The Catholic Diocese of Columbus will allow children to get the confirmation sacrament at a younger age as the diocese Bishop tried to address young people leaving the church.
The Catholic Diocese of Columbus Bishop Earl Fernandes announced in a letter on the diocese's website that 4th graders ages 9 and 10 will be able to get confirmed. Confirmation is one of the seven sacraments for Catholics where a baptized person affirms their commitment to God and the Catholic Church.
Previously, the sacrament was typically offered to children between the ages of 12 and 16.
Fernandes wrote in his letter a committee made the decision through a two-year process as he believed there was an urgency to address the faith needs of children at an earlier age. He said the phenomenon of a child choosing to leave the Catholic faith altogether had become more commonplace at a younger age.
He said the church has seen "too high of an attrition rate of young people falling away from the church."
Fernandes said he also wants the church to move away from thinking of confirmation as a graduation of sorts for the Catholic faith.
"Children need to be exposed to the awe and wonder of God at a much earlier age and recognize their inherent value and worth as a child of God created in His image and likeness," Fernandes said.
Fernandes said the new confirmation process will be implemented over the next four years.
