Become a full member of the Church

 

Confirmation at the Malaga Chaplaincy

For children: In the Church of England we welcome families who want to bring their newly born child for Baptism. Baptism is a rite of entry into the Church and while we recognise that a newborn baby can’t make the decision for themselves to become a member of the Church, we offer Baptism as a sign that God’s love and welcome extend to everybody, irrespective of their ability to respond.

Confirmation is then offered when a child is older and wishes to confirm for him/herself the promises made on their behalf at their baptism.

For adults: The process is different. If as an adult you wish to become a member of the Church, you undergo an adult Baptism and then, usually within a short time, you can become confirmed.

Preparing for Confirmation

Those who come forward for Confirmation become full members of the Church and can start to receive Holy Communion. So this step is similar to First Communion in the Roman Catholic Church.

But it is a big step and it requires preparation. Normally we would run 6-8 preparation classes, probably one a week in the weeks leading up to the Confirmation service, each lasting an hour or so. The classes cover Christian belief, the Bible, prayer, holy communion, the nature of God and the Anglican church.

Adult candidates may have already received some preparation before their adult Baptism.

The Confirmation Service

While Baptism is usually administered by the parish priest, Confirmation is done by the bishop.

The central part of the serivce is the moment that the bishop lays his hands on the head of each candidate and asks God’s Holy Spirit to give them the strength and commitment to live God’s way for the rest of their life. 

Here in this Diocese in Europe, we are geographically widely spread and get to see our bishop only rarely. However, plans are being drawn up for Bishop Robert and his wife Helen to visit St George’s the weekend of 24th October. So we are planning a Confirmation Service for 11am, Saturday 25th October.

Next steps

Please let your Parish Priest (Father Louis in Malaga or Mother Doreen in Salinas) know if you are interested in being confirmed. (NB In Louis’ absence on holiday, please contact Caroline).

Or would you like to talk it through first with one of the clergy? Contact Fr Hilary here, and he will set up the meeting for you.

Further Information is available at the Diocese website here.