CONFIRMATION STUDY GUIDE

Questions a Bishop May Ask

Chapter 1: “Confirmed in the Spirit”

1. Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is God, the Third Person of the Blessed
Trinity. (The Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son.)

2. When does the Holy Spirit first come to us? The Spirit first comes to us at
Baptism, when we receive sanctifying grace, or God’s very life within us.

3. How does the Holy Spirit help us? The Spirit strengthens us and makes us holy.
The Spirit enables us to love, spread, and defend our faith.

Chapter 2: “Confirmed in Discipleship”

4. Who is a Christian? A Christian is a
follower of Jesus Christ.

5. When do we become Christians? We become Christians at Baptism, when we

begin a new life as children of God and members of the Church.

6. What is the sacrament of Confirmation? The sacrament of Confirmation is the

sacrament of initiation that seals what happened at Baptism. Through it, the Spirit
and his gifts are strengthened, and we are linked more closely to Christ and the
Church.

7. Answer the following questions to describe the birth of the Church.

a) Why did Jesus promise to send the Holy Spirit? (also see:
CCC 1287, 729; John 14:15-29; 15:26; 16:7-15: 17:16, Luke 24: 39, Acts of the Apostles)
Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to help His followers and to make
them holy.

b) When was this promise fulfilled? (CCC 731)

This promise was fulfilled on Pentecost.

c) Who received the Spirit? The Apostles

and Mary received the Spirit.
CCC = Catechism of the Catholic Church
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d) Where were they when they received the Spirit? (Acts of the Apostles)
They were in an upper room in Jerusalem.

e) In what form did the Spirit come upon them? (Acts of the Apostles)
The Spirit came upon them as tongues of fire.

8. Name the four characteristics of the early Christians. The

four characteristics of the early Christians were
a) community – living and praying together ; sharing common bonds b)
message - learning from the Apostles; proclaiming the Good News c) worship
– praying in the Temple; breaking bread in honor of Jesus d) and service –
loving one another; caring for the poor

9. What are sacraments? (Glossary) Sacraments are outward signs of inward grace
instituted by Christ. They are special encounters with Christ that help us grow in
grace.

10. Why did Jesus give his Church the sacraments? Jesus gave His Church the
sacraments to continue His saving work and to build up the community of believers.

11. What are the three Sacraments of Initiation? The three Sacraments of
Initiation are Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. We are born in Baptism,
strengthened in Confirmation, and nourished by the Eucharist.

12. How does Confirmation help us?

Confirmation
a) increases the life of the Spirit within us; b) strengthens us to profess,
defend, and spread the faith; c) empowers us to give witness to Jesus and
to carry on His mission; d) links us more closely with Christ and the
Christian community.

13. Why can Baptism and Confirmation be celebrated only once? At Baptism and
Confirmation you are marked with a permanent character or seal of the Lord.

14. What are the signs of Confirmation? The

signs of Confirmation are
the laying on of hands, anoninting on the forehead with oil (chrism) by the bishop
and the words “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
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15. What is chrism and when is it consecrated? Chrism is perfumed oil. It is

usually consecrated at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday.

16. Where do the words “Be sealed” come from and what do they mean?

These words of anointing are based on the practice of stamping something for
identification. In Confirmation, God marks us as His own.

17. What special preparation should a candidate make to receive

Confirmation? In preparing to receive Confirmation, a candidate should
a) pray and celebrate the sacraments, b) live the
Gospel, c) be guided and supported by Catholic
Christians, d) and study the faith.

18. What is the role of a sponsor? The role of a sponsor is to help the candidate live
his or her faith and be a good example of Catholic Christian life. The sponsor presents
the candidate to the bishop for anointing.

19. What are the requirements to be a sponsor at Confirmation? To

be a sponsor at Confirmation, a person must be
a) a practicing Catholic; b) at least 16 years old; c) fully initiated by
Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist; d) and, if married, in a
valid marriage.

Chapter 5: “Confirmed in Holiness”

20. Name and define the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are
wisdom, understanding, right judgment (counsel), knowledge, courage (fortitude),
reverence (piety), and wonder and awe (fear of the Lord).
a) The gift of wisdom enables you to see life from God’s point of view. You
recognize the real value of persons, events, and things.
b) The gift of understanding, gives you insight into the truths of faith and
being a follower of Jesus. It helps you to make right choices in your
relationships with God and others.
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c) The gift of right judgment, or counsel, helps you seek advice and to be
open to the advice of others. Right judgment also helps you give advice.
d) The gift of knowledge helps you to know what God asks of you and how you
should respond. You come to know God. You come to know who you are and the
value of things through the experiences of your life.
e) The gift of courage, or fortitude, enables you to stand up for your beliefs and
to live as a follower of Christ. Courage helps you undertake challenging tasks in
the service of God and be faithful to ordinary duties.
f) The gift of reverence, or piety, helps you love and worship God. Reverence
leads to prayer and to a deep respect for God, for his people, and for all creation.
g) The gift of wonder and awe, sometimes called fear of the Lord, helps you
recognize the greatness of God and your dependence on God. This gift helps you
avoid anything that would separate you from God’s incredible love for you.

Chapter 8: “Confirmed in Grace”

21. Who is the ordinary minister of Confirmation? The bishop, the successor of
the Apostles, is the ordinary minister of Confirmation.

22. How many times does the Rite of Confirmation call for the laying on of
hands? The Rite of Confirmation calls for the laying on of hands once.

24. When does this laying on of hands occur? This occurs when the bishop and
all the ministers of the sacrament extend their hands over the group of candidates
and invoke the Holy Spirit..

25. When does the Bishop actually confirm the candidates? The bishop
places his hand on the forehead of the individual candidates as he anoints them
with chrism. This is when each candidate is actually confirmed.
26. What does the bishop say and do when he confirms a candidate? The
bishop traces the sign of the cross with chrism on the candidate’s forehead and says, “[
Name], be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit.”