Confirm Your Faith
In Confirmation we “express a mature commitment to Christ, and receive strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by a bishop" (BCP, p. 860).
In the Episcopal Church, confirmation is one of our sacraments. Sacraments are “the outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace.” In the Sacrament of Confirmation, we are given an opportunity to deepen our relationship with God and publicly affirm the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
If you feel that you have found a home in the Episcopal Church and that this way of practicing your faith is something you want to commit to, I invite you to consider being confirmed. Confirmation is an intentional choice to commit to the Episcopal Church and to allow a Bishop to bless that choice. In the rite of confirmation, a bishop lays hands on each person and prays for the Holy Spirit to empower you for ministry. This is one way to acknowledge your commitment to Christ and the church and to reaffirm the promises made at your baptism.
For those who were confirmed in another denomination (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, etc.), we also offer Reception, where you are formally received into the Episcopal Church, honoring the commitment made previously, while inviting the bishop to lay hands and welcome you into the Episcopal Church. Likewise, if you were confirmed before in the Episcopal Church and would like to re-affirm your commitment, there is also an opportunity for Reaffirmation.
On November 19th, Bishop Nedi Rivera, will be at St. Barnabas and will offer the sacrament of confirmation for both youth and adults in our parish. If you are interested in being confirmed, please fill out this form.
Confirmation Preparation:
We will have a youth confirmation class this fall, starting September 10th at 9 a.m. on Sunday mornings. We will also offer an adult confirmation class, times still to be determined (fill out the form to let us know what will work for you). Taking the class can be done just for your own knowledge and spiritual growth and you can discern through the class if confirmation is the right next step. If you have questions, please email or talk to Rev. Jane.