Confirmation is the sacrament that completes the grace that we have received in Baptism. It seals, or confirms, this baptismal grace. Traditonally we think of The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit which we receive in Confirmation. As one would apply lotions and perfumes to smell pleasant and to look glowing, the same can be said about Confirmation: it makes us more fragrant of the Faith, giving us that Christian  gleam of confidence, and strengthens us to lead a more Christian life.  Like Baptism, Confirmation is received only once in a person’s life.​

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Gifts of the Holy Spirit​

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Wisdom – helps us understand the importance of others and in our inter-action with them of the necessity of keeping God at the centre of our lives.​

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Understanding – is the ability we begin to acquire over the years of understanding the meaning of God’s disclosures to us in the meaning of life.​

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Knowledge – the ability to think about and explore God’s revelation, and also to recognize that there are mysteries of Faith which are beyond our present understanding.​

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Counsel – is the ability to seek and see the best way to follow God when we have choices that relate to him. It is a way of thinking about discernment- the process of sifting, pondering and coming to decisions about life’s choices.​

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Fortitude – is the courage to do what one knows to be right. It encourages us to persevere and to stand up for what we believe to be true and to safeguard and defend the Catholic Faith​

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Piety – this is the humble, yet strong, disposition of our hearts and our minds towards God. This helps us pray to God with true devotion.​

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Fear of the Lord – this is the sense of wonder, an attitude of respectful awe, before the grandeur of God. God the creator is present in all things and in all people. The wonder of creation and the beauty of God’s holiness is shown in the natural world and in the lives of his holy ones. This draws from us such admiration that we want always to be open to this Loving God and never be separated from Him. We do not want ever to lose this friendship and deep communion of life in the Spirit.​

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Choosing a New Name​

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In order to prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation, a person is invited to choose a new name to show that a change is taking place in him or her. Name changes are common in the Bible – Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah, Jacob to Israel; and in the New Testament we find that, Peter’s original name was Simon, and Saul became Paul. Nowadays people choose the name of a saint to whom they will look for guidance in following Jesus. This Confirmation name is optional. The name given in Baptism is closely involved with our sense of identity. Even if one takes a Confirmation name this does not usually involve being called by that name. It is there as an added sense of our realisation that we are all called to be saints and that we have the example and the prayers of the Communion of the Saints to assist us. It is a laudable and pious custom of the Church.​

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The Signs of Confirmation​

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The signs of Confirmation are the Laying- on of hands on the candidate’s head, usually but not always by a bishop, and the Anointing with the Oil of Chrism, accompanied by Prayer.​

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Getting Confirmed​

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If you would like to be confirmed then you should be above the age of twelve. You or your parent should contact the Parish Priest-preferably in a letter giving full details of your Names, address, telephone number, e-mail, and also, where and when you were baptised. If you are not yet baptised, and over twelve years of age, then you would be prepared for Baptism, Confirmation and First Holy Communion all at the same time.​