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Adult Confirmation

by Erin McGeever

The sacrament of confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The effects that this sacrament has on those who receive it are many:

  • Roots us more deeply in divine filiation (being children of God)
  • Unites us more firmly to Christ
  • Increases the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us
  • Strengthens our bond with the Church
  • Associates us more closely to her mission of bearing witness to Christ
  • Helps us and more strictly obliges us to spread and defend the faith by word and deed (CCC #1303)

Holy-SpiritWhile many people think of teenagers when they hear sacrament of confirmation, there are many adults who have not celebrated this sacrament. Some polls estimate that more than 35 percent of Catholics who have received First Communion have not celebrated the sacrament of vonfirmation.

With this statistic in mind and to offer this opportunity to as many adults as possible, Bishop Felipe Estévez celebrates Adult Confirmation twice a year. One celebration is held at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine and the other in the western part of the diocese at a different parish each year.

The next celebration will be held Sunday, May 31 at a 2 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica.   Bishop Estévez will confirm 49 adults at the Mass. These adults have been preparing for several months to complete their initiation.

The next opportunities for the celebration of Adult Confirmation will be:

  • Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. Mass at Epiphany Parish, Lake City
  • Sunday, May 15, 2016 at 2 p.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Augustine

If you or someone you know has not received this final sacrament of initiation, contact your parish as soon as possible to begin formation sessions. For more information, please contact Erin McGeever in the Office of Christian Formation by email: emcgeever@dosafl.com or call (904) 262-3200, ext. 118.