Last Updated: 11/12/2011
ARCHIDIÓCESIS DE SAINT PAUL Y MINNEAPOLIS
BOLETÍN DEL CLERO
10 de noviembre de 2011
Volume III, Number 58, Revised
THE CELEBRATION OF CONFIRMATION
Reverendos y queridos Padres,
En 1987, mi predecesor, el reverendísimo John R. Roach, publicó las Directrices para los sacramentos de iniciación. Desde entonces, este documento ha sido una herramienta útil para muchas de nuestras parroquias, escuelas y programas consolidados de formación en la fe. Sin embargo, los cambios en el derecho canónico y en la práctica pastoral me llevaron a concluir que había llegado el momento de revisar estas Directrices.
What follows are regulations for the celebration of confirmation in the parishes and institutions of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. These regulations were developed in consultation with the Office of Worship, the Archdiocesan Schools Office, and the Presbyteral Council. In presenting these regulations, I acknowledge that there may be a need for pastoral adaptation. However, there are also pastoral norms that need to be honored to reflect the vision of this Archdiocese and the theology of the Catholic Church. It is my hope that these regulations will encourage a consistent practice reflective of true comunión. Por lo tanto, no se permite ninguna adaptación a nivel parroquial sin consultar previamente el asunto con el arzobispo o su delegado.
Se anima a las parroquias e instituciones a que sigan estas normas tan pronto como les sea posible, pero con el fin de darles tiempo suficiente para prepararse, la fecha de entrada en vigor de esta política será el 1 de agosto de 2012. A partir de esa fecha, todas las políticas y directrices anteriores quedarán derogadas.
Dado en Saint Paul, Minnesota, el día 10 de noviembre del año de Nuestro Señor 2011. Sin perjuicio de cualquier disposición en contrario.
Reverendísimo John C. Nienstedt
Arzobispo de San Pablo y Minneapolis
Jennifer Haselberger
Canciller para Asuntos Canónicos
NORMS FOR THE CELEBRATION OF CONFIRMATION
- Priests who receive non-Catholic Christians above the age of seven into full communion with the Catholic Church are also to confirm them. Unless a grave reason prevents it, the sacrament of Confirmation must be conferred immediately following baptism or at the reception of a baptized adult Christian into full communion with the Church. If Confirmation is delayed, the pastor is to refer the matter to the Archbishop for an individual priest does not then possess the faculty to confirm outside of the provisions outlined below.
- Priests with the faculties of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and who have pastoral care of a group of the faithful by means of a parish assignment, are granted the delegation to confirm Catholics aged eighteen or older who have been in the RCIA program at their parish. This faculty may be used only if the Catholic seeking Confirmation is properly disposed, not bound by any canonical impediments, and has had an extensive course of preparation through RCIA or another approved program. Such Catholics may be confirmed at a ceremony distinct from the Easter Vigil.
- Priests with the faculties of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and who have pastoral care of a group of the faithful by means of a parish assignment, are granted the delegation to confirm Catholics preparing for marriage, provided that the instruction is properly and fully completed and the sacrament of Confirmation is administered prior to the wedding taking place.
- When confronted with a pastoral situation in which a priest does not have the faculty to confirm by the law or grant of faculties, the priest has the option of applying directly to the Archbishop for the delegated faculty to confirm in that particular instance. Only after discussion with the individual and with a serious reason interfering with the person’s ability to be confirmed by the Archbishop may a pastor request delegation from the Archbishop to confirm a baptized Catholic.
- The practice of the Archdiocese is to confirm youth between the 8th and 11th grades. Legitimate exceptions are given in canon 891.
- Candidates are encouraged to follow the tradition of the Church and select a name to be imposed by the Archbishop or Bishop during the sacrament of Confirmation. This may be the candidate’s baptismal name or it may be another Christian name, such as the name of a saint, blessed, or a name from the Old Testament. When selecting a name, the candidate should be encouraged to learn about the relationship of the name to the Christian tradition, and in particular to study the virtues of their patron and consider the means in which they might emulate him or her.
- All Catholic youth who are candidates for the sacrament of Confirmation, even those who are home-schooled, must be enrolled in a parish process of preparation for the reception of the sacrament. They must participate in all of its communal dimensions (ritual, prayer services, etc.) and any other requirements determined by the parish. Adult candidates are to be prepared according to the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults or a similar program.
- It is desirable that the sponsor of the child at baptism is also the sponsor at Confirmation, although another person, of either sex, may fulfill this function, providing that the individual fulfills the following requirements.
- The sponsor must have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause[1], and must be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received their First Holy Communion and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on. This means a sponsor may not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared or be the father or mother of the one to be confirmed (canon 874, §1).
- The parish which prepares the individual for the sacrament of Confirmation, whether or not the individual receives the sacrament at the parish church, must record the administration of the sacrament in the parish’s confirmation register.
- The parish which prepares the individual for the sacrament of Confirmation must also add the notation of Confirmation in the baptismal register if the person who has been confirmed was also baptized in the parish church. If the person who has been confirmed was baptized at another parish, the parish of preparation must notify the parish of baptism about the conferral of Confirmation so that a notation is made in the baptismal register.
- An individual who desires to receive the sacrament of Confirmation through the use of the Extraordinary Form must fulfill all of the previously stated requirements and must
a. be a resident of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis or have a letter of permission from their proper bishop giving permission for them to receive the sacrament in this Archdiocese according to the Extraordinary Form. These letters should be sent directly to the Office of Worship.
b. Must present a letter from his or her pastor attesting that the requirements of this policy have been met. Again, this letter should be sent to the Office of Worship.
[1] Un ejemplo de ‘causa justificada’ para permitirlo a alguien menor de dieciséis años sería que la persona vaya a cumplir dieciséis años en cuestión de días o semanas, y se sepa que demuestra una piedad y un nivel de madurez extraordinarios.
