Confirmation

Before any debate, one must hear what the Church says about Confirmation in itself. The Catechism defines it from the outset by its bond with the other two sacraments of initiation, whose "unity must be safeguarded"^[7].

The second sacrament of Christian initiation

"With Baptism and the Eucharist, the sacrament of Confirmation constitutes the whole of the 'sacraments of Christian initiation,' whose unity must be safeguarded. The faithful must therefore be taught that the reception of this sacrament is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1285^[8]

Confirmation is therefore neither an isolated nor an optional sacrament: together with Baptism and the Eucharist it forms a single edifice. Baptism makes one be reborn, Confirmation strengthens, the Eucharist nourishes. "Through Baptism and Confirmation, the Catechism writes of initiation, the faithful are configured to Christ," then led to the Eucharistic table^[9]. The confirmed receive what is still missing from their initiation: not a grace of another order, but the completion of the one they received at Baptism.

That is why the Catechism insists: "without Confirmation and the Eucharist, the sacrament of Baptism is certainly valid and effective, but Christian initiation remains incomplete"^[10]. An unconfirmed baptized person is fully Christian; but he has not yet received all that Christ wishes to give him to live and to bear witness.

Why "Confirmation"? The meaning of the word

The name of the sacrament differs according to traditions, and each sheds light on one aspect of the gift. In the East, it is called "chrismation," "anointing with chrism," or "myron" — which means "chrism." In the West, the word confirmation highlights another effect:

"In the West the name of Confirmation suggests that this sacrament both confirms Baptism and strengthens baptismal grace." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1289^[11]

The Latin verb confirmare means "to make firm," "to strengthen." The sacrament thus "confirms" in a twofold sense: it ratifies what Baptism began, and it gives the strength (in Latin fortitudo) to hold fast in the faith. The two families of words — Eastern chrismation and Western confirmation — do not designate two realities, but one gift considered from two angles: the anointing that consecrates, and the firmness it communicates.

"Christians," that is, "anointed ones"

The anointing with chrism has marked Christian vocabulary down to the very name of the baptized. The word "Christian" comes from the Greek christos, "anointed" — the same word that gives "Christ."

"This anointing highlights the name 'Christian,' which means 'anointed' and derives from that of Christ himself, whom 'God anointed with the Holy Spirit' (Acts 10:38)." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1289^[12]

To be Christian is therefore not merely to believe in Christ: it is to be anointed like him, to share in his anointing by the Spirit. Confirmation makes this name fully true. "By Confirmation, Christians, that is, those who are anointed, share more completely in the mission of Jesus Christ and in the fullness of the Holy Spirit with which he is filled, so that their lives may exhale 'the fragrance of Christ'" (2 Cor 2:15)^[13].

Confirmation, like Baptism, did not appear out of nowhere: according to the Church, God prepared this gift from afar, through the expectation of the Messiah, Pentecost, and the practice of the Apostles. This is what the Catechism calls "Confirmation in the economy of salvation"^[14].

The Spirit promised to the Messiah, then to the whole people

The Old Testament first announces that the Spirit of the Lord will rest upon the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah paints his portrait — these are the seven gifts that Confirmation will communicate:

"The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord." — Isaiah 11:2^[15]

This fullness of the Spirit "was not to remain uniquely the Messiah's, but was to be communicated to the whole messianic people"^[16]. The prophets had promised it: God would pour out his Spirit "upon all flesh" (Joel 3:1-2) and give "a new heart" and "a new spirit" (Ezek 36:25-27)^[17]. On several occasions, Christ promised this outpouring (Luke 12:12; John 7:37-39; 16:7-15; Acts 1:8), before accomplishing it.

Pentecost: the Confirmation of the Church

The promise is fulfilled "first on Easter day" (John 20:22), then "in a more striking manner on the day of Pentecost"^[18]. On that day, the Spirit descends upon the assembled Apostles; filled with him, they leave the Upper Room and "begin to proclaim the mighty works of God" (Acts 2:11). Pentecost is, in a sense, the Confirmation of the whole Church: the fearful disciples become intrepid witnesses.

