The Archbishop of York
The Most Reverend & Right Honourable Dr John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu
confirmed members of our congregation in St John's Church in June 2007
If you or your child are thinking of getting confirmed, then we hope the following will help to answer some of your questions.
When did Confirmation services start?
In the early church, Bishops presided at all baptisms, which often took place at Easter time. As the church grew, and the practice of infant baptism became more common, priests began to preside at baptisms. It was then that Confirmation as a separate service developed.
What is a confirmation service for?
The Christian journey, which started at baptism, is confirmed by the Bishop who prays for them, and lays hands on their head, and asks God to give them power through the Holy Spirit to enable them to live as Christians.
What do the candidates promise?
Those who have been baptised as infants have the opportunity to stand up and to speak in public of their Christian commitment. They make the same promises that were made on their behalf at baptism, and then affirm their faith in God. They are then commissioned to live a life of responsible and committed discipleship.
Who can be confirmed?
Anyone who is old enough to answer responsibly for themselves, and who has received appropriate preparation. In the Church of England it has been traditional for people to be confirmed in their early teens, but there is no set age for confirmation. Today it is quite usual to be confirmed as an adult.
Preparation classes
A confirmation course with other candidates ensures that everyone understands what it means to live as a disciple of Christ within the life of the Church of England. It will cover such topics as reading and understanding the Bible, how to pray, the church’s teaching and traditions, and how to live the Christian life. Courses are informal and interactive, and there are usually separate courses for adults and for young people, tailored to their needs.
What is in the service?
The Bishop asks the candidates if they are willing to affirm their faith. At this point candidates may be invited to give their testimony – a brief statement about how God has brought them to this point in their lives. The bishop then asks the candidates to repeat the renunciation of the devil and all that is evil and the declaration of turning to Christ from the baptism
service.
If there are any candidates who have not been baptised they are next baptised by the bishop. After this has taken place all the candidates join with the bishop and the rest of the congregation in reciting the Apostles’ Creed as an expression of the Christian faith into which they were baptised and which they are now affirming for themselves. They may then be signed or sprinkled with water as a reminder of their baptism and of their need to remain faithful to the commitment to God that their baptism involved.
Using words based on Isaiah 11:2, the bishop leads the people in praying for the Holy Spirit to rest upon those being confirmed and following this confirmation prayer the bishop addresses each candidate by name and says:
‘[Name] God has called you by name and made you his own.’
The bishop then lays his hand on the head of each candidate, saying
‘Confirm, O Lord, your servant [Name] with your Holy Spirit.’
Each candidate replies Amen.
When all have been confirmed in this way, the bishop invites the congregation to join with him in praying:
‘Defend, O Lord, these your servants with your heavenly grace, that they may continue yours for ever, and daily increase in your Holy Spirit more and more until the come to your everlasting kingdom. Amen."
The bishop may then use words of commissioning in which the candidates are able to express their determination, with the help of God, to live a life of Christian discipleship and the candidates may also be anointed with oil as an additional sign of their anointing by the Holy Spirit.
Where does the service take place?
Many people are confirmed in the church that they normally attend, or in their local cathedral. However, people may also be confirmed in another church if this is more convenient.
Confirmation in another Christian tradition
Those who have been confirmed in a church of a different tradition may not need to be re-confirmed. They can be received into the Church of England. If you think this applies to you, then please enquire of your parish priest.
I would like to be confirmed – what do I do next?
Talk to the Priest in Charge, and she will be delighted to explain the next step.
The Revd Fran Wakefield
8 Viking Road
Stamford Bridge
York YO41 1BR
Tel. 01759 371264