The confirmation questions are pouring in. ‘Tis the season! Bishop Pates has about 55 confirmation liturgies scheduled in the next several months. I’ll try to post some of the questions that come to the office for the benefit of all our parishes:
How do we handle the name tags for our candidates when they choose a saint’s name as their confirmation name?
Some of the names are easy: Paul, Peter, Mary, Cecilia. You just have to print that in larger print than the rest of their name.
Some of them are a little more difficult, or there are duplicate names: Catherine (Siena or Alexandria?), John (Evanglist, Vianney, John of the Cross?), Padre Pio (calling a teen “Padre Pio,” or would anyone know who Pio of Pietrelcina is?).
There are a couple of ways you could approach this:
- For example, with Catherine of Alexandria, print the “of Alexandria” in smaller print, below the saint’s name. The bishop then would only say “Catherine,” but the confirmand and the bishop would know who was being referenced.
- With someone like Padre Pio, whose name has been popularized, the formal name of “Pio” is just fine. His formal name is “St. Pio of Pietrelcina” and, again, it is a name that the confirmand and the bishop will both recognize.
How do we handle the Profession of Faith/Renewal of Baptismal Promises? Do the candidates only say it, do we repeat it for all the assembly, do the members of the assembly join with the Candidates?
In short, the profession of faith by all the assembly is omitted because the Candidates have made their profession of faith and all the people have responded “Amen” to the bishop’s proclamation at the end of the candidates’ renewal of their baptismal promises.
To elaborate, there are a couple of ways to approach this. As you’ll see in the Rite of Confirmation from the Roman Pontifical (the bishop’s liturgical book), it is noted that the Candidates stand and respond, “I do,” to the Renunciation of Sin and the Profession of Faith. At this liturgy of Christian initiation, it is an important part of their recalling and connecting with their own baptism. So, only the candidates stand and respond.
At the end of it, the Bishop says, “This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord,” and the assembly should respond “Amen.” to that. It is how the assembly makes the profession of faith its own.
The Rite as outlined in the Pontifical allows a bit of flexibility:
- Another formula may be used for the bishop’s proclamation “This is our faith…”; perhaps as the RCIA does, the assembly could then be invited to stand and renew their own baptismal promises.
- In keeping with the allowance of “another formula,” you could add a simple sentence to the end of the bishop’s proclamation: “Let the assembly say Amen.” Either the bishop or the deacon could make this instruction.
- A song may be sung in its place. There is a simple musical acclamation by David Haas that many parishes have used during the RCIA. It is found in the collection Who Calls You By Name and is a call-and-response setting of the text of the bishop’s proclamation. You could also have the people sing one refrain of a song of faith like Kevin Keil’s “One Spirit, One Church,” or a verse of Bob Frenzel and Kevin Keil’s song, “One Love Released,” or a song of faith familiar to your parish community.
When does the bishop wear the miter (bishop’s hat) and when does he take the crosier (staff)?
At a confirmation the bishop will wear the miter:
- During the entrance procession (handing it to a server before bowing to the altar)
- When seated during the Liturgy of the Word
- After the prayer of laying on of hands, when anointing confirmandi with Chrism
- After the Communion prayer and any announcements are made; just before the dialogue “The Lord be with you,” which precedes the final blessing” and through the recessional procession
At a confirmation liturgy, the bishop will take the crosier:
- During the entrance procession (handing it to a server before bowing to the altar)
- At the Gospel proclamation (after the greeting by the deacon or priest)
- After the solemn blessing/prayer over the people and just before the final blessing “May almighty God bless you…” and through the recessional procession
As always, please contact the Worship Office at 515.237.5046 with questions that arise! Confirmation liturgy question reflection by Kyle Lechtenberg, Diocesan Director of Worship in the Diocese of Des Moines.
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