And this gift does not stop with the Twelve. That very day, "those who believed the apostolic preaching and were baptized received in turn the gift of the Holy Spirit"^[19]. To the shaken crowd, Saint Peter declares:

"Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." — Acts of the Apostles 2:38^[20]

Confirmation thus prolongs Pentecost: it "perpetuates, in a certain way, in the Church, the grace of Pentecost"^[21].

The Apostles' laying on of hands

How was this gift transmitted, after Pentecost, to those who converted? Through a precise gesture: the laying on of hands by the Apostles. This is the scriptural foundation that Catholic tradition recognizes as the origin of the sacrament.

"Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit." — Acts of the Apostles 8:14-17^[22]

The text is decisive: the Samaritans were already baptized, and yet the Spirit had not yet been given to them in this manner. The Apostles had to come and lay hands on them. The same scene occurs at Ephesus, where Saint Paul, after baptizing a dozen disciples, "laid his hands upon them, and the Holy Spirit came on them" (Acts 19:5-6)^[23]. It is so fundamental that the Epistle to the Hebrews numbers "instruction about baptisms and the laying on of hands" among the elements of "elementary doctrine" (Heb 6:2)^[24]. Paul VI summarizes it thus:

"The laying on of hands is rightly recognized by Catholic tradition as the origin of the sacrament of Confirmation, which in a certain way perpetuates in the Church the grace of Pentecost." — Paul VI, apostolic constitution Divinae consortium naturae^[25]

The anointing with chrism added very early

To this first gesture — the laying on of hands — a second sign was added "very early": "to signify more clearly the gift of the Holy Spirit, an anointing with perfumed oil (chrism) was added to the laying on of hands"^[26]. This rite of anointing "exists to this day, both in East and West"^[27]. In the third century, the Apostolic Tradition attributed to Saint Hippolytus of Rome already describes the double post-baptismal anointing^[28], and the great fourth-century catechists — Saint Cyril of Jerusalem in his Mystagogical Catecheses, Saint Ambrose at Milan — comment at length on the chrismation of the neophytes^[29]. The sacrament is therefore nothing like a medieval invention: its roots reach into the apostolic age and the liturgy of the first centuries.

One fact often surprises: in the Latin Church, one is confirmed years after Baptism, by the bishop; in the Eastern Churches, one is confirmed immediately after Baptism, by the priest who baptizes. This difference is not a contradiction, but the fruit of a history — and each tradition sheds light on a real truth of the sacrament.

Saint Cyprian's "twofold sacrament"

In the first centuries, Baptism and Confirmation formed a single celebration. Saint Cyprian of Carthage, in the third century, spoke of them as a "twofold sacrament"^[30]. One was baptized, anointed, and admitted to the Eucharist in a single movement, most often on Easter night, by the bishop surrounded by his presbyterate. This is still the practice for adult initiation today.

The Western separation: reserving completion to the bishop

Why did the West end up separating the two sacraments in time? For very practical reasons, which the Catechism lists:

"The practice of infant Baptism at any time of the year, and the multiplication of rural parishes enlarging the dioceses, no longer allow the bishop to be present at all baptismal celebrations. In the West, because of the desire to reserve the completion of Baptism to the bishop, the temporal separation of the two sacraments came about." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1290^[31]

Faced with the choice between keeping the unity of the rite (by letting the priest do everything) or keeping the bond with the bishop (by deferring Confirmation), the West preferred the second. The East did the reverse: it kept the two sacraments united, "so that Confirmation is conferred by the priest who baptizes" — but this priest "can do so only with the myron consecrated by a bishop"^[32]. Thus, on both sides, the bond with the bishop remains: directly in the West, through the consecrated chrism in the East.

What each tradition brings to light

Neither practice is "better": they illuminate two complementary truths. "The practice of the Eastern Churches gives greater emphasis to the unity of Christian initiation. That of the Latin Church more clearly expresses the communion of the new Christian with his bishop, guarantor and servant of the unity of his Church, of its catholicity and apostolicity, and thereby, the link with the apostolic origins of Christ's Church"^[33]. The East shows that the Spirit completes Baptism without delay; the West shows that this gift attaches one to the Church of the Apostles, whose successor the bishop is.

