What are the symbols and rituals in confirmation?

Answer 1

The priest or bishop lays their hands upon the person receiving Confirmation, the priest or bishop says, "Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit," the person says, "Amen," and then they are anointed with holy oil (just like King David).

Confirmation:

• Brings an increase and deepening of baptismal grace:

• Roots us more deeply in the divine childhood which makes us cry, "ABBA! Father!"

• Unites us more firmly to Christ;

• Increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us;

• Renders our bond with the Church more perfect

• Gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross

A fully initiated Catholic can be:

• A godparent

• A Confirmation sponsor

• A lector who reads scripture at Mass

• An extraordinary minister of the Eucharist

. • At Mass

. • To the sick

• A Sacristan

• A Cantor

• And many other ministries

Answer 2

The Rite of Confirmation

I. Preparatory Ceremonies

The Invocation

Turning to the candidates, the Bishop or delegated priest sings or says:May the Holy Spirit come down upon you, and the power of the Most HIgh keep you from all sin.Spiritus Sanctus superveniat in vos, et virtus Altissimi custodiat vos a peccatis.R. AmenR. Amen

The Bishop or priest then makes the Sign of the Cross and says:V. Our help + is in the Name of the Lord.V. Adjutorium + nostrum in nomine Domini.R. Who made Heaven and earth.R. Qui fecit caelum et terram.V. O, Lord, hear my prayer.V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam.R. And let my cry come unto You.R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.V. The Lord be with you.V. Dominus vobiscum.R. And with your spirit.

R. Et cum spiritu tuo.

The Collective and Preparatory Imposition of Hands

The Bishop or delegated priest stretches out his hands over the candidates and says:Let us pray. Almighty, everlasting God, You have been pleased to regenerate these Your servants by water and the Holy Spirit, and have given them remission of all their sins; send forth upon them from Heaven Your sevenfold Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.Oremus. Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui regenerare dignatus es hos, famulos tuos ex aqua et Spiritu Sancto, quique dedisti eis remissionem omnium peccatorum: emitte in eos septiformem Spiritum tuum sanctum Paraclitum de caelis.R. Amen.R. Amen.V. The Spirit of Wisdom and understanding.V. Spiritum sapientiae et intellectus.R. Amen.R. Amen.The Spirit of Counsel and fortitude.Spiritum consilii et fortitudinis.R. Amen.R. Amen.The Spirit of knowledge and piety.V. Spiritum scientiea et pietatis.R. Amen.R. Amen.Fill them with the spirit of Your holy fear, and sign them with the sign of the cross + of Christ in mercy for eternal life. Through the same Jesus Christ... in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, God, world without end.Adimple eos Spiritu timoris tui, et consigna eos signo crucis + Christi, in vitam propitiatus aeternam. Per eumdem Dominum... in unitate ejusdem Spiritus Sancti, Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum.R. Amen.R. Amen.

II. The Sacrament

The candidates may come up in two ranks with hands joined, carrying a card bearing their Confirmation names. Each sponsor places his right hand on the right shoulder of the candidate they are sponsoring.

The Bishop, or delegated priest, stretching the fingers of his right hand over the head of each candidate, addresses each candidate by his Confirmation name and annoints each candidate's forehead with his thumb dipped in holy chrism. He confirms then with the words below"N., I sign thee with the sign + of the Cross, and I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation; in the Name of the Father + and of the Son + and of the Holy + Ghost.""N., signo te signo crucis + et confirmo te chrismate salutis, in nomine Patris + et Filii + et Spiritus + Sancti."

The newly-confirmed reply:R. Amen.R. Amen.

The Bishop or priest then gently strikes each candidate on the cheek, symbolizing that the Christian is now a soldier for Christ and must endure suffering and the persecution that comes from conflict with the world. A hymn might now be sung if the candidates are numerous.

III. Concluding Prayers

When all have been confirmed, the following antiphon is sung or read:ANT: Confirm, O Lord, what Thou has wrought in us, from Thy holy temple which is in Jerusalem. Alleluia.ANT: Confirma hoc, Deus, quod operatus es in nobis, a templo sancto tuo, quod est in Jerusalem. Alleuia.V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.R. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.

