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Chrismation

"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee" (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

The Sacrament of Chrismation (Confirmation) is the ceremony in which the newly baptized person is anointed with Holy Chrism (sanctified oil) receiving the special gifts of the Holy Spirit necessary to begin a new life in Christ. The Chrismation is the "seal" of the Grace of the Holy Spirit.

In the early stages this sacrament was performed only by the Apostles who were laying their hands on the newly baptized in order to bestow on them the Gifts of the Holy Spirit:

"Now when the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands upon them and they received the Holy Spirit." (Acts 8:14?17)

After the Church started to grow in numbers, it became impossible for the Twelve Apostles to go around and lay hands on each individual. They had to introduce the use of sanctified myrrh and delegate their successors, bishops and priests, to complete this task. Eventually, the practice of laying hands was replaced by the anointing with Holy Chrism (myrrh). The Church formally recognized its necessity as a Sacrament by Canon 7 of the Synod of Laodicea. The ceremony is officiated immediately after and is an integral part of the service of the Holy Baptism.

Today, the officiators are the bishop or the priest. As a sign of communion of faith and proper canonical ties, only the Patriarch, as head of the Church and assisted by the other hierarchs, has the authority to consecrate and distribute the Holy Chrism to all churches in his jurisdiction. The consecration takes place once a year on the Great Thursday, with all hierarchs present. (more details)

Click here for the Service of Chrismation (scroll down to the Prayer of Confirmation, which is part of the Service of Holy Baptism).