The Bishop of Leeds has announced far-reaching changes to the Diocesan Youth Strategy, including bringing forward the age at which children receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.
In a pastoral letter read in all churches and chapels in the diocese on 24 and 25 September, Bishop Marcus Stock explained that in his diocese “a large proportion” of those who are baptised into the Catholic Church and make their First Holy Communion are not confirmed
“This means that we are failing, as a diocesan family, to complete the initiation into the Catholic faith of a considerable number of our children and young people.”
To address this, from the start of the academic year 2017/18, children in the diocese will be confirmed from the age of 11 rather than 14, bringing preparations for the sacrament into the final years of primary, rather than secondary, school. The bishop said he had come to this conclusion after “careful thought and prayer”.
Speaking to The Tablet, the Episcopal Vicar for Education, Fr Timothy Swinglehurst, said he thought the large gap between the sacraments and the fact that some children didn’t go to Catholic secondary schools was impacting the numbers being confirmed – only 31 per cent of those children baptised in the diocese in 2014 were confirmed.
Fr Swinglehurst said that the new strategy would enable the diocese to improve the transition period for young people between primary and secondary age faith formation.
Leeds will be one of only a few dioceses that confirm children at the younger age of 11. Liverpool Diocese – which had been administering the sacrament before Holy Communion – announced in July that it would be reverting to its previous model of preparation at 13.
The Archbishop of Liverpool, Malcolm McMahon, said in a pastoral letter that the decision would “allow us a pastoral opportunity to engage with teenagers and to help them respond to the demands of their Christian calling at a very crucial moment in their lives”.
Teresa Carvalho, who is working at the department for Evangelisation and Catechesis at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said that the Church doesn’t impose rules nationally, although guidelines are available. “It’s not helpful to have a blanket statement about what should happen because each diocese has its own pastoral concerns”, she said.
“There are different schools of thought around the age for Confirmation: some prefer the sacrament to be administered earlier at the age of 11 because it completes the Rite of Initiation as a young Catholic whilst others invite candidates in their mid to late teens to provide a deeper, age- appropriate preparation for receiving this sacrament,” Ms Carvalho added.
Other changes to the Leeds Diocesan Youth Strategy include greater collaboration between the Diocesan Youth Service, school clergy and lay chaplains, parish and deanery catechists and other partners, and an increase in opportunities for young people to get involved in mission and outreach within the local community. The service will also focus on following up with young people after events such as visits to Lourdes and World Youth Day.
The bishop’s letter and strategy, including a timetable for implementation and instructions for catechists, are available on the Leeds diocesan website, www.dioceseofleeds.org.uk.
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