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Bishop suggests Confirmation before First Communion

CWN - July 11, 2011

Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, North Dakota, has suggested that the sacrament of Confirmation should be administered before children receive their First Communion.

Bishop Aquila disclosed that he has changed his view on the topic after studying the sacraments. The usual order observed today, he said, has "only muddied the primacy of the Eucharist as the completion of initiation into the Church" by having Confirmation come some years later.

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  • Posted by: TheJournalist64 - Jul. 11, 2011 10:22 PM ET USA

    The good bishop is correct, of course. Just watch the Easter vigil sacraments to see why. Unfortunately, once children receive confirmation, they often quit coming to religion classes. That's the justification I have most often heard for the flip-flop of administration.

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