Did you know? (Sunday, January 21, 2024)

In the early Church, baptism and the ‘laying on of hands’ were performed on converts (Acts 8:17; 19:6). However, the two acts of baptism and ‘laying on of hands’ became separate in the Western church as baptism began to be carried out at the Easter Vigil in parishes where the bishop was not present. The laying on of hands by the bishop then was to wait until it could be performed later in the sacrament of confirmation. When Christians are confirmed, they reaffirm the promises that were made for them at baptism. They take upon themselves the responsibility to represent Christ in the world. They are Christ’s ambassadors – God’s co-workers in the world.