The Sacrament of Confirmation unites us more firmly with Christ.  It increases in us the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit – Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.  It gives us the strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith.

Teens wishing to receive the sacrament of Confirmation must be the minimum age of 14 generally entering the eighth or ninth grade. Confirmation candidates must submit a completed application/registration and be interviewed by the Confirmation Team along with a parent or guardian. 

Confirmation is a one to two year program for teens, that teaches and inspires them how to live an authentic Catholic faith life.

Candidates will learn how to become a fully initiated Catholic ready to live out their faith.  

Please see the Confirmation Calendar for class dates and times. Contact the Faith Formation office at  for additional details about the Sacrament of Confirmation. 337-783-2968

Let us pray for the Confirmation Candidates as they prepare to take their "Christian Values" out into the world after their Confirmation on Sunday, April 7, 2024, at the 8:30 am Mass at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Lyons Point.

Confirmation is one of the 3 Sacraments of initiation in the Catholic Church. Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist lay the foundation of every Christian life. (CCC 1212)

The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life.

So it is similar to a 3 legged stool, Baptist, Confirmation, and the Eucharist! Without Confirmation, the candidates would not have the leg of support they need to stand & sustain them down the road while they are on their faith journey.

In some ways, confirmation can be seen as the beginning of that journey. Think of the apostles at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them, moving them to their next level of faith. They were no longer merely receivers of God's word, they were doers of God's word.

That's how it works with Confirmation. The church sees it as kind of like a Personal Pentecost for each of us at the beginning of our mission to live out a Christian life.

We know that doing that can be quite difficult sometimes. But the GOOD NEWS is that at our Confirmation, we are given the right tools to help us in our journey of faith. By tools, that means the GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!

~COURAGE, the strength to stand up for what is right despite popular opinion.

~ WISDOM allows us to see God working in the world always and everywhere

~UNDERSTANDING, given a deeper insight into the truths of our faith.

~KNOWLEDGE, the ability to recognize God's purpose for our lives.

~RIGHT JUDGEMENT, counsel to recognize the difference between right and wrong and to choose right

~REVERANCE, the ability to recognize our need for God

~FEAR of the LORD, not the fear of punishment but the recognition of the enormity and glory of God and our desire to do right by Him.

Baptism is a great start but without Confirmation, you are missing out on a lot! In fact, these Gifts of the Holy Spirit were promised to us by Jesus Himself (John 14:26)

These amazing candidates are preparing in class and in the service component (serving in Mass).

Each one gets to choose a Sponsor. Someone who is already confirmed and is active and practicing their Catholic Faith. A sort of mentor figure to offer guidance and prayers.

They might even be given the option to select a Confirmation Name to mark a new phase in their life, a reminder that Confirmation is the start of something new! It's usually the name of a Saint that they admire and hope to emulate. This helps to deepen their bond with a larger faith community.

Another indication that Confirmation brings about a fully realized membership in the Body of Christ is that THE BISHOP is usually the minister of this sacrament. The Bishop's presence is a reminder of the significance that those being confirmed are now sent into the world to spread the GOOD NEWS just as Jesus sent forth the apostles to continue His mission.

Let us be aware of what Confirmation is NOT....

~It is NOT a Rite of Passage.

~It is not the same as a bar mitzvah or other similar coming-of-age rites for young people.

~It is also not just another religious hoop to jump through.

~It is certainly not a graduation from the church.

Yes, it does complete your Christian initiation, but it is just the beginning of a life of bringing the Christian message out into the world.

Confirmation is the completion of GRACE we receive at Baptism and an invitation to mature in the Christian life.

Remember, like all the Sacraments, Confirmation is transformative. It changes who we are and who we are capable of becoming. We move from hearing God's word to sharing it.

Confirmation gives us the GRACE that makes it possible to truly live a Christian life.

Thank you for praying for the 2024 Candidates and their families as they travel through this transformative time moving forward into maturing daily in their journey of faith.