The development of the rite, from the Apostles to today

Confirmation has always been the same sacrament — the gift of the Spirit laid on by the Apostles — but its ritual form and its place in initiation have become more precise over the centuries.

If one asks what is concretely required to confirm, the Church's answer holds in two linked signs: an anointing with sacred chrism on the forehead, made with the laying on of the hand, accompanied by precise words. This is what theology calls the matter and form of the sacrament. On this distinction common to all the sacraments, see The matter and form of the sacraments.

The anointing with oil: its biblical meanings

Why oil? Because, in the Bible and in antiquity, anointing is "rich in many meanings." The Catechism gathers them:

"Oil is a sign of abundance and joy; it cleanses (anointing before and after a bath) and limbers (the anointing of athletes and wrestlers); it is a sign of healing, since it soothes bruises and wounds — and it makes radiant with beauty, health, and strength." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1293^[34]

All these images hold true in the spiritual life. The anointing with sacred chrism "is the sign of a consecration": through it, the Christian is set apart for God and more closely associated with Christ's mission^[35]. Oil speaks of the abundance of the Spirit, the joy of grace, the strength of the wrestler about to enter the combat of faith.

The "seal" of the Holy Spirit

But the anointing "points to and imprints" something more: a spiritual seal^[36]. The word matters. In antiquity, the seal marked belonging: "soldiers were marked with their leader's seal and slaves with their master's," and it authenticated an act or a document^[37]. Saint Paul applies this image to the Christian:

"It is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee." — Saint Paul, Second Letter to the Corinthians 1:21-22^[38]

This "seal of the Holy Spirit marks our total belonging to Christ, our enrollment in his service forever, as well as the promise of divine protection in the great eschatological trial" (cf. Rev 7:2-3)^[39]. The confirmed are henceforth "marked" as belonging to Christ — a mark nothing can erase, which will protect them on the day of judgment. This is the indelible character discussed further below. On this point, see The sacramental character.

Sacred chrism and its consecration

The matter of Confirmation is sacred chrism: a mixture of olive oil and perfumed balm. Its consecration, in a certain way, is "part" of the sacrament itself^[40]:

"It is the bishop who, on Holy Thursday, during the Chrism Mass, consecrates the sacred chrism for his whole diocese." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1297^[41]

Thus, even when a priest confirms — in the East, or in case of necessity in the West — he always does so with chrism consecrated by the bishop. The sacrament remains rooted in the episcopal priesthood and, through it, in apostolic succession. The Council of Trent moreover solemnly defended the power of this chrism against those who denied it:

"If anyone says that those who ascribe any power to the sacred chrism of Confirmation offer an affront to the Holy Spirit: let him be anathema." — Council of Trent, Session VII, canon 2 on Confirmation^[42]

How the celebration unfolds

In the Roman rite, when Confirmation is celebrated apart from Baptism, the liturgy begins with "the renewal of baptismal promises and the profession of faith of the confirmands," to show clearly that "Confirmation is placed in the line of Baptism"^[43]. Then the bishop extends his hands over the whole group of confirmands — "a gesture which, since the time of the apostles, is the sign of the gift of the Spirit"^[44] — and invokes the outpouring of the Spirit with his seven gifts:

"Send your Holy Spirit upon them now; give them in fullness the Spirit who rested upon your Son Jesus: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and filial affection; fill them with the spirit of the fear of God." — Rite of Confirmation (Ordo confirmationis, 25)^[45]

Then comes the essential rite, followed by the kiss of peace which "signifies and demonstrates ecclesial communion with the bishop and with all the faithful"^[46]. When Confirmation is celebrated during Mass, it still better emphasizes "the unity of the sacraments of Christian initiation"^[47].

