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Traditional Rite
The rubrics and English translation are taken from the Small Ritual of 1964.[1]
New Rite
The Order for the Conferral of Confirmation without Mass[2]
Standing facing the person to be confirmed, his hands joined, the priest says:
May the Holy Ghost come down upon you, and may the power of the Most High God keep you from every sin.
Amen.
4. Then signing himself with the sign of the cross, he says:
Our help is in the name of the Lord. Who made heaven and earth.
Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry come to thee.
The Lord be with you.
And with you.
The Introductory Rites
Peace be with you. And with your spirit.
Let us pray. Grant, we pray, almighty and merciful God, that the Holy Spirit, coming near and dwelling graciously within us, may make us a perfect temple of his glory. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Or another optional prayer.
Following the renewal of baptismal promises:
Dearly beloved, let us pray to God the almighty Father, for these, his adopted sons and daughters, already born again to eternal life in Baptism, that he will graciously pour out the Holy Spirit upon them to confirm them with his abundant gifts, and through his anointing conform them more fully to Christ, the Son of God.
The Celebration of the Word of God
The sacred celebration of the word of God takes place in which at least one of the readings proposed for the Mass of Confirmation is read.
The candidates for confirmation are presented by the Pastor or another Priest, or by a Deacon, or even by a catechist.
The Bishop then gives a brief homily.
The Renewal of Baptismal Promises
Do you renounce Satan and all his works and empty promises. I do.
Do you believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth? I do.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered death and was buried, rose again from the dead and is seated at the right hand of the Father? I do.
Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who today through the Sacrament of Confirmation is given to you in a special way just as he was given to the Apostles on the day of Pentecost? I do.
Do you believe in the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting? I do.
This is our faith. This is the faith of the Church. We are proud to profess it in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
5. With hands stretched out towards the candidate he says:
Let us pray. Almighty, everlasting God, who hast given new life through water and the Holy Ghost to this thy servant and granted (him) forgiveness of all (his sins), send down upon (him) from heaven thy Holy Spirit the Paraclete with his sevenfold gifts. Amen.
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding. Amen.
The Spirit of counsel and fortitude. Amen.
The Spirit of knowledge and piety. Amen.
Fill (him) with the Spirit of reverent fear of thyself and in thy goodness mark (him) out for eternal life with the sign of the Cross ✠ of Christ. Through the same Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord; who lives and reigns with thee for ever. Amen.
The Laying on of Hands
Dearly beloved, let us pray to God the almighty Father, for these, his adopted sons and daughters, already born again to eternal life in Baptism, that he will graciously pour out the Holy Spirit upon them to confirm them with his abundant gifts, and through his anointing conform them more fully to Christ, the Son of God.
The Bishop lays hands over all those to be confirmed, and says:
Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who brought these your servants to new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, freeing them from sin: send upon them, O Lord, the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete; give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and fortitude, the spirit of knowledge and piety; fill them with the spirit of the fear of the Lord. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
6. The [bishop] enquires the name of the candidate: he dips his right thumb into the Chrism and with his right hand upon the candidate’s head he makes the sign of the cross, with his thumb, upon his forehead saying:
N., I sign thee with the sign of the ✠ Cross and I confirm thee with the Chrism of salvation. In the name of the ✠ Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy ✠ Ghost.
He strikes him lightly on the cheek, saying:
Peace be with you.
The Anointing with Chrism
The Bishop makes the Sign of the Cross on the forehead of the one to be confirmed with Chrism, as he says:
N., be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit. ✠ Amen.
Peace be with you. And with your spirit.
8. The [bishop] then says the Antiphon:
Confirm, O Lord, what Thou hast wrought in us, from Thy holy temple in Jerusalem.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Confirm, O Lord, what Thou hast wrought in us, from Thy holy temple in Jerusalem.
The Universal Prayer
The Universal Prayers (Bidding Prayers) follow, then:
Dearly beloved, let us gather together our petitions, praying with one voice, as our Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray.
All: Our Father …
9. With hands joined, the [bishop] faces the person confirmed and says:
Show us, O Lord, thy mercy. And grant us thy salvation.
Lord, hear my prayer. And let my cry come to thee.
The Lord be with you. And with you.
Let us pray. O God who didst give thy holy Spirit to the Apostles and didst will that through them and through those who should come after them, he should be given to the rest of the faithful; look favourably upon this humble fulfilment of our office, and grant that the same Holy Spirit, coming into the heart of (him) whose forehead we have marked with Sacred Chrism and signed with the sign of the holy Cross, may dwell therein and make of it a living temple of his glory. Who lives and reigns for ever. Amen.
10. Then he says:
Thus shall every man be blessed who fears the Lord.
Turning to the person confirmed, and making the sign of the cross over him, he says:
May the Lord bless ✠ you out of Sion, and all the days of your earthly life keep before your eyes the treasures of the heavenly Jerusalem. And may eternal life be yours. Amen.
The Blessing
May God the Father almighty bless you, whom he has made his adopted sons and daughters reborn from water and the Holy Spirt, and may he keep you worthy of his fatherly love. Amen.
May his Only Begotten Son, who promised that the Spirit of truth would abide in his Church bless you and confirm you by his power in the confession of the true faith. Amen.
May the Holy Spirit who kindles the fire of charity on the hearts of disciples, bless you and lead you blameless and gathered as one into the joy of the Kingdon of God. Amen.
And may almighty God bless all of you, who are gathered here, the Father, ✠ the Son, ✠ and the Holy ✠ Spirit. Amen.
The Prayer over the People
Instead of the preceding formula of blessing, the Prayer over the people may be used.
Bow down for the blessing.
Confirm, O God, what you have brought about in us, and preserve in the hearts of your faithful the gifts of the Holy Spirit: may they never be ashamed to confess Christ crucified before the world and by devoted Christ may they ever fulfil his commands. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, ✠ the Son, ✠ and the Holy ✠ Spirit come down on you and remain with you for ever. Amen.
[1] Source: The Small Ritual: Being Extracts from the Rituale Romanum in Latin & English. London: Burns & Oates, 1964. NB The Small Ritual rubrics are written for a priest confirming in danger of death and are therefore in the singular.
[2]Source: The Order of Confirmation: English Translation According to the Typical Edition. Catholic Truth Society, 2016.