The ORIGINAL 1000+ Posts Club

[Jeff Wrangler]

Back from an exhausting shopping tour!

I haven't been much on BM the last days, I'm busy as a bee. Tomorrow is the confirmation of my oldest daughter. Big, big event. Her cousin also has her confirmation and since half of the relatives belong to both girls, we're celebrating together. Almost 50 people.
All the stuff you have to think of! Table decoration, 10 tortes have to be organized and carried to the restaurant, the whole family of five needed new festive apparel, especially my daughter of course.
Tomorrow morning the hairdresser (= my friend Kerstin) will come and do my daughter's and my hair, and and and. It's almost as much effort as a wedding. It is THE big day in the life of a teenager.
My daughter and I start to get nervous, lol. Wish us luck for tomorrow.

Confirmation on Palm Sunday? That sounds different.

Congratulations and God's blessings on your daughter, and her cousin, and you all!  

[David In Indy]

I remember my Confirmation. I was sooooo worried about the Bishop slapping me across the face.

And it turned out to only be a little tap on the cheek!

[David In Indy]

Confirmation on Palm Sunday? That sounds different.

Congratulations and God's blessings on your daughter, and her cousin, and you all! 

It seems like I was confirmed during Holy Week, but I can't remember for certain. I know they often confirm new incoming adult Catholics on Holy Saturday, and the school kids get confirmed a day or two before - IF I remember correctly.

[Jeff Wrangler]

It seems like I was confirmed during Holy Week, but I can't remember for certain. I know they often confirm new incoming adult Catholics on Holy Saturday, and the school kids get confirmed a day or two before - IF I remember correctly.

When I was coming up Lutheran, Confirmations were regularly held on Pentecost. I'm not exactly sure what the Lutherans are doing nowadays, since the ratification of "Called to Common Mission," the intercommunion agreement with the Episcopalians. "In my day," the pastor of the congregation performed the rite. No bishop was required. (When I was kid, American Lutherans didn't even have bishops.) But "Called to Common Mission" requires the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to reestablish an "historic episcopate," so I'm not sure if local pastors can still confirm, or not.  

Of course Episcopalians require a bishop for Confirmation, so it takes place whenever the bishop makes his annual visit to the parish. Around here Episcopalians are real big on administering Baptism at Easter Vigil. A young man will be baptized in my parish next Saturday evening, but I won't be there because I'll be out of town spending Easter weekend with my dad.

Edit to add this update: A friend who is a Lutheran pastor confirmed  for me that pastors of Lutheran congregations still perform the rite of Confirmation. No bishop is required. 

[CellarDweller]

[Penthesilea]

I remember my Confirmation. I was sooooo worried about the Bishop slapping me across the face.

And it turned out to only be a little tap on the cheek!

Confirmation? Catholic?

I looked it up. What you call confirmation, we call Firmung. It's something different than the confirmation in protestant churches. In Germany anyway. Catholic children have their holy communion (First Communion) at age 9 and later the "Firmung" (which you call confirmation) at age 11 or 12. For catholics, the First Communion is the big event which is celebrated with friends and relatives. The Firmung is not celebrated this way and many even don't take part in it.

For protestant children, the confirmation is really a biggie. It's at age 14 and it's a rite of passage. As far as church matters go, the children are adults after the confirmation. They can become godparents, they can decide for themselves whether they want to attend religious studies classses at school, they can also quit church altogether.

Apart from the religious aspect, it's also a rite of passage socially. With 14, they leave childhood behind them and become adolescent. This reflects also in legislation; they are now 'of the age of criminal responsibility' (had to look up that expression).

No bishop is needed for confirmation. The local priest does it.

[Penthesilea]

Confirmation on Palm Sunday? That sounds different.

Congratulations and God's blessings on your daughter, and her cousin, and you all! 

Confrimation is on a Sunday between mid-March and end of April, every parish sets the date as they see fit. In our village, it is traditionally on Palm Sunday.

Thank you for your good wishes Jeff .

[Jeff Wrangler]

Talk about March going out like a Lion. ...

What a miserable day, cold, damp, rainy, and windy. ... 

[southendmd]

Boston broke the record for March rainfall:  almost 14 inches.  Lotsa flooding.

But, on the bright side--really, really big mosquitoes this summer! 

[David In Indy]

Confirmation? Catholic?

I looked it up. What you call confirmation, we call Firmung. It's something different than the confirmation in protestant churches. In Germany anyway. Catholic children have their holy communion (First Communion) at age 9 and later the "Firmung" (which you call confirmation) at age 11 or 12. For catholics, the First Communion is the big event which is celebrated with friends and relatives. The Firmung is not celebrated this way and many even don't take part in it.

For protestant children, the confirmation is really a biggie. It's at age 14 and it's a rite of passage. As far as church matters go, the children are adults after the confirmation. They can become godparents, they can decide for themselves whether they want to attend religious studies classses at school, they can also quit church altogether.

Apart from the religious aspect, it's also a rite of passage socially. With 14, they leave childhood behind them and become adolescent. This reflects also in legislation; they are now 'of the age of criminal responsibility' (had to look up that expression).

No bishop is needed for confirmation. The local priest does it.

It's pretty much the same thing for Catholics over here too, Chrissi. I received my First Communion in second grade - first was my first Confession followed by First Communion. Since I was attending Catholic school, this was all automatic. It was a part of the Catholic school system, along with attending Mass on Tuesday and Friday mornings. First Communion was followed by a big party at the K of C (Knights of Columbus) where we received gifts - religious gifts mostly such as rosaries, daily missals, crucifixes, statues of saints, etc.

There wasn't as much of a big deal placed on Confirmation. That was in 6th grade. I remember it was held in the evening. The Bishop was present and he was the one who "slapped us" and annointed us with the Holy Chrism, etc. We were also enrolled in the Scapular the night we were confirmed. No party afterwards though. I remember going straight home and watching some tv and then going to bed. lol