Dear Catholic Exchange:
Is there a directive from Rome to have the Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation administered together? This is what we are told in our Parish but in other Parish's the children are receiving them separately, so we are a little confused.
Thanks in advance,
Alison
Dear Alison,
Peace in Christ!
In adult Christian initiation generally all three sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion are all administered together. This is also the practice for infants in the Eastern Rite of the Church.
The Latin Rite has traditionally separated Baptism from Confirmation and Communion in order to preserve the role of the Bishop in confirming. For centuries Confirmation was administered with first Communion and this was done normally for early adolescents. The situation became more complicated when Pope St. Pius X advanced the age of First Communion to the age of discretion which according to Canon Law was around seven. At that time, most dioceses did not advance the age of Confirmation. As a result, in most Latin Rite dioceses of the United States, Confirmation is deferred until after First Communion, usually until a person is in the teenage years. The upshot is that the traditional order of the sacraments of Confirmation and Communion has been inverted.
Rome has strongly encouraged Confirmation again to be administered immediately preceding Holy Communion (see Catechism no 1307) but has given bishops conferences the ability to set the confirmation age (see Canon 891). There is as far as we are aware no “directive” from Rome on the subject which would amount to a change in Canon 891. As it stands today in the US, the matter is left up to individual bishops who may choose to administer Confirmation anytime from the “age of discretion” up to the age of sixteen. A few dioceses are adopting early Confirmations while most still administer it around the age of thirteen. Normally the policy is diocesan wide but perhaps it is conceivable that your bishop is experimenting with early Confirmations in your parish.
When the proper time to confirm is will probably remain a controversy so long as Rome continues to allow differing practices. Advocates of a later age usually argue that more of an adult age is appropriate since the sacrament is often called “the sacrament of Christian maturity.” The Catechism no. 1308 however tends to go in the other direction however by pointing out that “we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that baptismal grace is free, unmerited election and does not need 'ratification' to be effective.” Early Confirmation advocates add that it is far better to have the graces of Confirmation working in children prior to their teenage years due to the vast difficulties many encounter during adolescence.
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