The essential rite: "Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit"

At the heart of the celebration lies the gesture that makes the sacrament. Paul VI fixed it with precision in 1971, following the revision requested by the Second Vatican Council^[48]

"The sacrament of Confirmation is conferred through the anointing with sacred chrism on the forehead, which is done by the laying on of the hand, and through the words: 'Accipe signaculum doni Spiritus Sancti' ('Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit')." — Paul VI, apostolic constitution Divinae consortium naturae^[49]

Three elements are therefore required together: the anointing with chrism on the forehead (the matter), the laying on of the minister's hand, and the formula (the form). In the Byzantine East, the anointing is made on several organs of the senses — forehead, eyes, nostrils, ears, lips, breast, hands, feet — with the formula "Seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit"^[50]. In both rites, the same reality is accomplished: the sealed gift of the Holy Spirit.

Because Confirmation follows Baptism and often precedes the Eucharist by several years, some have wanted to see in it a mere rite of passage, or a solemn catechesis — not a true sacrament instituted by Christ. The Council of Trent answered these objections in 1547, with three brief and clear-cut canons.

Objection — "it is only a ceremony or a catechesis"

The objection, borne by certain sixteenth-century reformers, was that Confirmation would originally have been "nothing other than a catechism, in which those approaching adolescence gave an account of their faith in the presence of the Church"^[51]. Trent condemns it:

"If anyone says that the confirmation of those baptized is an empty ceremony and not rather a true and proper sacrament, or that it was in the past nothing other than a catechism… let him be anathema." — Council of Trent, Session VII, canon 1 on Confirmation^[52]

The decisive argument is not only dogmatic: it is scriptural and historical. The Acts of the Apostles show a gesture — the laying on of hands — that truly gives the Holy Spirit to baptized persons (Acts 8; Acts 19), distinct from Baptism itself and performed by the Apostles. A rite instituted to communicate the grace of the Spirit, attested from the apostolic age and practiced without interruption in East and West alike, is not a catechesis: it is a sacrament.

Objection — "sacred chrism has no power"

A second objection targeted the anointing itself: what use is chrism, a mere oil? Trent answers, in the canon already quoted, that those who ascribe a "power" to sacred chrism in no way affront the Holy Spirit, but confess that God acts through sensible signs^[53]. This is the whole sacramental logic: God does not save man as a pure spirit, but through gestures and matters he has chosen. The water of Baptism, the bread and wine of the Eucharist, the chrism of Confirmation are not decorations: they are the instruments divine power employs.

Objection — "nothing in Scripture founds such a sacrament"

It is objected, lastly, that the word "confirmation" is not read in the New Testament. True of the word — not of the thing. The New Testament attests:

• a gift of the Spirit distinct from Baptism, conferred by the Apostles (Acts 8:14-17; 19:5-6);
• the gesture that confers it: the laying on of hands, numbered among the foundations of the faith (Heb 6:2);
• the seal of the Spirit with which the Christian is marked (2 Cor 1:21-22; Eph 1:13; 4:30);
• the anointing that makes the "Christian" (Acts 10:38; 2 Cor 2:15).

The Council of Florence, in 1439, already listed Confirmation among the seven sacraments, "which bishops confer by the laying on of hands in anointing the baptized"^[54]. The doctrine is therefore nothing like a late construction: it reads, in the Acts of the Apostles, the institution of a permanent sacrament.

What does Confirmation produce? The Church answers in one word: a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which does not give another Spirit than the one of Baptism, but gives him in fullness, for mission and witness.

The special outpouring of the Spirit, as at Pentecost

"It is evident from its celebration that the effect of the sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit, as once granted to the Apostles on the day of Pentecost." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1302^[55]

From this outpouring flow five fruits which the Catechism lists: Confirmation "brings us to a more perfect knowledge of the divine filiation which makes us cry 'Abba, Father'"; "it unites us more firmly to Christ"; "it increases in us the gifts of the Holy Spirit"; "it renders our bond with the Church more perfect"; and "it gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and deed as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross"^[56]. Saint Ambrose already said it to the neophytes of Milan:

"Recall then that you have received the spiritual seal, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and fortitude, the Spirit of knowledge and godliness, the Spirit of holy fear, and preserve what you have received. God the Father has sealed you with his sign; Christ the Lord has confirmed you and has placed the pledge of the Spirit in your heart." — Saint Ambrose of Milan, On the Mysteries, 7, 42^[57]

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit

Tradition sums up this fullness in the seven gifts of the Spirit, listed from Isaiah 11:2 and invoked in the very prayer of Confirmation^[58]. They are not seven separate graces, but seven ways in which the same Spirit makes the soul docile to his action.

