Confirmation at the Vigil

[Nick Baty]

Can someone who is baptised (but has never practised) be confirmed by the PP at the Easter Vigil? Or can the PP only confirm those who are being received at this time?

[FrGareth]

The PP must apply to the Diocesan Chancery for the faculty to confirm the person concerned. Whether this is usually granted, or whether the diocesan bishop prefers to ask such persons to wait until he celebrates parish confirmations, is a policy set by each bishop in his own diocese. But the PP may admit the baptised adult Catholic to First Communion, following First Confession, without needing a faculty - and this could be done at the Easter Vigil.

[Nick Baty]

Thank you for that, Fr Gareth.

[JW]

For what it's worth, in the happier days when we had similar situations, the candidate was confirmed at the Easter Vigil. Pastorally it may not always be a good idea for mature confirmation candidates to be included within the parish's confirmation programme which is usually for young people.