Boston Archdiocese lowers confirmation age for young Catholics
BOSTON - Confirmation will happen earlier for young Catholics in the Boston area.
Cardinal Sean O'Malley recently announced that the Archdiocese of Boston is changing its confirmation age from 10th grade to eighth grade, when students are about 13 to 14 years old.
O'Malley said he has been consulting church leaders and families about the possible change for years, with the goal of strengthening young people's ties to the church.
"It is very heartening to know how much interest there is in increasing the participating of our young people in the Church," as this process has revealed," O'Malley wrote in a letter to pastors. "I believe the process itself also truly reflects the spirit of listening that Pope Francis has urged us to make a regular process of our life as an Archdiocese."
The change is expected to be implemented at local parishes in the next two to three years, O'Malley said.
A 2023 Gallup poll found that church attendance in the United States is lower than it was pre-pandemic. Another survey found that a third of all Americans say they are "spiritual" but not religious.
"I firmly believe that we will strengthen our 8th graders to handle the demands and challenges of adolescence by making the grace of this great Sacrament available to them," O'Malley said.