By Bishop Alvaro Corrada, SJ

October 7, 2005, Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
1) As your bishop and successor of the apostles amongst you, I desire to hand down thetraditio received from the Lord Jesus and His apostles. In light of this mission, I offer thesetheological and pastoral observations in response to the request from the Presbyteral andDiaconal Councils for an articulation of theology and practical administration of the Sacramentof Confirmation in the Diocese of Tyler. In addressing this request, I find it necessary to lookclosely at the interconnectedness of the Sacraments of Initiation to one another and to theSacrament of Penance. In this Year of the Eucharist, I call particular attention to the relationshipof the Sacrament of Confirmation to the Eucharist. This reflection on the Sacrament ofConfirmation also necessarily touches upon the diocesan processes of Christian Initiation,Liturgical Renewal, and the Call to Holiness. I present this reflection to the clergy and lay peopleof the diocese for your ongoing formation and prayerful consideration. Over the last four yearsas your bishop, I have often spoken about the substance of this reflection with the priests andpermanent deacons (at clergy days and with the Presbyteral and Diaconal Councils) and with thefaithful and our lay parish leadership at the Diocesan Ministry Conferences and other meetings.

2) The great Pope John Paul II, continuing the call of Vatican II, encouraged the Church tolook at our pastoral programs and to reflect upon them in light of Christ so that we might livemore deeply the Paschal Mystery and bear witness to the Gospel before the world. In theDiocese of Tyler, we have labored to carry out this renewal by fostering the processes ofChristian Initiation, Liturgical Renewal, and the Call to Holiness. This experience has brought tolight a number of questions regarding the meaning and practice of the Sacrament of Confirmationin our diocese. To find suitable answers, it is essential that we consider both the authentictheology of the Sacrament of Confirmation and concrete pastoral practices. I believe that in ourdiocese Confirmation has suffered from some inadequate pastoral practices and theologicalrationales that have tended to isolate Confirmation from its relation to the other Sacraments ofInitiation in the mission of the Church. I wish to invite the Diocese of Tyler to take a fresh lookat Confirmation as a Sacrament of Initiation as it impacts the public worship and witness of theChurch in East Texas.

3) Because the Sacraments of Initiation are the foundation of our life in Christ, the Church desires that all her members should receive and live these Sacraments at the deepest level in the liturgy and throughout their lives. This is the only way the Church continues her apostolicmission of evangelization, announcing the Call to Holiness to the whole world. Vatican IIobserves “the classes and duties of life are many, but holiness is one-that sanctity which iscultivated by all who are moved by the Spirit of God, ...” (LG 41) The fullest participation inthe Christian life finds its most sublime liturgical expression in the celebration of the Eucharist,in which the Church, in all her members, is united in a singular fashion in Christ's savingsacrifice of love. For this reason, the celebration of the Eucharist may be called “the source andsummit” of the Church's life and evangelical witness. (see SC 10)

4) Perfect union with God through Christ is the fulfillment of every human heart and mind. Apart from this communion we are lost and can never find rest. God has chosen to express Hislove for us and to open the way to communion with Himself through the saving events of Christ'slife, death, and resurrection. It is this truth and love of God, at work in Christ, which is the originand goal of our lives and anchors our freedom. God has chosen to convey to us a participation inthis love by uniting us to Christ and His saving work. This love comes to us by the power of theHoly Spirit when we are sacramentally initiated into the Paschal Mystery of Christ; wherebydying with Him to our former way of life, we rise to a new life sharing the glory of Hisresurrection and ascension. We live this mystery by our daily Christian life of prayer, self-denial,and works of mercy. By living out the dying and rising of Christ in this way, we bear witness toGod's love and grow in holiness.

