Confirmation Gift Ideas that are Meaningful and Actually Wanted
In this post I will help you find the perfect Confirmation Gift for anyone in your life that will soon receive the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit.
You are probably here because you are attending an upcoming Confirmation or because you are a sponsor to a Confirmand and are looking for the best gifts for such an occasion. Having taught over 50 confirmation students, I came up with the following list of suggestions.
I put this list together from my own experiences, with a lot of research, and with prayer. This will help you in finding thoughtful gift ideas for those taking the important step of receiving Confirmation. These gifts are meant to be meaningful and significant, but not cheesy, which is often what I see when researching for Confirmation gift ideas.
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The Confirmation Gift for Anyone
Icon or Statue of Confirmation Saints, Mary, or Jesus
A great confirmation gift idea is to get the confirmand an icon or a statue of the saint they chose for Confirmation. This requires you to get in touch with the individual beforehand to ask them which saint they chose.
If you’re unable to find a good option of their chosen saint, a perfect alternative is the crucifix or an icon/wall art/statue of our Lord or Blessed Mother. You can never go wrong there.
I recommend something that is not too big and feels personal to them. Something that would fit on a night stand. Aim to get ones that are beautiful, detailed, and well made. I would avoid tacky cartoons or posters as well as those that resemble modern abstract art.
These images and statues are supposed to help draw one into prayer and emanate reverence. Below are a few suggestions of icons and statues that I find are timeless and evoke sacredness.
Recommendations:
Sacred Heart Image – Jesus made 12 promises to those who have a devotion to His Sacred Heart. One of the promises states that any place that has an image of His Heart exposed will be blessed. Jesus never breaks a promise so you can trust that this gift will be a source of grace. We all could use as many blessings and graces as possible in this current life to help us on our journey, so I am sure this gift will be most welcomed.
Our Lady of Smiles – This statue of Our Lady is a miniature replica of the same one that St. Therese of Lisieux had in her family. St. Therese coined the name Our Lady of Smiles. She was miraculously cured of her childhood illness, which just so happened to be when she saw a smile appear on the face of Our Lady. What I love about this statue is that it is unique compared to many other Marian statues. You can really feel the peace and gentleness from this image. Her billowing dress also exudes so much gracefulness, which I love.
Rosaries
Give the gift of a beautiful rosary. This will always be something I recommend. Whether or not it would be used daily I cannot guarantee, but at least they will have one in their arsenal for when the time is right.
I admit, the rosary was not something I was able to pray fully everyday (I could only do a few decades at a time) when I first reverted back to Catholicism but I know I would’ve cherished it if it were given to me.
“The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.”
–Pope Leo XIII
The list below are of companies that make beautiful and durable rosaries. Ones that are designed to last and hopefully even one day become a family heirloom. T
o make it even more special, you can have it blessed for them ahead of time by a priest. You can also touch the rosary to any first class relics you may have access to so that it becomes a third class relic. That way you’re tacking on even more significance to the rosary.
Characteristics to Look for in a Rosary
If you do not find any of the rosary below to your liking, here are some characteristics I have found to be important when looking for one. The ideal rosary would be held together with a durable paracord.
I suggest you avoid rosaries that are made with metal chains as those have never failed to break on me. The beads should be made of natural materials such as wood, metal, or stone.
I do not recommend rosaries made from plastic as those could feel cheap and just do not have a good feel in the hands. You’d want the rosary to have a bit of weight to it but not too much that it is cumbersome to carry around.
The rosary should also be malleable enough that it fits nice and comfortably in the palm of your hands. I’ve seen some that were so big and stiff that it would be difficult to compress and fit in one’s pocket. Also look for ones that are not too noisy when being used or carried around.
And lastly, I suggest you carry it in a pouch. This will increase the longevity of the rosary and protect it from any scratches or fraying.
Recommended Rosaries
The Catholic Woodworker – This is my absolute favorite place to get rosaries from. You can customize your own or buy their predesigned rosaries. I have never failed to get a good rosary from them. I only caution against getting the rosaries with colored or painted wooden beads as those will fade with use.
Rugged Rosaries – I have seen many people and priests with these rosaries. They are probably the most durable ones with a nice heftiness to it. I recommend all their corded rosaries. Their battle beads rosaries are beautiful but can be quite noisy. I recommend their paracord rosaries or their wooden/gem stone rosaries.
The Brown Scapular
Give the confirmand a scapular that is almost indestructible. My favorite comes from this company: Scapulars.
A scapular is a powerful sacramental and devotion that has many promises associated with it.
Given that you are in a state of grace and observe the requirements, Mary basically promises that if you die wearing one, you will not suffer the fires of hell. Who doesn’t want to ensure they are safe from hell?! A person needs only to be enrolled once in their lifetime by any priest.
Just be mindful to not use this as a superstitious talisman so that you can go about acting however you want. There are accounts of people who wear the scapular but are not in a state of grace and somehow at the moment of their death, the scapular had fallen off.
But there are also many stories on the miracles and power of the scapular that are very inspiring. You can read them from this link here and here.