These gifts are not reserved for a spiritual elite: they are given to every confirmed person so that ordinary life becomes the place of witness. The gift of fortitude, in particular, explains that "many children, through the strength of the Holy Spirit which they had received, fought courageously even unto blood for Christ"^[59].

The indelible character: received only once

Like Baptism and Holy Orders, Confirmation is received only once, because it imprints on the soul a "character":

"Like Baptism which it completes, Confirmation is given only once. Confirmation imprints on the soul an indelible spiritual mark, the 'character,' which is the sign that Jesus Christ has marked a Christian with the seal of his Spirit by clothing him with power from on high so that he may be his witness." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1304^[60]

This character never disappears — neither through sin nor through apostasy. A confirmed person who had abandoned the faith and then returned is never re-confirmed: the mark is still there, ready to come back to life as soon as charity is reborn. On the nature of this mark, see The sacramental character.

The common priesthood perfected: bearing witness "as if by office"

The character of Confirmation does not merely mark: it enables. It "perfects the common priesthood of the faithful, received in Baptism," and gives the confirmed "the power to profess the faith of Christ publicly, and as it were officially"^[61]. Saint Thomas Aquinas's formula is precise:

"The confirmed receive the power to profess the faith of Christ publicly, and as it were by office (quasi ex officio)." — Saint Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, III, q. 72, a. 5^[62]

Here lies Confirmation's distinctive difference from Baptism. The baptized profess their faith; the confirmed are commissioned to defend and spread it, as a soldier receives his arms or an envoy his mission. That is why tradition has spoken of the confirmed as a "soldier of Christ" — not for the war of arms, but for the combat of witness.

The rule is broad: "Every baptized person not yet confirmed can and should receive the sacrament of Confirmation"^[63]. Two words count: can (no baptized person is excluded) and should (it is not optional).

An obligation, to complete initiation

The Catechism speaks of a true obligation: "the faithful are obliged to receive this sacrament at the proper time"^[64]. The reason has been stated: without Confirmation, "Christian initiation remains incomplete"^[65]. This is not a decorative supplement, but the share of grace Christ wills to give to each of his own for living as an adult in the faith.

Age and the false "sacrament of maturity"

In the Latin Church, "the age of discretion has been the point of reference for centuries"^[66]. But the Catechism warns against a widespread misunderstanding:

"If Confirmation is sometimes called the 'sacrament of Christian maturity,' we must not confuse adult faith with the adult age of natural growth, nor forget that the baptismal grace is a grace of gratuitous and unmerited election that does not need 'ratification' to become effective." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1308^[67]

Confirmation is therefore not a personal "profession of faith" by which the adolescent would at last ratify a Baptism received as a baby. That would invert the roles: it is not man who confirms God, it is God who confirms man. Proof of this is that, "in danger of death, children should be confirmed even if they have not yet attained the age of discretion"^[68]: the gift does not depend on the subject's maturity, but on Christ's grace. Saint Thomas already noted it: "the age of the body does not constitute a prejudice to the soul"^[69].

State of grace and sponsor

Two conditions accompany a fruitful reception. First, "to receive Confirmation one must be in a state of grace" — hence the custom of first having recourse to the sacrament of Penance, "in order to be cleansed in preparation for the gift of the Holy Spirit"^[70]. On this point, see Confession. Second, as at Baptism, the confirmand is accompanied by a sponsor; "it is desirable to choose as sponsor someone who undertook the same function in Baptism" so as to underline the unity of the two sacraments^[71]. The confirmed, finally, must be "prepared to assume the role of disciple and witness to Christ, both within the ecclesial community and in temporal affairs"^[72].