5) We can see, then, the relationship of the Sacraments of Initiation to the liturgy and to the Call to Holiness. The sacraments draw humanity into the truth and love of God revealed inChrist, thereby disposing the faithful to live this love more deeply in their daily lives of Christianfreedom and witness. The celebration of the sacraments are themselves supreme witnesses to thetruth of the Gospel. Above all, this is true of the Eucharist, during which the Gospel messageand the Church are made manifest (see SC 6-8, LG 26). The relation of Baptism andConfirmation to the Eucharist becomes clear; each prepares a person to take his appointed placewithin the life of the Church. Baptism makes one a member of Christ's Body, the Church,sharing in the apostolic mission as a child of God offering Him spiritual worship (see CCC1213). Confirmation is given to strengthen the baptized that they might be more perfectly boundto the Church and, as true witnesses of Christ, spread and defend the faith by word and deed (seeCCC 1287). Like Christ, the confirmed have been anointed by God to “bring glad tidings” (seeLuke 4:18). In the Eucharist, those who have received the baptismal priesthood and theanointing of confirmation publicly proclaim the Gospel in union with the whole Church as theyparticipate in the Lord's own sacrifice (see CCC 1322). Thus, fully-initiated Christians renderglory to God, grow in holiness, and announce the Good News until Christ comes again in glory. Confirmation in relation to the Eucharist

6) From the days of the early Christians the great sign of being joined together as thecommunity of the Church was their communion in the celebration of the Eucharistic Sacrifice,the “Breaking of the Bread.” Eucharistic communion, along with acceptance of the apostolicteaching and manner of life, was a sign of the communion of life for the early Christians (seeActs 2:42). This communion of believers was based on their having been baptized andconfirmed by the apostles. Early Christians noted that "communio sanctorum" could mean both"the communion of saints" and the "communion of the holy things." It was recognized thatcommunion in the holy things of Christ was the foundation of communion with each other in theChurch. Holy Communion in the Eucharist expresses and fosters the Holy Communion which isthe Church. It is in sharing in the sacrifice of Christ that we are saved.

7) The early Christians entered the communion of the Church through baptism and thelaying on of hands. Baptism and Confirmation introduced Christians into the life of thecommunity and prepared them to celebrate the Eucharistic sacrifice and to share in the One Breadand the One Cup. Receiving the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, they became fully members ofHis Body, the Church.

8) Living and celebrating the Eucharist is the summit of an authentic program of Christianinitiation, of liturgical piety, and of the Call to Holiness. To live as a Christian means to put thegift of baptismal rebirth into effect, a gift which is strengthened in Confirmation and nourishedthrough regular participation at Mass (see synod #16). Full participation in the Eucharist and thelife of the Church therefore entails having been confirmed.

9) Why, then, are not all those who participate in the Eucharistic sacrifice and banquetconfirmed members of the Church? This situation is at the root of the pastoral questions facingthe Diocese of TylerI. Confirmation in relation to the Christian LifeConfirmation in relation to Baptism 10) Like all Sacraments, Confirmation was instituted by Christ. In the early Church we hearthat after Baptism the Apostles would impose their hands upon Christians for the reception of theHoly Spirit (Acts 8:14-17; Hebrews 6:2). Confirmation corresponds to this laying on of hands,which in time came to include an anointing with Sacred Chrism. In the first centuries, thisusually meant that baptism and confirmation were celebrated in unison. From the earliest times,then, Confirmation has been closely connected to the Sacrament of Baptism and to a sense ofapostolic mission. These connections have been maintained across the centuries despite diversecultural and pastoral situations.

11) Our practice in the Western Church has preserved in a strong way the connection with theapostolic laying on of hands. As it became more difficult for the bishop to visit the many distantparishes of his diocese and personally to baptize all new Christians (many of whom were new-born infants), the celebration of Confirmation began to take place at some time after baptismwhen the bishop could be the celebrant. In this way, each person's baptismal process wascompleted by the father and the visible head of the particular Church. It must be clear that theordinary minister of Confirmation is the bishop. The priest confirms only when given the facultyto do so by the bishop. The role of the bishop in the Western Church as the ordinary minister ofthe sacrament is important as a sign of the visible communion of the confirmed with the localand universal Church.

