Msgr. Kevin Irwin , research professor, theology, was quoted in an OSV article on dioceses moving confirmation ahead of first communion. See below.
From: Our Sunday Visitor Date: July 8, 2015 Author: Michelle Martin
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That's the way the Catechism of the Catholic Church orders them, that's the way it was done in the early Church, and that's the way it is done for those who enter the Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, said Msgr. Kevin Irwin, a professor of sacramental theology and liturgical studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
As a sacrament, confirmation is not something to be earned, Msgr. Irwin said, calling into question the need for written reports and service hours, as valuable as those things might be on their own terms.
"A sacrament is a gift from God given through the Church," he said. "You can't stand there and say you earned it."
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Read more about Msgr. Irwin's expertise.