They’re the same sacrament. Chrismation is what the Orthodox Church calls the mystery that Western Christians call Confirmation, both are the anointing with holy oil that seals a person with the gift of the Holy Spirit.
But here’s where things get different. In the Orthodox Church, we don’t wait. Chrismation happens immediately after baptism, whether you’re three months old or thirty years old. The priest baptizes you, then anoints you with chrism, and you usually receive communion at that day’s Divine Liturgy. All three mysteries happen together because they’re meant to be together.
In the Catholic Church (and many Protestant churches that practice confirmation), there’s a gap. You get baptized as a baby, then confirmed years later, often around middle school or high school. That separation developed gradually in the West over several centuries. Bishops wanted to reserve the laying on of hands for themselves, and as dioceses got larger, it became impractical for bishops to be present at every baptism. So confirmation got pushed back.
We kept the ancient pattern. The priest does it all at once.
What Actually Happens
During chrismation, the priest anoints you with holy chrism, a fragrant oil consecrated by the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople. He anoints your forehead, eyes, nostrils, mouth, ears, chest, hands, and feet. At each anointing he says, “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
That word “seal” matters. It’s not just symbolic. The Holy Spirit marks you as belonging to Christ, equips you for Christian life, and makes you a full member of the Church. You can’t receive communion without it. An infant baptized and chrismated at St. Michael receives the Eucharist right away, the Body and Blood of Christ on a spoon, just like everyone else.
The chrism itself is special. It’s not something you pick up at the store. The oil contains balsam and various fragrances, and it’s consecrated through lengthy prayers. In our Antiochian tradition, the Ecumenical Patriarch in Constantinople consecrates the chrism, and it reaches parishes through the bishop. When that oil touches you, the Church’s prayer and the Holy Spirit’s power come together.
What This Means for Converts
If you were baptized in another church, Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, whatever, by immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity, you may be received by chrismation rather than baptism. If you were not baptized by immersion in the name of the Holy Trinity, you will be baptized. The bishop and the priest decide each case, and Fr. Michael can talk with you about your situation. Even if you were confirmed as a Catholic or Episcopalian, you’ll be chrismated when you enter the Orthodox Church.
Some folks find this confusing. “But I was already confirmed!” Yes, and we honor that. But chrismation isn’t just about the Holy Spirit coming to you personally. It’s also about being joined to this particular Body, the Orthodox Church. Think of it as the Church’s way of saying, “Welcome home. You’re one of us now.”
Someone who grew up in a Baptist or Catholic church, who loves Jesus and knows the Bible backward and forward, stands before the priest while the priest anoints them with chrism. It’s not a do-over. It’s a completion. Everything good and true they received before is honored, but now they’re being grafted fully into the ancient vine.
Why It Matters
The way we do chrismation says something about how we understand the Christian life. We don’t think of it as something you work up to or earn. A baby can’t make a decision for Christ or pass a catechism test, but that baby can receive the Holy Spirit. God acts first. Always.
And we don’t separate the mysteries because we don’t separate the Christian life into stages, first you’re baptized, then you’re confirmed, then you’re really Christian. No. You’re baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, sealed with the Spirit, and fed with Christ’s Body and Blood. All at once. That’s Christian initiation, complete.
For those of us who came into the Church as adults, this matters. You don’t spend years waiting to be fully part of things. The same day you’re received, you commune. You’re in.
If you’re preparing to be received into the Orthodox Church, you’ll go through catechism classes and learn the faith. You’ll meet with the priest and ask your questions. But when the day comes, it won’t be a graduation ceremony where you finally arrive. It’ll be the Church opening her arms and saying what she’s always said: “The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And then you’ll come forward with everyone else to receive the Eucharist, holding your candle, and you’ll be home.