12) The majority of Eastern Rite Catholics (and most Eastern Orthodox) have preserved theclose connection between Baptism and Confirmation, which they call Chrismation, bycelebrating the two sacraments at the same time. Typically, the celebrant is a priest rather than abishop. The apostolic aspects of the sacrament are maintained by the use of "Myron" (chrism oil)consecrated by the bishop and by the fact that the priest exercises the apostolic ministry becauseof his ordination at the hands of the bishop. The simultaneous celebration of these twosacraments, theologically and pastorally legitimate for Eastern Catholics, is not kept as such inthe Latin Rite because of our unique history and canon law.

13) The ordinary pastoral practice in the Latin Church is for Confirmation to be administeredby the bishop at some point after a child reaches the age of reason in accord with Church law.The Catechism of the Council of Trent (published in 1566 by decree of Pope Pius V) indicatedthat there was good reason for the Sacrament of Confirmation to be given at the age of reason (atleast seven years old) (Roman Catechism, p.208) Presently, in the USA the age forConfirmation is “between the age of discretion and about sixteen years of age,” as established bythe United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and approved by the Holy See (USCCB, 2002)One should note that the use of reason was never considered essential for the validity of thesacrament and, in fact, priests have permission to administer Confirmation to any baptizedperson in danger of death regardless of age or use of reason. This provision indicates that theSacraments are gifts which we receive and which perfect us, not in any way rights which we haveearned or expressions of changes that we ourselves have initiated. Even the soul of a child a yearor two old benefits from reception of the perfecting grace of Confirmation and should not bedeprived of it in the face of death. Pastoral situations have arisen at various times and places inthe Latin Rite of the Catholic Church which have led to priests being authorized to confirminfants at the time of baptism routinely, although this is not the case in the United States.

14) With the introduction of the Rites of Christian Initiation for Adults in 1974, priests in theUnited States have been delegated the faculty to confirm adults being baptized and baptizedadults entering into full communion with the Church with delegation from the local bishop. TheRCIA process is appropriately applied to all children over the age of reason, and in recent yearsthis has become the common practice in much of the United States. Some observations on pastoral practice

15) In the beginning of the twentieth century, children would have received First Communion very near the time of their Confirmation, generally at about the age of twelve. When Pope PiusX defined the age for First Communion to be as young as seven, the same age of reason that wasin use for the celebration of First Reconciliation, it was designed to increase liturgicalparticipation and the living of the Christian life and one can imagine it was an innovation thatsurprised some. In Quam Singulari, Pope Pius X set forth that children in fact had an obligationtoward both confession and reception of communion at the age of reason. While the age forFirst Communion was lowered, the celebration of Confirmation did not seem directly affected,and it was left at about age twelve. This further strained in practice the connection betweenEucharist and Confirmation. There were some places that celebrated a “First SolemnCommunion” at the time of Confirmation, four or five years after "First Holy Communion” at theage of reason, but even where this was done, the catechesis did not focus on a consciousconnection between these Sacraments.

16) Throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, the common pastoral approach toConfirmation in our diocesan territory in Texas emphasized coming into maturity of faith byembracing life as a “soldier for Christ” or affirming one's personal faith in Christ. Theseapproaches were certainly not without reason. At a time when fewer people completed highschool and many people were going into the workplace before they completed eighth grade, agetwelve or thirteen may have seemed a natural point of maturity and appropriate for Confirmation.In keeping with this perspective, many places in the United States increased the age ofConfirmation during the last forty years to the end of high school. This has only exaggerated thegap between Confirmation and Eucharist. Sadly, as the age of Confirmation moved higher,fewer people availed themselves of this important Sacrament. The result is more peopleparticipating in Mass and daily life without being fully sacramentally initiated into Christ and theChurch. Despite variations in the timing for the celebrating the Sacraments, theologically theorder of the Sacraments of Initiation has remained the same: Baptism, Confirmation, and theEucharist, which is preceded by the Sacrament of Reconciliation.Confirmation in the life of Grace

