welcomes us and deepens
our belonging to the faith community
deepens
our relationship to God, as Creator, Redeemer and Spirit
strengthens us as
disciples
A
Sacrament is part of the way that God loves us and calls us.
A sacrament
is God’s love expressed as free, undeserved gift.
The Gift within Confirmation
is that of strengthening us for discipleship and deepening our
belonging to the faith community through the Trinity.
God uses visible signs
to communicate invisible love.
To communicate God’s love, God uses our senses: eyes, ears,
touch, smell, and taste, and elements of our world.
In Confirmation, the signs we
will celebrate include being anointed with oil and the laying on
of hands as we remember the water of Baptism and the nourishment
of Eucharist.
God calls and invites;
we respond.
An attitude of openness communicates a “yes” to God’s invitation
to a deeper relationship. This “yes” does not mean we know that
we will always be faithful or that we are worthy of the gift.
“Yes” means we are open to be strengthened by God who calls and
loves us.
In Confirmation, we have the
opportunity to say “yes” through the various responses in the
prayer.
The community witnesses
to and celebrates the sacraments. A sacrament is a
powerful sign that God is alive and present in the world. As
Church, we are called to be sacrament, that is to be God’s hand
and healing touch in the world. At the same time, we celebrate
the sacraments as our most important prayer. This community that
celebrates sacraments is global, reaching to other faith
communities throughout the world and joined in a common bond.
The community is also local as a diocese or archdiocese, as a
parish and as a community of faith in families.
In Confirmation, the
community witnesses our celebration and provides a sponsor who
represents the love of the community for us.
Confirmation
Candidates preparing for Confirmation at Saint Clare should exhibit:
faithful attendance and active participation in classes and Sunday
Mass,