After the antiphon has been repeated, the Bishop or priest turns to the Altar and sings:V. Lord, show up Your mercy.V. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam.R. And grant us Your salvation.R. Et salutare tuum da nobis.V. O Lord, hear my prayer.V. Domine, exaudi orationem mean.R. And let my cry come to You.R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.V. The Lord be with you.V. Dominus vobiscum.R. And with your spirit.R. Et cum spiritu tuo.V. Let us pray. O God, You gave Your Holy Spirit to Your apostles, and willed that through them and their successors the same gift should be delivered to all the faithful: look graciously on the service we humbly render to You; grant that the same Spirit, coming down upon those whose foreheads we have annointed with the holy chrism, and signed with the sign of the holy cross, may by His gracious indwelling make them a temple of His glory, You Who are God, living and reigning with the Father and the Holy Spirit, world without end.R. Amen.R. Amen.

The Bishop then gives to the confirmed a special blessing in this form:V. Behold, thus shall every man be blessed who fears the Lord: May the Lord bless + you out of Sion, that you may see the good things of Jerusalem all the days of your life, and have life everlasting.V. Ecce sic benedicetur omnis homo qui timet Dominum: Benedicat + vos Dominus ex Sion, ut videatis bona Jerusalem omnibus diebus vitae vestrae, et habeatis vitam aeternam.R. Amen.R. Amen.

The Bishop sits down, and puts on his mitre. The newly confirmed recite aloud the Apostles' Creed, the Our Father, and the Hail Mary. The Bishop then gives the Pontifical Blessing to the entire congregation. A Te Deum or the Psalm Laudate pueri(Psalm 112) might be sung.
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Answer 3

Confirmation is when you receive the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost Sunday the Apostles were given the gift of the Holy Spirit, this gave then the power to preach about Jesus and follow in his way. You are anointed with the oil from the Priest or Bishop which shows that you are all grown up. It shows that you an adult in Catholic Faith.

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Catholic AnswerThe sign of Confirmation is the anointing with Sacred Chrism (see sections 1293-1301, 1320 of the Catechism). Symbols would include the dove and fire, both of which symbolize the Holy Spirit. Confirmation is very important as it completes baptism, originally, baptism, confirmation, and Holy Communion were always given at the same time, even to infants, and still are in the Eastern Rites of the Church. The really important thing to remember is that Confirmation in giving you the graces of the Holy Spirit, is only planting seeds within you. If you ignore them, they will wither up and bear no fruit. The only way in which you can gain the fruits of confirmation is to nourish them daily. This means regular reception of the Most Holy Eucharist - worthy reception of the Eucharist - which means REGULAR reception of Penance. If you're not going to confession regularly, you're not growing. And remember, to be a Christian, is to be trying to be a saint: that is what we are all called to, that is what your confirmation is about. To not walk away from your confirmation with the firm conviction that you are going to be a saint is to waste your confirmation graces!

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from

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, English translation 1994

1293 In treating the rite of Confirmation, it is fitting to consider the sign of anointing and what it signifies and imprints: a spiritual seal.

Anointing, in Biblical and other ancient symbolism, is rich in meaning: oil is a sign of abundance and joy; (Cf. Deut11:14; Pss 23:5; 104:15) It cleanses (anointing before and after a bath) and limbers (the anointing of athletes and wrestlers); oil is a sign of healing, since it is soothing to bruises and wounds; (Cf. Isa. 1:6; Lk 10:34) and it makes radiant with beauty, health, and strength.

1294

Anointing with oil has al these meanings in the sacramental life. The pre-baptismal anointing with the oil of catechumens signifies cleansing and strengthening; the anointing of the sick expresses healing and comfort. The post-baptismal anointing with Sacred Chrism in Confirmation and Ordination is the sign of consecration. By Confirmation Christians, that is, those who are anointed, share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may give off "the aroma of Christ." (2 Cor2:15)

Answer

The Sacrament of Confirmation completes the indwelling of the Holy Ghost given at Baptism by bestowing the recipient with the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost (Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord). As for the ritual of Confirmation it just consists of the Bishop (or Priest in some cases) laying his hands on your head and the signing your forehead in the Sign of the Cross while saying "Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit (or Ghost)"to which your response is "Amen"

Answer 4

The essential rite of Confirmation is the anointing with Sacred Chrism (oil mixed with balsam and consecrated by the bishop), which is done by the laying on of the hand of the minister who pronounces the sacramental words proper to the rite. In the West this anointing is done on the forehead of the baptized with the words, "Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit". In the Eastern Churches of the Byzantine rite this anointing is also done on other parts of the body with the words, "The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit".

crux

Answer 5

Fire, a Dove(which symbolizes the Holy Spirit).

Answer 6

Renewal of one's Baptismal vows.

The Bishop laying his hands on the candidate to give the Seal Of the Holy Spirit.