The Diocese of Columbus will now confirm children in the fourth grade, around the age of 10, said Bishop Earl Fernandes in a new letter.
The Diocese of Columbus is the latest diocese in the United States to substantially lower the typical age of Confirmations, Bishop Earl Fernandes announced in a new letter released Thursday, June 26.
"Recognizing the importance of the catechetical formation for the Catholic faithful, particularly our children and their families, it became apparent to me that the formation of families was one of the most important pastoral issues to address in the Diocese of Columbus," said Bishop Fernandes.
The Diocese of Columbus is located in Ohio.
This realization, he said, led him to the idea of potentially lowering the age for Confirmation.
Bishop Fernandes commissioned a diocesan committee of priests and laity to look into the possibility and to develop a working document.
"After a year of monthly consultations and deliberations, the committee presented the results of their discussions to me, unanimously affirming the proposal to lower the age of Confirmation to age nine/ten, fourth grade," said the letter.
This proposal was met with additional support from the diocese's presbyteral council and deans, he said.
After further dialogue, "a focus group that consisted of both parish and school personnel from across the Diocese was brought together to discuss the lowering of the age of Confirmation," he said.
"The result of that focus group expressed an overwhelming support for lowering the age of Confirmation. A primary reason for their support of this proposal was the unanimous concern of families not raising their children in the Catholic faith, and the need to resuscitate the Catholic identity of our children through the power of the Holy Spirit," said Bishop Fernandes.
Lowering the age of Confirmation is the first step of many to return the Diocese of Columbus to the "restored order" of sacraments, he said.
"Restored order"
The exact age or grade for Confirmation falls under the jurisdiction of each local bishop. "Restored order" refers to how the sacrament was received before First Communion in centuries past.
Bishop Thomas Olmsted, then bishop of Phoenix, explained his belief that the restored order is more theologically consistent — Confirmation strengthens baptismal graces before the young Christian participates in the Eucharist, which is known as the “source and summit” of our faith.
Going fully to a "restored order" system will be a multi-year conversation for Columbus.
Simply making the change now "would prove to be a catechetical and logistical challenge," that the Diocese of Columbus is not ready for, the bishop said. "However, the proposal to transition the Diocese of Columbus to a Restored Order sacramental process will be a continual topic of discussion and discernment over the next several years."
In the meantime, said Bishop Fernandes, "the new Confirmation process will be implemented over the next four years, beginning in the fall of 2025."
Growing trend
With this change, the Diocese of Columbus joins several others in lowering the age for Confirmation.
Earlier in June, the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee announced plans to confirm children at the age of seven; six weeks before that, the Archdiocese of Baltimore lowered their Confirmation age to nine.
In fall 2024, the Archdiocese of Boston announced a plan to transition Confirmation from 10th grade to 8th, and in December of that year, the Diocese of Baton Rouge released a plan to lower the Confirmation age to 7th grade.
Back in 2019, the Archdiocese of Seattle moved the age for the Sacrament from 11th grade to 7th.
Read more about the trend and some of the history behind it below:
