Leo XIV laments that after receiving confirmation, many young people ‘disappear from the parish’
Pope Leo XIV addressed young people awaiting confirmation in Genoa, urging perseverance and community faith. He highlighted the Holy Spirit's gifts, especially perseverance, as essential after receiving confirmation. The pope lamented that many confirmed youths subsequently stop attending parish, describing them as "disappearing." He reminded participants of the upcoming Pentecost celebration and encouraged them to keep the joy of confirmation alive.
4 months ago
Pope Leo XIV addressed a group of confirmation candidates from the Archdiocese of Genoa, warning that many youths “disappear from the parish” after receiving the sacrament and urging them to ask the Holy Spirit for the gift of perseverance and to remain active in parish life. 1 2 3
The Holy Father noted a “sad reality” that, after confirmation, some young people are no longer seen in their parishes. 1 2 3
He described this loss as contrary to the joy bishops feel when celebrating confirmations, which he called “truly a gift of the Holy Spirit.” 1 2 3
Leo XIV asked candidates to pray specifically for perseverance, describing it as essential to live out the faith amid a world that pulls believers away from Christ. 1 2 3
He invited each confirmandi to make a personal promise to remain a friend, disciple, and missionary of Jesus, and to hold fast to the enthusiasm they felt during their preparation. 1 2 3
The Pope stressed that faith is lived in community, not in isolation. 1 2 3
He encouraged the youth to return to parish activities, build friendships, and participate in the life of the Church as a way of exercising perseverance. 1 2 3
Leo XIV linked his message to the upcoming Pentecost celebration on May 24, recalling the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and urging the candidates to become living witnesses of that Spirit. 1 2 3
Both articles referenced the Catechism’s teaching that confirmation, together with baptism and the Eucharist, completes baptismal grace and deepens the gifts of the Holy Spirit, strengthening believers to spread and defend the faith. 2 3
Investigate how confirmation fosters lifelong parish commitment
Confirmation can foster lifelong parish commitment when it is not treated as an “end point,” but as the sacramental completion of initiation that visibly grounds a young person in the Church’s life—especially the Eucharist—and is followed by ongoing catechesis, mature belonging, and mystagogical formation.
Catholic teaching presents Confirmation as a sacrament that perfects baptismal grace and gives the Holy Spirit to root the person more deeply in divine adoption, bind them more firmly to Christ and the Church, and strengthen their witness “in words accompanied by deeds.” Because this grace is meant to strengthen ecclesial communion and mission, Confirmation has an intrinsic capacity to generate durable engagement with parish life—provided that the sacrament is received within a comprehensive formation process and is followed by continued accompaniment.
The Catechism teaches that Confirmation “perfects Baptismal grace” by giving the Holy Spirit to:
This means Confirmation is not merely a private spiritual moment; it is ordered toward ecclesial communion and mission—the heart of parish life as the ordinary setting where the faithful gather, learn, serve, and worship.
Catholic initiation is a unity: “Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the ‘sacraments of Christian initiation,’ whose unity must be safeguarded.’” Paul VI emphasizes Confirmation’s placement within sacramental initiation, noting how the faithful are fully incorporated into Christ’s Body through participation in the Eucharist after Baptism and Confirmation.
So, parish commitment grows most reliably when Confirmation is treated as a step that leads into deeper Eucharistic participation, not as an isolated milestone.
The International Theological Commission explains the “reciprocity” between faith and sacraments: Confirmation is “the sign and means of ecclesial communion,” incorporating the confirmed person into the Church and enabling them to build up the Body of Christ. It also notes the bishop’s presence highlights the sacrament’s ecclesial character and promotes spiritual unity between bishop and local Church.
In practical terms, this ecclesial nature supports lifelong parish commitment because Confirmation should leave the young person more deeply aware of their belonging to a concrete community, not simply to an abstract idea of “being religious.”
A serious obstacle is the temptation to treat Confirmation as a “magic” rite. Liturgical scholarship warns that Confirmation “does not work mechanically” and requires “well prepared and executed catechesis” to prepare for the sacrament.