17) The Sacrament of Confirmation completes the baptismal grace. That is, the Holy Spirit,first received in Baptism, now strengthens the Christian, binding him more perfectly to Christand the Church so that, as a true witness of Christ, he might spread and defend the faith by wordand deed (see CCC 1285). Thus it is not accurate to connect Confirmation to maturity in thepsychological sense so that it would best given at an age of social maturity. The Sacrament ofConfirmation strengthens the person to bear witness, rather than expresses the person’sdetermination to bear witness, to his faith. This strengthening is something that can be fittinglygiven at any age. By the reception of Confirmation, the Christian is given the grace to take hisplace in the life and apostolic mission of the Church. That mission is, first of all, to go out to allthe world and witness to the Gospel of Christ. This witness is carried out in word and deed, insacrament and service, by the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, with the guidance of theApostles and their successors. The premier expression of the Gospel, the great act of Witness,the prolongation and fulfillment of the apostolic mission, is the worship of God and the salvationof man effected in the Paschal Mystery celebrated in the Eucharist. For a Christian publicly totake his place in the Eucharistic assembly is the greatest participation in the apostolic mission ofthe Church that is imaginable. The greatness of the Martyrs is found here: in their daily livesthey lived fully what they celebrated at Mass. The two Sacraments at the service of communion,Holy Orders and Matrimony, serve to build up the people of God in living out of this greatMystery in their Call to Holiness.

18) It is through the grace of Baptism and Confirmation that the Holy Spirit and the Churchprepares a person for full communion in the Holy Eucharist. Reception of the Eucharist prior toreceiving the Sacrament of Confirmation may create some confusion in the community or in theperson. Anyone who professes the true faith and participates in the sacrifice of Christ, receiving6the Body and Blood of Christ, should be a fully initiated Christian through both Baptism andConfirmation, in as much as they are participating in the full, public worship and witness of theChurch. They are fulfilling the apostolic mandate given by Christ: "Do this in memory of me."They are sharing in the pre-eminent work of Christ Himself, the first and greatest work of theChurch: proclaiming the Paschal Mystery until Christ comes in glory to bring it to completion(SC 7-8). They are responding to the Call to Holiness. They ought, therefore, to be fullyprepared for the life and mission they now share by being confirmed in the Holy Spirit prior tobeing initiated into the Eucharist. This participation does not depend on human gifts, talents, orage; it depends on truth and love. We can only love because God has first loved us. Godconveys His love through Christ, the way, the truth and the life, by the power of the Holy Spirit,and chief among the instruments He uses are the Sacraments of Initiation.

19) Confirmation not only strengthens us and sets us aside as witnesses to the apostolicmission. This strengthening by the Holy Spirit also helps us to overcome the tendency to sinwhich remains in each of us even after Baptism. The gifts of the Holy Spirit foster the formationof supernatural virtue as well as strengthening the natural virtues in the human person.Confirmation cannot be properly looked at as a single event, done and then forgotten, like sometype of ‘immunization’ or ‘graduation’. Confirmation establishes an ongoing relationship withGod which animates the ongoing growth in holiness which is the vocation (or call) of all thebaptized. The gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit strengthen our souls by enabling a virtuousexercise of our will and our faculties for the Glory of God. Unduly delaying Confirmation forthose who already receive Holy Communion fails to accord the person their proper role in theEucharistic assembly, the life of the Church, and the strengthening of the sacraments. Worsethan that, it could entail a denial of their right within the Church to receive the gift of thesacrament once they have met the conditions required by canon law: the age of reason and properdisposition of soul (i.e., in a state of grace and open to receiving the sacrament). (Canon 843)

20) Sometimes in our activist and production-oriented American society and culture wesuccumb to pragmatism looking at the Christian life and our sharing in the apostolic mission ofthe Church as a matter being able to “do” things for Christ, the Church or others. In fact, theChristian life is a gift and a call to truth and love given to us by God. It is first a matter of"being," of simply existing as a person created by God and redeemed by Him in Christ. We liveout this truth and love in specific ways according to our age, talents, and unique vocation. At nopoint are the sacraments about what we have done or promise to do for God. They are God's freegift of grace to us. At the same time, these gifts of love entail an obligation to bear witness toGod's love in word and deed by our collaboration in freedom with the grace given.

