Confirmation Confusion, by John M. Grondelski

By John M. Grondelski, Crisis Magazine, March 18, 2025

John M. Grondelski (Ph.D., Fordham) is a former associate dean of the School of Theology, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey. All views expressed herein are his own.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore recently announced that children there can now be confirmed at age nine. The change ostensibly is intended to deepen their faith and better engage their parents in their religious formation.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore recently announced that children there can now be confirmed at age nine. The change ostensibly is intended to deepen their faith and better engage their parents in their religious formation.

Baltimore’s decision follows a growing trend among American dioceses to lower the average age of Confirmation, which in some places has creeped into the early-to-middle teens. It is a good change but one likely both to cause confusion and have its own perils. Let me explain. …

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