More on Confirmation and quizzing

A little while ago, I posted about bishops quizzing and slapping confirmands.  In that post I had the responses of several bishops about their experiences and practices.  HERE

One of my correspondents (and fellow ham) who attends an SSPX chapel wrote to me:

My 10 year old was thoroughly quizzed by our priest two weeks before confirmation. She had to memorize the better part of this book. It’s a great book and I watched the kids all line up waiting to go in to Father’s office to be questioned and their copies were all thrashed. I know our daughter read it every night for months before hand and it looked like they all had. 31 or 33 total kids in our tiny chapel… it was an amazing day.

The book in question is not new. 1996. And it is from the Baltimore Catechism, so it is even older.  A good thing.  It is from the SSPX’s Angelus Press.

Preparation for Confirmation by Baltimore Catechism

US HERE – UK HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It starts with the minimum prayers one must know to be confirmed.

I am not a bishop, and you are probably confirmed already, but allow me to ask you:

Can you recite the Acts of Faith, Hope, Love and Contrition?  

You probably do know an Act of Contrition. I favor the one in this book, the old fashioned one that says more, concisely.

Can you recite the Precepts of the Church?

I think the versions vary now.  The CCC lists five and relegates one to a a “duty” (support of the Church).

Can you recite the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit and explain what they are?

Can you say what the bishop recites when is consecrates Sacred Chrism?

What are the duties of the confirmand?

Just a few questions from the booklet.

I am aware that there are fellow Catholics, active and fallen away, who have not opened a catechism or cracked a book about the Faith since the day they were confirmed… or maybe when they made their 1st Communion… or ever, perhaps.  I suspect there are priests who can’t tell you what confirmation is about.

Each year we should make a review of the basis of the faith.  They don’t change, but we do.  Each year we are able to benefit from what we read in a new way.

This little booklet is handy.

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4 Comments

  1. Jon says:

    Father,

    My dad was raised a Missouri-Synod Lutheran. Being pretty much prepped liturgically (you’ll know what I mean), he readily converted in 1960, when he met my mom before they were married in ’61.

    As dad was 7th in a family of 14, you can imagine as a child I had occasion to be at plenty of Lutheran confirmations. I’ll never forget the terror in my cousins as the pastor arbitrarily picked confirmands to respond with answers from Luther’s Little Catechism. There was no, “psst, Pastor, this is my best student, ask him.” They were all his gleeful target.

    Dad lived to be 82. To the end of his days, he couldn’t recite the Baltimore Catechism to you, but boy, he remembered his Luther.

    There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

  2. jhogan says:

    I must sadly confess that I would have trouble with everything you asked, Father. Even though I received my 1st Communion and Confirmation under the old rites (before all the changes), I was one of those who sighed with relief after my Confirmation and haven’t opened a catechism since then. I suspect there are many like me out there. This article encourages me to go read my catechism again. I think I have a copy of the Baltimore Catechism hiding somewhere in my house.

  3. JustaSinner says:

    Ah yes, the Baltimore Catechism…found memories, indeed. Who is God? Why did God make you… I’ll be honest Father, over the years I’ve recognized more than one of the graphics from the BC on your website.

  4. EAW says:

    There are a few things I need to brush up, I’m afraid. Thank you for the reminder.

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