I’ve bought more than ten from this company and have gifted it to many family and friends, who also love their scapulars. My husband and I wear their scapulars daily and it has lasted us for a few years at this point. We only take it off when we shower, go swimming, or exercising, otherwise we always are wearing them.
They are a bit pricier than what you typically see scapulars go for however, I find myself replacing it less often so it ends up costing less in the long run. I used to replace my $7 scapular every few months because they would rip easily.
Scapulars have a few designs you can choose from but my favorite ones are the regular sized brown ones. I also like that you can put medals inside the scapulars. We have a St. Joseph as well as a Miraculous medal in ours.
The Holy Bible
Another great Confirmation gift idea is to gift them their own personal Bible. This way they’re able to annotate and take notes however they’d like in it. A few suggestions are below:
The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
If you ever tried reading the Bible on your own from cover to cover, you will find yourself asking many questions. This Bible with annotation by the renowned Scott Hahn and his team was 25 years in the making. It can really help any young Catholic navigate the Bible. The annotations provide great historical context regarding the customs and traditions from that time period. From that, you are able to better understand what and why something is happening.
As Catholics, we do have to be careful which translation of the Bible we use. Other safe options are the The Douay Rheims Catholic Bible as well as The New American Bible.
Books for Consecration to Our Lady or St. Joseph
One also could not go wrong with either of the two books that will guide you in consecrating yourself to St. Joseph and Mary. As the two humans chosen by God specifically to raise His Son, you know you will have powerful intercessors on your side when you develop a devotion to Jesus’ earthly parents. Both books will help you to get a deeper understanding and grow in love for Mary and St. Joseph.
St. Louis de Montfort – True Devotion to Mary: Leather-bound or Paperback
Fr. Donald Calloway – Consecration to St. Joseph: Hardcover or Paperback
Gifts For Teens & Young Adults
Guide and Prayer Books
Below I’m recommending a few wonderful books, which would make great gifts to guide any confirmand through life. Fr. Lasance has numerous prayer books and is recognized and respected by many priests. His guide books are filled with wisdom that can help any Catholic in growing in faith and virtue.
Fr. Francis X. Lasance – The Young Man’s Guide
Fr. Francis X. Lasance – The Catholic Girl’s Guide
Medals – Crucifix, St. Benedict Medals, Miraculous Medals
Pendants
I was 13 when I received my Confirmation. My sponsor gifted me a beautiful dainty cross pendant that I still have and love to this day.
For girls, I think this is a wonderful Confirmation gift idea. It’s sentimental and will be a great reminder of their faith each time they see or wear them. I personally love and wear daily a gold necklace that has on it a Miraculous Medal and a Crucifix. It was gifted to me by my parents.
There are many available online in all price ranges. Look for one that has the style you like and has a good chain.
Saint Medals
For my first class of 30 students, I gave them each a gift of a St. Benedict medal that was encased in a keychain. I had them blessed but now that I know better, I should’ve asked for the special Benedictine blessing for them.
The girls received one that was encased inside a rose and the boys received one in the middle of a cross. They really loved it and were happy when I gifted it to them.
They were all between the ages of 12-16 so as they navigated their teenage years and head into their young adult lives, I wanted them to have this powerful sacramental.
This medal is said to protect from demons and evil. However, like all sacramentals, this is used as an aid in your life, not as a good luck charm or talisman.
Daily Mass Missals
If your confirmand is a young teen who usually attends the Latin Mass, chances are they share missals amongst their other siblings. A gift suggestion is to give them their very own missal for Mass.
A few great ones are suggested below. We’ve personally used them and found them to do the job just right. A great resource is the Latin Mass Helper store. It is ran by a lovely young couple and I have found their prices to be extremely competitive with other stores online.
I was surprised by the personal note and prayer that they included in my latest purchase. It was such a sweet gesture and I love supporting their business.
The two Missals I recommend and personally have used are the Fr. Lasance Daily Missal and the St. Andrew Daily Missal.
You can easily find both missals on their site as well as missal covers to go along with the one you choose accordingly. I have a missal cover on mine and that not only ensures its condition and longevity, I also am able to store all my prayer cards in there. It prevents them from constantly falling out between the pages.
Catholic Apparel/Merch
Last but not least, I think a subtle Catholic merchandise would make a wonderful Confirmation gift for any hip individual. Ones that are not so in your face and obnoxious.
Some of my favorites come from a shop on Etsy called Saintwave. I think some of their designs are quite clever and aesthetically pleasing yet still give honor to our faith. There are a few that are also pretty witty and funny.
The store has a few shirts that are saint specific so if you’re able to find the confirmand’s Confirmation saint, that would be a perfect gift idea.
This is my comprehensive list of gifts that I believe anyone receiving the sacrament of Confirmation would appreciate and actually want. As always, these are just suggestions and my own opinions. I would love to hear about any other gift ideas you may have or of any gift you received and loved from your Confirmation. Feel free to leave a comment down below!
Yours in Christ,
A & D