Another American diocese has announced that it will celebrate the sacrament of confirmation for Catholic children in the same ceremony at which they receive first communion. Manchester, New Hampshire, will become the eleventh U.S. diocese to adopt the practice, popularly referred to as the “restored order,” returning the Eucharist to its original place as the high point and culmination of Christian initiation. The change has been presented as part of a comprehensive renewal of lifelong faith formation [1] in the diocese. Children will receive both sacraments at age eight.
Other dioceses [2] that currently embrace the restored order are: Saginaw, Michigan (1995); Great Falls-Billings, Montana (1996); Portland, Maine (1997); Spokane, Washington (1998); Fargo, North Dakota (2002): Gaylord, Michigan (2003); Tyler, Texas (2005); Phoenix (2005); Honolulu (2015); and Denver (2015). Several dioceses in Canada [3] have also successfully implemented the restored order. Curriculum resources geared to this model have been made available through mainstream catechetical publishing houses [4] in support of the practice.
Aside from these eleven dioceses, there has also been a certain amount of dabbling with the restored order in the United States. Two dioceses had instituted it, but succeeding bishops did not support the practice and discontinued it. In some dioceses, individual parishes have gained permission for the restored order even though the practice is not mandated for the diocese as a whole. In other instances, the restored order is practiced but parents can opt out if they wish. All of these options fall within the range given by the American bishops, who have decided that the appropriate age of confirmation for Catholic children who were baptized in infancy is seven to sixteen, thus giving wide latitude for diocesan bishops to formulate their own guidelines.
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