What Confirmation is, and what it is not

Confirmation is the second of the three sacraments of initiation, between Baptism and the Eucharist. It is not a graduation. It is not an adult ratification of a child's Baptism. It is a sacrament in its own right, in which the gift of the Holy Spirit, given in Baptism, is strengthened and sealed.

The Catechism is precise. "By the sacrament of Confirmation, the baptised are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed" (CCC 1285). The seal of the Spirit is the unbreakable mark left on the soul by this anointing.

For adult converts in Shrewsbury, Confirmation is normally given at the Easter Vigil immediately after Baptism. For baptised Catholics being received into full communion, the same Vigil completes what was begun.

Why a bishop confirms

Confirmation is the sacrament most closely tied to the bishop. He is the ordinary minister of Confirmation because he stands in the line of the apostles, and Confirmation makes the Pentecost gift of the Spirit a present reality. "Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:17).

In practice, where a parish priest is receiving adults at the Easter Vigil, he is delegated by the Bishop to confirm them on the same night. The chrism he uses was consecrated by Bishop Davies in person at the Chrism Mass in Holy Week.

You and I might go on pilgrimage to many places on earth, even the sites of Our Lord's birth and death and Resurrection, and places where Our Lady has called us to pray, yet all of these places lead us to the altar and tabernacle of the lowliest church on earth. We are to find in the Eucharist the Church's entire spiritual wealth, Christ himself, so we will never have far to go to find him.

Bishop Mark Davies, Chrism Mass Homily, Holy Week 2026.

Every parish in the diocese draws its Chrism oil from the same vessels Bishop Davies blesses on that morning. The oil that touches your forehead is the Bishop's gift to you.

The seven gifts of the Spirit

Tradition has named seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, drawn from the prophet Isaiah's promise of the Spirit who would rest on the Messiah (Isaiah 11:2-3). These are the gifts confirmed in you.

• Wisdom, to see things as God sees them.
• Understanding, to grasp what God has revealed.
• Counsel, to choose well in difficult moments.
• Fortitude, courage to do the right thing when it costs.
• Knowledge, to know God in his works.
• Piety, the deep filial love of God as Father.
• Fear of the Lord, awe in the presence of holiness.

The Catechism teaches that these gifts "complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them" (CCC 1831).

Choosing a saint's name

It is a long Catholic custom to take the name of a saint at Confirmation. You may keep your baptismal name, or choose a new one. The saint becomes a heavenly companion you have asked for by name.

Choose carefully. Read about a few. Pray about it. Some Shrewsbury candidates have taken Saint John Henry Newman, declared a Doctor of the Church in 2025, whose Second Spring sermon prophesied a "Church ready for converts." Others choose Saint Bernadette, Saint Werburgh of Chester, or Saint Winefride of Holywell. Choose a saint whose life answers a question in yours.

Choosing a sponsor

Your Confirmation sponsor walks beside you in the rite. Tradition encourages you to choose one of your baptismal godparents if you can, to express the unity of the two sacraments. If that is not possible, choose another confirmed Catholic in good standing whom you trust.

The sponsor places a hand on your shoulder as you stand before the priest or bishop. They speak your Confirmation name aloud. You are not alone in front of God. You never are.

The rite itself

The essential rite is brief and ancient. The minister extends his hands over the candidates and prays that the Holy Spirit, the Counsellor, will be poured out on them. Then, candidate by candidate, he places his thumb in the chrism, traces a cross on each forehead, and says, "Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit." You answer, "Amen." He says, "Peace be with you." You answer, "And with your spirit."

That is it. The seal is permanent. "He has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee" (2 Corinthians 1:22).

What to do next

The Bishop has urged the diocese, in the wider context of the surge of converts, to remember that "every member of the Church must always be a convert." Confirmation is not the end of conversion. It is the equipment for it.

• If you are preparing for Confirmation through OCIA, talk with your sponsor about your Confirmation name well before Lent.
• If you are an adult Catholic who never received Confirmation, speak to your local parish priest. Each parish can arrange this with the diocese.
• For broader queries, email Natalie Orefice at Natalie.orefice@dioceseofshrewsbury.org.
• Find your nearest parish at catholicshrewsbury.com/find/parishes.