21) If one is not careful, service projects before Confirmation can seem to be demonstratingan ability to do things, and Confirmation becomes a type of graduation into an adult faith. Thisabuse of pragmatism can result in failing to recognize that the desire “to do” or to praise God isitself a grace, as is the capacity to do good (Weekday Preface IV ).

22) These ideas reveal a common misunderstanding of Confirmation by some, and as Bishop I want to take this opportunity to address them. Confirmation is not about an individual decidingto embrace the faith of Baptism. It is not a human act similar to that of non-Catholic Christianswho, perhaps in their early teens, choose to publicly profess that they have accepted Jesus Christas Lord and Savior. Sacraments are primarily about God choosing and embracing us not theother way around. In baptism, God marks us unconditionally as a member of His family and co-heir with Christ, children by adoption. (see Galatians 4:5-7) Once baptized, at whatever age, wecan no more choose to cease being a child of God than we can choose to cease being the child ofour natural mother. Confirmation is not our "confirming" Baptism or our faith in Christ; it isChrist confirming us in the Christian life we are already living. It is particularly important inEast Texas that we avoid any sacramental catechesis that reflects the notion that Confirmation isa time for the person to individually embrace the faith or to become personally engaged in thework of the Church. It is in the Sacrament of the Eucharist, particularly at the offertory, that wepresent ourselves as a sacrifice to the Father. Indeed, each moment of daily life is a time toreaffirm the Call to Holiness by a commitment to love of God and neighbor. Each instant callsus to embrace Christ as He has embraced us. Above all, the celebration of the Eucharist is anappropriate sacramental moment for the individual to renew the commitment to service in theChurch and in the community for the common goodConfirmation and the Sacrament of Penance

23) The Sacrament of Penance also allows us to renew our commitment to truth and serviceby restoring sanctifying grace and increasing actual grace in our souls. In Penance we becomereconciled with God through the confession of our sins, desire to amend our life, and acceptanceof acts of reparation. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is closely tied to Baptism, Confirmation,and the Eucharist, restoring the bonds of communion established by the Sacraments of Initiationthat have been subsequently weakened by venial sin and imperfections or broken by mortal sin.The grace of repentance from our sins is necessary for salvation. The Sacrament of Penance isordinarily needed for the forgiveness of mortal sin and the return to sanctifying grace and theEucharist. This explains why the Sacrament of Penance was considered in the early Church atype of "second Baptism" that restores the life of grace and reorders the penitent to the life of theChurch and the celebration of the Eucharist. Throughout the history of the Church, frequentConfession has been recognized as a premier means of renewing one's commitment to Christ andfor growing in holiness. Without penitence, that ongoing conversion expressed daily in prayer,self-denial, and works of mercy, our personal salvation is in danger because without penitencewe are not living the Sacraments of Initiation fully; we are not united to Christ in dyingcompletely to ourselves out of love for God and neighbor. This ongoing conversion, fostered in aparticular way by the Sacrament of Penance, is necessary for encountering and adoring the AllHoly God in a spirit of truth and purity of heart.

24) This explains the role of the Sacrament of Penance. It is about living the Sacraments of Initiation in the face of sinful inclinations and actions. Confession fosters and, if necessary,restores the life conferred in Baptism and Confirmation and nourished in the Eucharist. Weconfess not only when we have committed mortal sin, but regularly because we may havecommitted venial sins and have imperfections and we acknowledge that we need the help ofGod’s grace to fulfill our desire to love God and neighbor perfectly in Christ. This understandingof Confession, which is that of the Saints and Doctors of the Church, is one that can be taught toanyone who has reached the age of reason regardless of whether they have received anysacrament beyond baptism. This understanding allows the Sacrament of Penance to emerge in itsbeauty as God's gift to us in our journey to Holiness rather than a painful process reserved formortal sinners. It is seen for what it actually is an aid to living fully our sacramental lives.

