CONFIRMATION STUDY GUIDE

CCC = Catechism of the Catholic Church

1. What is the name of our Pope? ​Pope Francis

2. What diocese are we a part of?​ The Archdiocese of San Antonio

3. Who is our Archbishop of San Antonio? ​Archbishop Gustavo

Garcia-Siller

4. Who is our Auxiliary Bishop of San Antonio? ​Auxiliary Bishop

Michael J. Boulette

5. Who is our Pastor at St. Helena? ​Fr. Lenin Naffate

6. What are the names of our Deacons at St. Helena?​ Dc. John Murphy & Dc. Paul Gustowski

7. Who is the Holy Spirit? ​The Holy Spirit is God, the Third Person of the Blessed​ ​Trinity. (The
Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son.)

8. When does the Holy Spirit first come to us? ​The Spirit first comes to us at Baptism, when we
receive sanctifying grace, or God’s very life within us.

9. How does the Holy Spirit help us? ​The Spirit strengthens us and makes us holy.​ ​The Spirit
enables us to love, spread, and defend our faith.

10. Who is a Christian? ​A Christian is a​ ​follower of Jesus Christ.

11. When do we become Christians? ​We become Christians at Baptism, when we​ ​begin a new life
as children of God and members of the Church.

12. What is the sacrament of Confirmation? ​The sacrament of Confirmation is the​ ​sacrament of
initiation that seals what happened at Baptism. Through it, the Spirit and his gifts are
strengthened, and we are linked more closely to Christ and the Church.

Answer the following questions to describe the birth of the Church.

1. Why ​did Jesus promise to send the Holy Spirit?​ ​(also​ ​see: CCC 1287, 729; John
14:15-29; 15:26; 16:7-15: 17:16, Luke 24: 39, Acts of the Apostles)
Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to help His followers and to make them holy.
2. When ​was this promise fulfilled? (CCC 731)​ ​This promise was fulfilled on Pentecost.
3. Who received the Spirit? ​The Apostles and Mary received the Spirit.
4. Where w​ ere they when they received the Spirit? (Acts of the Apostles)​ ​They were in
an upper room in Jerusalem.
5. In ​what​ form did the Spirit come upon them? (Acts of the Apostles) ​The Spirit came
upon them as tongues of fire.

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13. Name the four characteristics of the early Christians. ​The​ ​four characteristics of the early
Christians were
1. community – living and praying together ; sharing common bonds
2. message - learning from the Apostles; proclaiming the Good News
3. worship – praying in the Temple; breaking bread in honor of Jesus
4. and service – loving one another; caring for the poor

14. What are sacraments? ​Sacraments are outward signs of inward grace​ ​instituted by Jesus Christ

15. Why did Jesus give his Church the sacraments? ​Jesus gave His Church the​ ​sacraments to
continue His saving work and to build up the community of believers.

16. What are the three Sacraments of Initiation? ​The three Sacraments of​ ​Initiation are Baptism,
Confirmation, and Eucharist. We are born in Baptism, strengthened in Confirmation, and
nourished by the Eucharist.

17. How does Confirmation help us?

1. increases the life of the Spirit within us
2. strengthens us to profess, defend, and spread the faith
3. empowers us to give witness to Jesus and to carry on His mission
4. links us more closely with Christ and the Christian community.

18. Why can Baptism and Confirmation be celebrated only once? ​At Baptism and​ ​Confirmation
you are marked with a permanent character or seal of the Lord.

19. What are the signs of Confirmation? ​The signs of Confirmation are the laying on of hands,
anointing on the forehead with oil (chrism) by the bishop and the words “Be sealed with the gift
of the Holy Spirit.”

20. What is chrism and when is it consecrated? ​Chrism is perfumed oil. It is​ ​usually consecrated
at the Chrism Mass on Holy Thursday.

21. Where do the words “Be sealed” come from and what do they mean? ​These words of
anointing are based on the practice of stamping something for identification. In Confirmation,
God marks us as His own.

22. What special preparation should a candidate make to receive Confirmation? ​In preparing to
receive Confirmation, a candidate should
1. pray and celebrate the sacraments
2. live the Gospel
3. be guided and supported by Catholic Christians
4. and study the faith.

23. What is the role of a sponsor? ​The role of a sponsor is to help the candidate live​ ​his or her faith
and be a good example of Catholic Christian life. The sponsor presents the candidate to the
bishop for anointing.

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24. What are the requirements to be a sponsor at Confirmation? ​To be a sponsor at
Confirmation, a person must be
1. a practicing Catholic
2. at least 16 years old
3. fully initiated by Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist;
4. and, if married, in a valid sacramental marriage.

