Confirmation

In Confirmation we receive the grace we need to enable us to grow and mature in our Catholic faith. Confirmation is sometimes called the “perfection of baptism” because it binds us more closely to the Church and gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit so that we may become true witnesses to Christ and the Gospel in the world.

The Archdiocese of Denver has instituted the Restored Order (RO) of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, first Holy Communion). Within this model, children make their first confession at seven years of age, or the traditional “age of reason.” While this change brings us more in line with practices in the early church, it does require RE programs to offer two parallel tracks for sacraemental preparation:  

• For children who have begun and continued their sacramental preparation within the RO tradition: after baptism they prepare for the sacrament of reconciliation in second grade and the sacraments of confirmation and first Eucharist in third grade.
• For children who began sacramental preparation in a different, non-RO archdiocese but who now live in Denver: they will enroll in classes specially designed to complete their preparation in the order of Baptism, Reconciliation, Confirmation, and First Eucharist. 

To learn more about RO and its history, please review this educational summary that the archdiocese prepared for families. Loyola's Religious Education staff members are also available to answer questions and help you understand what sacramental preparation will look like specifically for your child or children.

Teenaged children who were not confirmed in the Restored Order prepare for and receive Confirmation according to the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. For information about these aspects of the Sacrament of Confirmation, please call Ms. Toni Armstead at 303-283-8995.

Adults who have not been confirmed but who were baptized and who regularly practice their Catholic faith are prepared according to a program developed especially for them. For details, please call Margaret Wright at (720)863-8420.