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When did the Ruthenian Church return to the practice of ministering all three holy mysteries of initiation together? I believe it was in the 90's...

Well, mostly the very early '90s...though a few priests were practicing it earlier, just quietly.

My youngest who, coincidentally, is 18 years old today (Happy Birthday, Tim!) was initiated as a Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic roughly 18 years ago (duh!). At that time (1990) he was baptized and chrismated, but not communed.

His older brother and sister were also baptized and chrismated, but not communed upon their initiations as well (1981 & 1983). In fact, I myself was baptized and chrismated but not communed upon my own initiation into the Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church (1951).

Al (a pilgrim)

Officially, I think it was in late 1996 early 1997. My son was the first on in our church to get all three at once. The infant before him only had baptism and confirmation (somewhere around August or September 1996).

My niece was baptized and confirmed, but did not receive the eucharist in August 1998 in the Parma eparchy. The poor girl hasn't seen the inside of a church since. But that's another story.

what was the practice in the past?

Baptism and Chrismation together, First Communion at eight years old like Roman Catholics.

Hmm... I wonder when this practice arose.

In the Roman Rite, it was not until Pope St. Pius X issued the decree Quam singulari [newadvent.org] that the age for First Holy Communion was lowered to around 7 years. Previously, one had to be confirmed first and this was not usually done until the age of 12. The Anglicans largely retained this practice until the 1980s.

There were, however, faculties given to priests in the far reaches of the Spanish Empire to confirm immediately after baptism. If I am not mistaken, these are still retained by the Roman clergy in the American Southwest.

Our former pastor spent time as an RC missionary in New Mexico. If I understood him correctly, in missionary territory, confirmation is done *very* young, but not at baptism. Toddlers,though . . .

I think it came up when I commented on his calm handling of the various escaping rugrats, and hims seeing it as nothing compared to a large class of two year olds . . .

Also, I believe that in a couple of RC countries (Philippines?) that infant confirmation is the norm.

hawk

"Also, I believe that in a couple of RC countries (Philippines?) that infant confirmation is the norm..."

Uhm, nope, no longer. However, when we were still under Spanish rule (1565-1898), we came under the permission extended to the Spanish empire's bishops to confirm even infants. Since the Spanish bishops rarely visited most of the parishes of their far-flung territories due to distance, primitive transportation and political sensitivities, they normally confirmed everybody who has to be confirmed -- from babies to adults who had grown up without ever seeing the bishop -- during their pastoral visits (if they managed to come!).

I myself was confirmed at the age of seven. It was such a low-key affair, a mere afterthought after First Holy Communion, that the Catholic school I studied in (and which held the mass confirmation) did not even bother to give me and my classmates Confirmation certificates.