25) It is fitting, then, that baptized Christians approaching Confirmation and the Table of theLord be introduced into the fruitful celebration of the Sacrament of Penance as a regular part ofthe life of a Christian disciple. Preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation requires the samespiritual readiness of being in the state of grace, and of responding to the constant call toconversion that is essential for our daily Christian life and the worthy reception of the Eucharist.Let us consider the special affinity between the Sacrament of Penance, which aids us in thestruggle for holiness, and Confirmation, which strengthens the Christian to bear faithful witness.Both sacraments aid us in our efforts to “avoid the things that lead to sin” in the face of ourtendencies to sin that remain within us after Baptism. A Christian who is awaiting Confirmationor the Eucharist would not want to receive either sacrament without the renewal of baptismalgrace available in the Sacrament of Penance. When we are in a state of mortal sin, cut off fromcommunion with Christ and dead to the Christian life, we should not dare approach thesesacraments of the Christian life until we are restored to communion with Christ. It is through anact of repentance and the Sacrament of Penance that we are reconciled to God and others throughthe outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

II. Pastoral Considerations
Changes in the households of faith

26) In 1852, the First Plenary Council of Baltimore directed establishing parish communitiesas the locus for the celebration of the sacraments and the establishment of institutions of Catholiceducation. One hundred years ago, the Catholic Church in the United States was part of a societywhere the extended family was fairly strong and often immigrant. Most Catholic familiesbecame reasonably well-established in an urban or farming area and had relatives living nearthem, which offered them a natural faith community. Further, a greater number of Catholicsattended church, and most had an education in their faith similar to their overall formaleducation. The American society in general was more religiously minded then, and Catholicslived in a more Catholic culture, supported by older relatives who were living the faith. Thissupported an organic religious formation for the children and the whole community.

27) Since the mid-twentieth century, for many reasons, there has been marked increase in the mobility of Catholics within the United States and a movement to a suburban style of life. At thesame time, there has been a decline in the presence of Catholic schools and the stability ofcatechesis, further weakening the directives of the Councils of Baltimore. These changes havebeen so severe that many Catholic parents and grandparents are now hard-pressed to give anexplanation of the faith to their children and grandchildren. Adult formation is imperative if weare to help Catholic adults live and share their faith. Truly we have reached the point that thesignificance of celebrating and living the Sacraments has to be consciously put forward to theentire family, not just the children.

28) In the Diocese of Tyler, these cultural changes in the households of faith are often evenmore manifest. We are firmly located in the Bible Belt, an area noted for conservative Christianvalues, but not historically very open to Catholicism. Over the past fifty years many have comeinto the fullness of the truth by joining the Catholic Church. In addition, many more Catholicshave moved into the East Texas area, and some Catholic families have put down strong roots inthe East Texas soil. However, many of our Catholic families are comparatively new arrivals inthe area and many have no extended families nearby. Moreover, there is not a strong nativeCatholic presence in most of our civil communities. Many of our parishes are new to thecommunities they serve and seek to evangelize.

29) East Texas also has an increasing number of new immigrants from rural areas of Mexicowhere people may have encountered a priest one or two times a year, or at most once a month.Often they need initiation into the Sacraments as well as needing to be integrated into their newCatholic communities and our society. These immigrants have to be introduced to the threeprocesses of Christian Initiation, Liturgical Renewal, and the Call to Holiness as well as theproper reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation and the two sacraments at service ofcommunion: Marriage and the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

30) The celebration of the Sacraments provides a natural opportunity to draw the entirehousehold of faith, and the parish community, more deeply into the Mystery of Christ. Atwhatever age the Sacrament of Confirmation is celebrated, it will be important to continue tomove catechesis away from merely preparing children in a classroom for sacraments and towardhelping the parents and children to understand and live as a family the Christian life they receivein those sacraments.Appropriate age and level of Catechesis

31) Pope John Paul II recalled in “Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way!” that “children are thepresent and the future of the Church. They play an active role in evangelization of the world andwith their prayers help to save and improve it.” (Synod #17) The experience of the last onehundred years has demonstrated a tremendous spiritual and pastoral benefit from allowingchildren to receive the Eucharist at the age of reason. Today, this approach seems even morenecessary because many children attain the use of reason and are subject to dangers andtemptations at an early age. Reception of Holy Communion at the age of reason affirms theprimacy of grace, which has brought great help to young people and great benefits to the Church.(Synod #17).

