Can you dumb it down further, what does it mean?
Confirmation is one of the 7 Sacraments and the second of the three Sacraments of Initiation which mark entry into the Church. At Confirmation a Bishop or Priest anoints the forehead of a person with Oil of Chrism and says a prayer to call down the Gifts of the Holy Spirit upon the person as a Solider of Christ. This Sacrament used to be given right after Baptism but in the Western Church is now given at 8, 13 or 16 depending where you are in the world. Mine was at 16. In practice it serves as the last time many young people will spend with the Church. The preparation is a lot do you got to find a Sponsor, do yet more Catechism, go on a retreat, write a letter to the Bishop, and talk with your pastor. As Catholics we earn our parties.
This is what the Priest was saying. I am a proud liberal Catholic who uses the new rite so mine was different.
N., signo te signo crucis + et confirmo te chrismate salutis, in nomine Patris + et Filii + et Spiritus + