Archbishop Leonard P. Blair
On May 23, we celebrated the solemnity of Pentecost, the day on which the gift of the Holy Spirit came down on the disciples, just as Jesus had promised. The result was that they went out with “boldness” to preach the Gospel to the whole world. We, too, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in the sacrament of baptism, and that gift is strengthened in us by the sacrament of confirmation.
The sacrament of confirmation is meant to be conferred by a bishop, and, in the past, most parishes in the archdiocese had a large group sufficient in size for a bishop to come to the parish for the ceremony. There were also several bishops available. Today, circumstanc-es have changed. Not only are groups smaller, but our retired bishops are up in years as well. Even before COVID, certain priests had to be appointed to help cover all the parish confirmation ceremonies.
It’s nice to do things in your own parish, but in light of the changing circumstances I’ve mentioned, there is also another element to be considered — namely, what the Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms when it says “Confirmation should strive to awaken a sense of belonging to the universal Church as well the parish community.” Remember, the grace of confirmation is meant to strengthen us for our mission to go out into the world as witnesses to Jesus, and to do so conscious of our membership in a truly Catholic, universal family of faith.
All of this being taken into account, starting this fall (COVID conditions permitting), we bishops will begin celebrating confirmations on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford.
Each ceremony will be of a manageable size. This will make it possible for those who are being confirmed to experience not only the beauty and significance of their cathedral but, more importantly, the presence of Catholics from other parishes, mostly of their own age group, coming together in faith to then be “sent out” into the wider world to bear witness to Christ.
On a practical level, cathedral ceremonies on weekends will also ease the individual parish’s planning responsibilities and will make for a less hectic schedule than requiring people’s attendance in the parish at the end of a busy weekday. I can assure you from my own experience that once parishioners in other dioceses have been to their cathedrals for confirmation, their response is very positive.
In these days after Pentecost, I commend to you these words of Pope Francis: “If the Spirit works in every sacrament, it is in a special way that in confirmation the faithful receive the Holy Spirit as a gift Christian witness consists in doing only and all that the Spirit of God, that the Spirit of Christ, asks of us, giving us the strength to accomplish it.