.
Its only recently that I have come to understand that my thinking on the sacrament was bit fumbled and confused.
Actually, a thought just occurred to me. Once we are are older and pray the Creed at every Mass, isn't that confirming our faith and belief in the Church? Why does it make sense that years after we have started receiving Our Lord Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity we would need to "confirm" that we really do believe the truths of our faith? These are just my rambling thoughts, not meant to be a theological explanation.
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momwise
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It was Angie Mc's posting of this document by Bishop Olmstead that clarified the restored order of the sacraments of initiation for me. I printed it for our Pastor and he was really impressed by it so if anyone's parish is confused on this issue, you might try letting your priest have a copy.
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msclavel
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Gwen, that document is awesome! Thank you!
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CKwasniewski
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Here is the passage from the CCC that Chicken lady is referring to:
1306 Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Since Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist form a unity, it follows that "the faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament at the appropriate time," for without Confirmation and Eucharist, Baptism is certainly valid and efficacious, but Christian initiation remains incomplete.
1307 For centuries, Latin custom has indicated "the age of discretion" as the reference point for receiving Confirmation. But in danger of death children should be confirmed even if they have not yet attained the age of discretion.
1308 Although Confirmation is sometimes called the "sacrament of Christian maturity," we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of free, unmerited election and does not need "ratification" to become effective. St. Thomas reminds us of this:
Age of body does not determine age of soul. Even in childhood man can attain spiritual maturity: as the book of Wisdom says: "For old age is not honored for length of time, or measured by number of years. "Many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received, have bravely fought for Christ even to the shedding of their blood.
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The age of discretion (7-8) is what the Church is saying.
CK
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chicken lady
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I was also refering to the history of the sacraments. Confirmation completes our Baptism. They were seperated orginally to allow for the ease of a Bishop to be present. Over the years they have become more and more seperated. This was not the intention when they first seperated. It use to be that only a Bishop could baptise/confirm, seperating the sacrament into 2 allowed for priest to perform the baptism and the Bishop would then follow evey month or so depending on his diocese, and complete the sacrament which we now call Confirmation.
BTW....CK, I like what you posted very much, thank you!
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CKwasniewski
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That historical info is in CCC# 1313.
Thanks, Chickenlady, I did not look at that section at first. It certainly helps in understanding how the confusion came about.
However, I agree with you ladies, it does seem unfitting to make it at exactly the same time as 1st Communion.
ck
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folklaur
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| Posted: Aug 19 2007 at 6:19pm | IP Logged
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Thank you to everyone who replied. I do apprecaite it!
I just re-read the article (that's my Bishop too). And after doing so, I am starting to feel like the Eastern Catholics are doing it the way that most makes sense then.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your insights!
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Confirmation Confusion
