Confirmation age raised

As from 2010, Holy Confirmation in the Maltese archdiocese will be administered in the year when children would be completing their first year in secondary school, the Archbishop's Curia said yesterday.

The first children who will receive their Confirmation that year are those who will start preparing for their First Holy Communion next September.

The Curia said the decision was taken by Archbishop Mercieca following years of consultation and reflection with the aim of ensuring that children's preparation for Confirmation would reach its aim better.

Normally children receive their Holy Confirmation at the age of 10 but the new directive means they will now be approaching their 12th birthday.

In a circular the Curia explained that preparation for Holy Confirmation should lead to strengthening our lives in closer unity with Christ, the Church and the parish community.

The Curia said that as from 2010, Holy Confirmation would be celebrated from the feast of Pentecost onwards, possibly in autumn.

It added that the age when children received their First Holy Communion would remain the same, that is at the age when the children would be completing the second year in primary education, close to the feast of Corpus Christi.