A pastoral letter on Confirmation
Bishop James Conley
January 12, 2020 The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
St. John Paul II said, “The Church is missionary by her very nature.”1 Indeed, she “exists in order to evangelize.”2 Confirmation is the sacrament that strengthens each of us in this fundamental identity and mission.
I’d like to offer this pastoral letter on Confirmation in order to highlight the evangelical dimension of this sacrament and to offer a word of exhortation on the vital importance of continuing in the mission of the Church after Confirmation.
In the Sacrament of Confirmation the Holy Spirit deepens the grace of Baptism and orients the confirmed toward evangelization, that is, “...to spread and defend the faith, both by word and by deed, as true witnesses of Christ.”3 The Holy Spirit wants to lead us, not only through the trials and temptations of this life, but also, as Pope Francis exhorts, to the “delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing.”4 The deepest grace and the character or indelible mark of Confirmation is missionary, that is, to witness to and “to profess faith in Christ publicly and as it were officially.”5 From the Church’s earliest times to today, Confirmation is conferred with the sweet smell of chrism to indicate that this sacrament empowers us to spread the fragrance of Christ, that is, to evangelize.6
In view of this evangelical dimension of Confirmation, I exhort all the faithful and especially the parents and sponsors of children who are preparing for Confirmation to continue in the mission of the Church. Confirmation is the occasion of strengthening our commitment to Christ by living and proclaiming the Gospel boldly! This occurs in a privileged way in the home where parents are the first to proclaim the Good News of Christ to their children. When evangelization and continued catechesis occur in the family, it brings joy to home life and missionary zeal to parish life. Thus, Confirmation is a time, not of less, but of increased commitment to evangelization, to catechesis, to regular confession, and, in a special way, to participation in the Eucharist on the Lord’s Day.
Unfortunately, at times Confirmation is seen as the end of a child’s formation in the Catholic faith, which results in a serious decline in attendance in catechetical programs and sometimes even participation at Sunday Mass. Just the opposite should be true! In Confirmation the Holy Spirit comes to a child in a new way and wants to lead all the Confirmed into a deeper relationship with Christ and guide them to a fuller understanding of the Catholic faith so that they may be empowered to spread and defend it. Of course, continued catechesis and the collaboration of parents, sponsors, catechists, and pastors are necessary for this to occur. So I urge all parents and sponsors, all pastors and catechists to draw from the strength of the Holy Spirit they have received in their own Confirmation so as to continue the evangelical work of witnessing to Christ and forming the newly Confirmed so that they too may be true witnesses of Christ.
In order to further support this missionary endeavor, the Diocese of Lincoln is publishing a new Little Catechism specifically on the sacrament of Confirmation. Further, the Office of Religious Education has developed a Confirmation curriculum for our Catholic schools and CCD programs titled Confirmed for Mission: An Evangelical Catechesis on Confirmation. Moreover, the Offices of Youth Ministry, Evangelization, and Religious Education are offering annual Confirmation retreats for confirmandi and their parents and sponsors which emphasize evangelization, Christian mission, and the power of parents’ prayer with their child. My desire is that these endeavors will not only aid in the important work of preparation for Confirmation but also inspire continued growth in the evangelical mission that each one of us has.
Finally, please know of my prayers for all of those preparing for Confirmation and for all who help prepare them; may the Gift of the Holy Spirit with which we are sealed in Confirmation strengthen each of us to continue in the mission of Christ and his Church.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
The Most Reverend James D. Conley
Bishop of Lincoln
1 John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio, 5.
2 Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, 14.
3 Lumen Gentium, 11.
4 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, 10.
5 CCC 1305, quoting St. Thomas Aquinas.
6 Cf. 2 Cor 2:14-17.
