Confirmation

Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation,” whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For “by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence, they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.”
— the Catechism of the Catholic Church

Teen Confirmation

All High School-aged teens are welcome to join the 2021-2022 Confirmation preparation sessions for Year 1 and Year 2 Candidates. The teenage Confirmation Program is a two year program Parents interested in registering and having your children being Confirmed, please contact the Parish Office at (310) 285-5425 x1002.

Adult Confirmation

Adult Confirmation is an integral part of the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) program. The RCIA program, which encompasses Adult Confirmation, consists of two phases, that of inquiry and that of a catechumen.

The first phase (inquiry) is a time for questions. Set in an open atmosphere, this stage allows for the investigation of the Catholic Church: what Catholics believe, the sacraments and other matters of interest to anyone embarked on a faith journey.

The second phase (that of a catechumen) is a time of commitment. As a catechumen, and after discernment, the individual, together with others who have made a similar decision, proceeds along a spiritual path which leads toward baptism, communion, and confirmation. At this point, the focus is on various elements of Christian theology and experience: prayer, the Holy Scriptures, the sacraments, the Mass, and the Catholic life. Although the program tends to begin in the fall, people interested are welcome at any time. There is no time limit, as each faith journey is personal.

For more information on Adult Confirmation, please contact Sister Virginia Stehly, C. S. J., Director, RCIA and Adult Confirmation at (310) 285-5425 x1007; email: vstehly@gsbh.org

At confirmation we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and confirm our baptismal promises. Greater awareness of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conferred through the anointing of chrism oil and the laying on of hands by the Bishop.

Confirmation perfects Baptismal grace: it is the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds. (CCC 1316)

Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, we renew our baptismal promises and commit to living a life of maturity in the Christian faith. As we read in the Lumen Gentium (the Dogmatic Constitution of the Church) from the Second Vatican Council:

Bound more intimately to the Church by the sacrament of confirmation, [the baptized] are endowed by the Holy Spirit with special strength; hence they are more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith both by word and by deed as true witnesses of Christ. (no. 11)

Scriptural Foundation for Confirmation
In the Acts of the Apostles, we read of the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. While baptism is the sacrament of new life, confirmation gives birth to that life. Baptism initiates us into the Church and names us as children of God, whereas confirmation calls us forth as God’s children and unites us more fully to the active messianic mission of Christ in the world.

After receiving the power of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles went out and confirmed others, showing confirmation to be an individual and separate sacrament: Peter and John at Samaria (Acts 8:5-6, 14-17) and Paul at Ephesus (Acts 19:5-6). Also, the Holy Spirit came down on Jews and Gentiles alike in Caesarea, prior to their baptisms. Recognizing this as a confirmation by the Holy Spirit, Peter commanded that they be baptized (cf. Acts 10:47).