Originally posted by incognitus:
To Michele's question: Although the Roman Catholics do in fact annoint the baptized with Holy Chrism, they don't regard this as the sacrament of confirmation (and I don't understand it either, but never mind). Thus the child should indeed be chrismated anew.
Incognitus
An RC priest has told me that over time, the order of baptism, 1st communion, and confirmation has gotten badly out of order. He admits that originally they were all done together, just as it is in the East and that the use of chrism at baptism is a remnant of that. He also added that Pius X's emphasis on communion for children was when 1st communion started occuring before confirmation.
