Many more parishioners receive the sacrament of confirmation

During the past two years, Archbishop Andrew Bellisario, C.M., and the priests in the archdiocese gathered for synodal listening, discussion, and discernment sessions about the minimum age for parishioners to be eligible to receive the sacrament of Confirmation in the archdiocese. After hearing from some of those entrusted with catechesis and consulting with others, together with prayerful consideration, the archbishop accepted the unanimous recommendation of the priests to set the minimum age at 11 years, which is usually when a young person is in fifth grade. Lowering the minimum age to 11 means that any baptized parishioner in the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau, from the age of 11 onward, is eligible to receive the sacrament of Confirmation after appropriate catechesis and faith formation. 

The grace and strength received from the sacraments of the Church are essential for every Catholic to lead a good Christian life, joyfully witnessing to the Gospel and the Catholic faith we hold dear.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church – CCC – 1285 states: Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation,” whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For “by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.”

Today’s youth encounter many influences that are counter to our Catholic values at an earlier age than ever before. Receiving this essential sacrament of Confirmation at an earlier age will equip more young people with the grace and strength they need to navigate these influences. The archbishop invites all eligible individuals in the Archdiocese of Anchorage-Juneau to pursue the sacrament of Confirmation by contacting their parish priest for guidance on how to proceed.

The decision to lower the minimum age to 11, coupled with confirming those in the gap between the ages of 11 and 18, and the overall trend in the United States of more adults and families coming to the Church, resulted in many more parishioners receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, including those fully initiated during the Easter Vigil.

Archbishop Andrew Bellisario, C.M., receives a lei during the offertory at the April 30 Confirmation Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Anchorage. (Levi Livengood / North Star Catholic)

Parishes joined together for the sacrament of Confirmation in the archdiocese’s larger population centers: Anchorage, Juneau, and the Matanuska Valley. Archbishop Andrew Bellisario, C.M., celebrated 7 Masses at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the 8 parishes in Anchorage, 1 Mass at St. Paul the Apostle in Juneau for St. Paul and the Co-Cathedral; 2 Masses at St. Andrew in Eagle River for St. Michael in Palmer and St. Andrew, and 1 Mass at Sacred Heart in Wasilla for Our Lady of the Lake in Big Lake, St. Bernard in Talkeetna, St. Philip Benzi in Trapper Creek, St. Christopher in Willow and Sacred Heart in Wasilla. All 11 Masses were full to overflowing with Confirmandi (those to be confirmed), parishioners, family, and guests, so much so that the archbishop delegated pastors to assist him with the administration of the sacrament. 

The parishes that hosted the Confirmation Masses in Anchorage, Juneau, Eagle River, and Wasilla rose to the logistical challenges. The Archbishop and the Archdiocesan Faith Formation Director, Liz Loeffler, thank the pastors, directors of religious education, staff, and volunteers who made these combined Masses possible.

The archbishop also traveled to many of the parishes throughout the vast archdiocese to administer the sacrament of Confirmation. He traveled to Holy Name in Ketchikan, St. John by the Sea in Klawock, St. Mary’s in Kodiak, St. Gregory Nazianzen in Sitka, St. Francis Xavier in Valdez, Sacred Heart in Haines, and St. Rose of Lima in Wrangell. The archbishop sent the Vicar General, Fr. Patrick Travers, to administer Confirmation at Sacred Heart in Seward, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Soldotna, and Our Lady of the Angels in Kenai. The archbishop will administer the sacrament of Confirmation at St. Catherine of Siena in Petersburg on July 19.