The History and

Development of the

Sacrament of

Confirmation

Confirmation in the Early Church

In the early Church, the 3 Sacraments of Confirmation were celebrated in the same

ceremony by adult catechumens at the Easter

Vigil.

1. The catechumens descend into a pool where they were baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

2. They ascend, clothe in with a white robe, and the Bishop lay hands on them and anoint them with oil.

3. Then they proceed to a place of honor among the community where they participate in the Eucharist for the first time.

300s: As Christianity continued to grow, bishops could no longer be at every baptism. Instead,

they would come later to confirm those already baptized. We can already see a president

for this separation between baptism and confirmation at the time of the Apostles (Acts 8: 14-

17). Eventually, confirmation and the first Eucharist became sacraments associated not with infants but with older youths.

1000s: Confirmation

and First Eucharist

became separate rites from each

other.

Early 1900s: Many Catholics, while having received Baptism,

Confirmation, and First Eucharist, were not receiving Communion

regularly. Pope Pius X moved First Communion from after

confirmation to around age seven. This was done in hopes of instilling

the habit of regular Communion from an early age and today many

Catholics do receive Eucharist regularly. Thus, the First

Communion now normally precedes Confirmation.