32) It is desirable to set the expectations for Catechesis for the Sacrament of Confirmation to an age appropriate level of maturity. Just as an adult has, hopefully, a better grasp of the mysteryof the Eucharist than they did when they received Communion for the first time, one would notexpect a seven year old to understand the Sacraments as deeply as a sixteen year old, nor asdeeply as an adult.

33) The process of the Call to Holiness requires ongoing growth and training in the faith. Itwill be important to expand our efforts to strengthen lifelong learning in the faith as a part ofevery Christian’s life. This will be one of the major changes necessary for us. Catechesis of theyoung will have to move from being about preparation for receiving Sacraments to living theSacraments they have received. This is entirely in keeping with the processes introduced in theDiocese of Tyler: Christian Initiation, Liturgical Renewal, and Call to Holiness. We will need todevelop a Catechesis for the Call to Holiness. Such a catechesis, by its very nature, is not limitedto children and does not end at eighth or twelfth grade but continues through our adult life andends only with death. By God’s grace, we are aided in this final passing through the Sacramentof Anointing, Viaticum, and the funeral liturgies which bring us to the Hope of Eternal Life.The experience of the Christian Initiation process in the Diocese of Tyler

34) In the three years since the Christian Initiation process has been put forth in our Diocese,we have received many blessings as whole families have been brought into the Church, beinginitiated into the Sacraments and integrated into the community of faith. Initially there wasresistance to the Church’s norm that unbaptized children over the age of seven should receiveBaptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist together with their parents when the family comes into theChurch. By now, the experience of children coming into Full Communion at the age of sevenwith Confirmation and Eucharist has been very positively received in most parishes and missionsin the diocese.

35) The Year of the Eucharist has brought our diocese to a deeper realization of theimportance for every Christian to participate in the Eucharist by being fully initiated into thePaschal Mystery of Christ.

36) A tension is arising in our parishes and missions when non-Catholic children between theages of seven and twelve enter the Church through the process of Christian Initiation, receiveConfirmation and so participate fully in the life of the Church while Catholic children, baptizedas infants, will not be confirmed until they are twelve to sixteen. This raises the question ofwhether in an area like East Texas, it would be better to initiate baptized Catholics through asimilar practice. So we face the question: Should Catholic children, baptized as infants,celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation before they receive the Eucharist? Conclusion

37) In light of this reflection and the pastoral reality of the Diocese of Tyler, and having discussed this important question with the priests, deacons, and members of the lay faithful, asBishop of the Diocese of Tyler, I am directing that our catechetical and pastoral practices shallencourage parents, as the primary educators of their children, to present their children for theSacrament of Confirmation and then First Eucharist at about eight years of age after appropriatepreparation. First Reconciliation shall be encouraged after they have reached the age of sevenand been prepared to begin regular celebration of Confession as part of the call to conversion andthe Call to Holiness. The ongoing catechesis of both children and adults will focus on theapostolic mission of their Call to Holiness and their participation in the liturgical and apostoliclife of the Church. As your Bishop, I ask for the cooperation of the clergy and laity as we seek topreserve the tradition of faith, morals, and the doctrine of the Church which has been handeddown to us.

Sources:
CCC – Catechism of the Catholic Church
LG – Lumen Gentium, The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Vatican II.
SC – Sacrosanctum Concilium, The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Vatican II.
Synod – Working Paper for the 2005 Synod on the Eucharist, Vatican Synod Secretariat.
Roman Catechist – Catechism of the Council of Trent, published under Pope Pius V, 1566,
reprinted by Tan Publishers.
USCCB – Complimentary Norms for Canon 891, published with approval of the Holy See,
February 28, 2002.