This matters for parish commitment: if Formation + catechesis are weak, Confirmation can be experienced as a rite performed to someone rather than a lived communion within the Church.
The International Theological Commission observes a recurring pattern: young people experience Confirmation “as if it were a school graduation,” after which “there is no need to go back to the classroom,” or they view Confirmation as merely a condition for later milestones.
This interpretation directly undermines lifelong parish commitment because it frames parish life as something to “finish,” not something to “inhabit.”
Pastoral accompaniment can also be disrupted by “pastoral abandonment” during pivotal life stages. The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life describes long periods of “pastoral abandonment” that cause estrangement “from the community and often also from the faith,” giving examples such as parents after catechesis before Baptism and children after First Communion.
While the document’s examples name Baptism and First Communion, the dynamic is transferable: if the community does not continue to accompany young people after Confirmation, the parish can unintentionally train them to step away once the sacramental “event” is completed.
Pope John Paul II teaches that the formation process for young people “must be constant and active,” helping them “find their place in the Church and in the world.” He adds that youth ministry must be “one of the primary concerns of Pastors and communities.”
If Confirmation is given, but youth ministry stops afterward, that directly contradicts the “constant and active” formation the Church calls for.
Liturgical studies propose a corrective: not to delay Confirmation unrealistically, but to achieve more lasting results through a triad—catechesis, sacrament, mystagogia—and to avoid simply conferring the sacrament and leaving people afterward.
“Mystagogia” (mystagogy) is the post-sacramental deepening that helps people understand what the sacraments mean for life. In other words, lifelong commitment requires that young people learn to live into the reality of Confirmation after receiving it, not only to pass a pre-Confirmation program.
Pope Francis emphasizes that Confirmation should be understood in continuity with Baptism and within the single saving event of Christian initiation. He also stresses that Confirmation preparation should lead to “a personal commitment to faith in Christ” and “reawakening in them a sense of belonging to the Church.”
This is central for lifelong parish commitment: commitment is not just assent to doctrines; it is lived belonging and renewed decision for the Christian life.
The US bishops’ pastoral framework notes that by the virtues and faithful actions of parents or pastoral leaders, a young person can learn “how the Catholic faith is to be lived, even in the face of uncertainties and challenges.”
This speaks directly to parish commitment: young Catholics stay when they experience a faith that remains intelligible and attractive when life is not easy.
Because Christian initiation is one unified journey involving Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, a parish should avoid the pattern in which Confirmation is “the last step” and then attendance drops. The goal is that Confirmation deepens the Eucharistic bond so that Sunday Mass is experienced as the natural home of a strengthened bond with the Church.
Since the Church and liturgical scholarship warn that people can be “left” after the sacrament, the parish should plan a structured, continuing formation phase after Confirmation—precisely the “mystagogia” component named above.
This pathway should help young people internalize the sacrament’s gifts (Holy Spirit’s strengthening, deeper communion, witness) so that parish participation is no longer optional or “performative,” but a stable expression of who they are.
The International Theological Commission’s description of Confirmation as graduation signals a catechetical failure: youth do not grasp what is “proper to this sacrament.” To foster lifelong parish commitment, the parish must explicitly teach that Confirmation associates the young person with the Church’s mission and witness, and that this continues after the rite.
John Paul II’s insistence that youth ministry is a “primary concern” implies that parish commitment cannot depend on short-term volunteer energy alone; it must be treated as part of the Church’s ongoing pastoral mission to young people.
Confirmation is designed by God to strengthen baptismal grace through the Holy Spirit, root the confirmed in divine adoption, deepen incorporation into Christ, strengthen their bond with the Church, and empower witness in life. However, lifelong parish commitment will not automatically follow if Confirmation is treated as a rite that “finishes” the journey. The durable solution is a Church-wide pattern of constant and active formation, a deliberate post-sacramental deepening (mystagogia), and pastoral accompaniment that helps young people maintain belonging—especially through living out the faith in parish life amid real-world challenges.