My dear People.

From the earliest days of the Church, new members have been admitted to the community in stages. Since the first converts were for the most part adults, the first phase was the preaching of the message of the Gospel, after which, those who accepted the Good News were baptised and were confirmed as fully-fledged Christians by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It was only then that they were allowed to share the Sacrificial Banquet of the Eucharist.

Paul in his First Letter to the Corinthians writes, “Brothers, I myself was unable to speak to you as people of the Spirit: I treated you as…infants in Christ. What I fed you with was milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it”. Although he was speaking about the content of his preaching, his message may have a relevance to the reception of the Holy Eucharist. Sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation, the Christian is better prepared to receive the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion.

Since the 1970’s, the order of the Sacraments for adults entering the Church has been to be changed to conform with the ancient practice of the Church. It is now becoming the practice for introducing our children into the full life of the Catholic, Christian Community. Consequently, here in the Diocese, beginning in 2003 children will receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion in the following order.

The preliminary preparation for Confirmation will begin in the third term of Primary three or at the age of 7- 8 for children who receive instruction in those parishes without a Catholic school. They will then receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in the autumn of that year, the first school term, between September and Christmas. Then, in the spring, the third term of that same school year, they will receive Holy Communion. Between times, it will be the responsibility of the parents to decide when the child should approach the Sacrament of Confession.

It is important for all of us, priests, parents, teachers and catechists to remember that our understanding of the mysteries of our Faith is an ongoing process. All our lives we are discovering new depths to the revelation of God in Christ. This is true in a particular way for our children. After the reception of the sacraments, the teaching process goes on. Through hearing the Word of God, being instructed in the teachings of the Church and by experiencing the power of God and the support of the Community in the celebration of the Mass week by week, our children, like Jesus Himself, will increase “in wisdom, in stature, and in favour with God and men”.

Given at Oban on the 6th day of June 2002 and to be read (or publish in the Parish Newsletter) on Sunday 23rd June 2002.

+ Ian Murray
Bishop of Argyll & the Isles.