May 19, 2026
To: ALL CHURCH WORKERS HOLDING THE BISHOP’S LICENCE
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
There is some misunderstanding concerning the Sacrament of Confirmation in our Diocese. Confirmation is still a sacrament practiced by the Province and the Diocese.
On Advent Sunday, 2024, the Province returned to the ancient practice of only requiring that a person be baptized in the name of the Trinity to be allowed to receive Holy Communion. Thus, the discussions prior to the shift were entitled “Baptism the gateway to Holy Communion.”
Baptism is what makes a person a member of Christ, a child of God and an inheritor of the Kingdom of heaven. As a member of the family of God, you should be allowed to participate in the family meal. In families, our children gather with us at mealtimes and share the food that nourishes them, long before they are conscious of the food they eat. Children who are baptized should be allowed to receive Holy Communion.
The position the Province has taken is that children will only receive communion on the advice of their parents. If parents want their children to be confirmed before receiving the sacrament, that is their right. Also, children under the legal age to receive alcohol should receive in one kind only, the host, and not be given the chalice.
In the past infant baptism became the norm. Later through the influence of the English reformers’ persons were only allowed to receive Holy Communion after being Confirmed. Confirmation was then seen (rather than baptism) as the rite of entry to the Communion table.
Confirmation is the sacrament for those who were baptized in infancy, and who come to ‘the age of reason’ and are desirous of making a public affirmation of their faith. It was never meant to be the gateway (giving permission) for Holy Communion.
It is still expected that congregations will have some form of christian formation, preparation, confirmation classes, for those desirous of making a commitment to Christ and His Church.
It is hoped that those who were baptized as infants and sustained by the grace of Christ through the Holy Communion will come to own Christ for themselves and become disciples. Their family along with the family of the Church have an important role to play in encouraging our youth to make a stand for Christ and His Church. When that happens, it is hoped that they will want to learn more and be equipped to be faithful witnesses for Christ.
Sincerely in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Leon P. Golding.
Bishop of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands
