Abp. Hughes: Confirmation is a gift, not a rite of passage

This September, Archbishop Emeritus Alfred Clifton Hughes will mark his 40th year as a bishop. During that time, he estimates he has confirmed 40,000 to 50,000 Catholics. Kids’ Clarion is grateful to Archbishop Hughes for taking time to share his experiences with the sacrament of confirmation.

Question: Do you remember your own confirmation?

Answer: I was 12 or 13 years of age – I was in seventh or eighth grade, so it was 75 or 76 years ago! I was one of about 200 candidates receiving confirmation at my parish of St. Teresa of Avila, in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. At that time, we had confirmation only every other year in the parish. Confirmation was not celebrated at Mass. Confirmation would take place at a Liturgy of the Word, with a very brief homily by the bishop. After the confirmation was completed, the bishop would process out and the pastor would celebrate benediction for the whole group. The bishop would then go on to another parish. He would do two confirmations every afternoon during the Easter season. There were close to 2 million Catholics in the Boston archdiocese at that time!

Q: What else do you recall about your reception of the sacrament?

A: About 40 people at a time would kneel at the altar rail. The bishop would go from one end of the rail to the other, confirming each of us individually and giving us a slap on the cheek before anointing the forehead of the next person. The slap on the cheek was a symbol at the end of the confirmation that we should be willing to accept ridicule and even persecution to be faithful as adults. I know I was anxious about the slap on the cheek and had some sense of awe of what this was about!

Q: Who was your sponsor?

A: There was only one male sponsor and one female sponsor who stood behind the whole group of people while they were kneeling at the altar. The sponsor would be one of the catechists who had taught us. It was a privilege for them to be selected from among the catechists to exercise that role.

Q: Whom did you choose as your confirmation saint?

A: They wouldn’t accept my middle name of Clifton as a saint’s name, so I chose Paul. I liked the name Paul – that was the initial attraction – but, as I got to know more about him, I was intrigued by his missionary enthusiasm and evangelizing zeal.

Q: Who prepared you for confirmation as a boy who attended a public elementary school?

A: On Saturday morning, we had what we called “catechism class” taught by lay catechists who volunteered their time. It was the Baltimore Catechism, with its series of questions and answers. On Friday night, my dad would sit down with each of the four of us children and question us about the catechism lesson for the next day. He would do it separately with each one of us. In the Baltimore Catechism, there were eight to 12 questions in a given lesson. My dad would spotcheck to see if we had learned our answers, and then he’d put the catechism aside and ask me what my answers meant, to make sure that I was understanding what I was memorizing. Finally, he would share with me what that particular teaching meant to him, using examples from family life, living in the neighborhood and his work. As I look back on that, it was the most formative experience I had in regard to the faith. What it said to me was that there was not supposed to be a gap between God’s teaching and living life in this world! We went to church a second time each week for further catechetical instruction. Every public school at that time had to release the children for one hour at the end of a (weekly) school day so they could go and get religious education. If children didn’t have a place to go – if their parents weren’t associated with a church – they had to remain in school for a study period.

Q: Could you give us a brief rundown on the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit?

A: In every confirmation homily, I will tell those I’m confirming, that I will pray as they come forward that they will be so open and receptive to the Holy Spirit, that they will receive the gifts he brings: Wisdom about what is ultimately important in life; knowledge of the truths of faith; understanding of their meaning; discernment – or prudence – as to how to apply them in life; the courage and fortitude to live them out, even in the face of opposition or challenge; a sense of the sacred for all that is holy; and finally, an authentic fear of the Lord – not a craven fear – but a fear that will always keep God central in their lives.

Q: Do you have a favorite moment in the Catholic Rite of Confirmation?

A: Of all the responsibilities that I have as a bishop and archbishop, nothing delights me more than to be with young people who really want to profess publicly that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior of their lives! I point to the baptismal vows that they will renew as their public profession of this. So, just to be with people, who want to do that! 

Q: Do you add any special touches to your confirmation Masses? 

A: One of the things I’ve always regretted about my own confirmation was that, in many ways, it was so impersonal. I try to personalize the actual conferral of the sacrament. After each confirmand receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, I pick up on the saint they have chosen and, in one line, suggest to them why that saint is good to turn to, going forward in their lives. For instance, if they have chosen Matthew, I will say “Matthew was a great evangelist! I hope that you will live the Gospel message he wrote.” Or, if someone chooses Mary, I will say, ‘You could not have chosen a better patron than Mary, the Mother of the Lord!” Just something to personalize it and to lift up the invitation to turn to their patron saint. If I am unfamiliar with their saint, I will ask them why they chose that saint.

Q: What brings older confirmands to the faith?

A: A number of times, it was the witness of their spouse; sometimes, it was a desire to be a good model for their children; some people were brought in because of the church’s witness to human life; some were drawn because they became familiar with the works of Catholic Charities; some were introduced to the faith by being invited to come to an adoration chapel and being overcome by that experience of the presence of the Lord; some because they were adult chaperones for large gatherings of young people and were moved by what was presented and how the young people responded. In a world where the truth is up for grabs, where there is so much confusion, they are drawn to an entity (Catholicism) that is unabashed and confident about proclaiming the truth.

Q: What tips do you offer confirmed Catholics?

A: I would urge them each day to say a little prayer that they will be open, receptive and then responsive to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. After confirmation, I suggest to them, “Now, don’t be bashful about laying claim to the gift you’ve received. The Holy Spirit has given to you a gift to claim when you need help in making decisions and facing challenges.”

Q: What is the biggest misconception about this sacrament?

A: My greatest concern is that even some catechists might lead young people into thinking that this is some kind of ceremony that celebrates maturity – a rite of passage, rather than a sacramental encounter with the Risen Lord who gives his Holy Spirit. Confirmation is a gift. It’s not a reward for deciding “I want to be a Catholic” as an adolescent. ​When it becomes like a graduation or a culmination of a catechetical program, it distorts the whole meaning of what the sacrament is about: greater openness, receptivity and then responsiveness to this gift that allows me to be more mature in living out my faith.

Q: What moves you about the institution of confirmation in Scripture (Pentecost)?

A: What strikes me about what is described in that passage and the following chapters of the Acts of the Apostles is that these men – who were so timid, so bumbling in their understanding and response to what Jesus was teaching them, so filled with their own petty desires to be the first among equals – were transformed into confident proclaimers of the Gospel message. The Greek word “parresia” appears repeatedly in the Acts of the Apostles. It’s hard to translate into English, but it describes the conviction, the courage and the boldness of the apostles after the Holy Spirit descended upon them. I just hope that when people receive the sacrament of confirmation, that they receive some portion of that of that gift of parresia!

– Interviewed by Beth Donze, Clarion Herald