On this point, Confirmation differs markedly from Baptism — which any man may confer in case of necessity. Confirmation, ordinarily, is reserved to the bishop.

The bishop, original minister

"The original minister of Confirmation is the bishop." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1312^[73]

The Council of Trent had defined it against those who wanted to make it the ministry of any priest:

"If anyone says that the ordinary minister of Confirmation is not the bishop alone, but any simple priest whatsoever: let him be anathema." — Council of Trent, Session VII, canon 3 on Confirmation^[74]

Why this reservation? Because bishops "are the successors of the apostles" and "have received the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders"^[75]. That it is the bishop who confirms "shows clearly that this sacrament has the effect of uniting those who receive it more closely to the Church, to her apostolic origins, and to her mission of bearing witness to Christ"^[76]. Confirmation visibly attaches the confirmed to the Church of the Apostles, through the hand of their successor. On the distinction of ministers, see The ordinary and extraordinary minister.

The priest, in the East and in case of necessity

This reservation to the bishop is not absolute. In the East, "it is ordinarily the priest who baptizes who also confers Confirmation," with chrism consecrated by the bishop or the patriarch^[77]. In the West, the bishop "may, in case of necessity, grant priests the faculty to administer Confirmation"^[78] — for example at the Baptism of an adult, or at the admission to full communion of a convert. Finally, and above all:

"If a Christian is in danger of death, any priest can give him Confirmation. Indeed, the Church wants none of her children, even the youngest, to leave this world without having been perfected by the Holy Spirit with the gift of Christ's fullness." — Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 1314^[79]

Here we find the same maternal tenderness of the Church as for Baptism: in the face of death, every facility is granted, so that none may depart without the fullness of the gift.

Confirmation is not a rite of passage one forgets once the celebration is over. It deposits in the soul a gift that asks to be awakened and put to work all one's life. "The grace of Confirmation should lead the Christian toward a more intimate union with Christ, toward a more lively familiarity with the Holy Spirit, his actions, his gifts, and his calls"^[80].

The courage of witness

The most visible fruit of Confirmation is courage. Pentecost had changed fearful Apostles into intrepid witnesses; Confirmation seeks to produce the same effect in every Christian. That is why the confirmed receive the strength "to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross"^[81]. The seal of the Spirit is also a "helmet" and a "shield of faith," in the beautiful words of the prayer of consecration of the chrism: it makes the baptized able to stand "against all the works of the Adversary"^[82].

The saints, confirmed by the Spirit

The history of the Church is filled with these witnesses whom the strength of the Spirit made invincible. Saint Thomas Aquinas recalls that "many children" — he thinks of young martyrs like Saint Agnes — "fought courageously even unto blood for Christ," because they had received "the strength of the Holy Spirit"^[83]. This courage is not a natural virtue: it is the gift of the sacrament deployed to the utmost. The martyr, the missionary, the simple faithful who dares to speak his faith in a hostile milieu all live, each in their measure, their Confirmation.

Awakening the gift received

Many baptized-and-confirmed live as though they had never received the Spirit. Yet the gift remains: the character is indelible, and grace waits to be rekindled. Saint Paul exhorted his disciple Timothy to "rekindle the gift of God" he had received through the laying on of hands (2 Tim 1:6-7) — "for God did not give us a spirit of timidity but a spirit of power and love and self-control." This is Confirmation's exhortation to every Christian: the strength is there, deposited on the day of the sacrament; it remains to let it act, through prayer, the sacraments, and the courage of witness. The confirmed need not conquer the Spirit: they need only not quench him (cf. 1 Thess 5:19).

• What is a sacrament? — the general notion of sacrament, an efficacious sign of grace.
• Baptism — the first sacrament of initiation, which Confirmation completes.
• The Eucharist — the summit of Christian initiation, after Baptism and Confirmation.
• The sacramental character — the indelible mark imprinted by Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders.
• The matter and form of the sacraments — the anointing with chrism and the essential formula.
• The ordinary and extraordinary minister — why the bishop, and when the priest.
• Confession — the state of grace required to receive the Spirit.