25. Name and define the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ​The gifts of the Holy Spirit are:
1. Wisdom - ​enables you to see life from God’s point of view. You recognize the
real value of persons, events, and things.
2. Understanding - ​gives you insight into the truths of faith and being a follower of
Jesus. It helps you to make right choices in your relationships with God and
others.
3. Counsel (Right judgment) -​ helps you seek advice and to be open to the advice
of others. Right judgment also helps you give advice.
4. Knowledge - ​helps you to know what God asks of you and how you should
respond. You come to know God. You come to know who you are and the value
of things through the experiences of your life.
5. Fortitude (Courage) - ​enables you to stand up for your beliefs and to live as a
follower of Christ. Courage helps you undertake challenging tasks in the service
of God and be faithful to ordinary duties.
6. Piety (Reverence) -​ helps you love and worship God. Reverence leads to prayer
and to a deep respect for God, for his people, and for all creation.
7. Fear of the Lord (wonder and awe) -​ helps you recognize the greatness of God
and your dependence on God. This gift helps you avoid anything that would
separate you from God’s incredible love for you.

26. What are the 12 fruits of the Holy Spirit?

1. Charity 8. Modesty
2. Generosity 9. Kindness
3. Joy 10. Self-control
4. Gentleness 11. Goodness
5. Peace 12. Chastity
6. Faithfulness
7. Patience
27. Who is the ordinary minister of Confirmation? ​The bishop, the successor of​ ​the Apostles, is
the ordinary minister of Confirmation.

28. How many times does the Rite of Confirmation call for the laying on of hands? ​The Rite of
Confirmation calls for the laying on of hands once.

29. When does this laying on of hands occur? ​This occurs when the bishop extends their hands
over the group of candidates and invokes the Holy Spirit.

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30. When does the Bishop actually confirm the candidates? ​The bishop​ ​places his hand on the
forehead of the individual candidates as he anoints them with chrism. This is when each
candidate is actually confirmed.

31. What does the bishop say and do when he confirms a candidate? ​The​ ​bishop traces the sign
of the cross with chrism on the candidate’s forehead and says, ​“[Name], be sealed with the Gift
of the Holy Spirit.” ​ And you respond ​“Amen”. ​He will then say, “​The Lord be with you.”
and you respond, “​And with your Spirit.”

32. The ​Corporal Works of Mercy​ are these kind acts by which we help our neighbors with their
material and physical needs:
1. feed the hungry
2. Give drink to the thirsty
3. shelter the homeless
4. clothe the naked
5. visit the sick
6. Visit the imprisoned
7. bury the dead

33. The ​Spiritual Works of Mercy​ are acts of compassion, as listed below, by which we help our
neighbors with their emotional and spiritual needs:
1. Instruct
2. Advise
3. Console
4. Comfort
5. Forgive
6. Bear wrongs patiently
7. Pray for the living and dead
34. The Beatitudes​ are the teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-10). Jesus
teaches us that if we live according to the Beatitudes, we will live a happy Christian life. The
Beatitudes fulfill God’s promises made to Abraham and his descendants and describe the
rewards that will be ours as loyal followers of Christ.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.

35. The Great Commandment - ​Jesus teaches that the moral life can be summed up in terms of
love of God, self, and neighbor. The New Testament understanding of love is based on the Old
Testament understanding of covenant love, which is that God's steadfast love will never waver.

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 The Christian who cooperates with the Holy Spirit will not waver in his or her love for God. This
is a love of commitment and action to a better personal relationship with God. It shows a true
appreciation of how much God loves the person as an individual—as well as the person's
willingness to serve the neighbor.
1. The Great Commandment
i. The Ten Commandments are fulfilled in Jesus' Great Commandment:
“You shall love...God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your
mind, and with all your strength....You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31)
2. The New Commandment
i. Before his death on the cross, Jesus gave his disciples a new
commandment: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also
should love one another” (John 13:34).

36. The Ten Commandments​ - As believers in Jesus Christ, we are called to a new life and are
asked to make moral choices that keep us united with God. With the help and grace of the Holy
Spirit, we can choose ways to act to keep us close to God, to help other people, and to be
witnesses to Jesus.
The Ten Commandments guide us in making choices that help us to live as God wants us to live.
The first three commandments tell us how to love God; the other seven tell us how to love our
neighbor.
1. I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.
4. Honor your father and your mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

31. Theological and Cardinal Virtues - ​Virtues are gifts from God that lead us to live in a close
relationship with him. Virtues are like habits. They need to be practiced; they can be lost if they
are neglected. The three most important virtues are called theological virtues because they come
from God and lead to God. The cardinal virtues are human virtues, acquired by education and
good actions. Cardinal comes from ​cardo,​ the Latin word for hinge, meaning “that on which
other things depend.”
Theological Virtues Cardinal Virtues
i. Faith iv. Prudence
ii. Hope v. Justice
iii. Charity vi. Fortitude
vii. Temperance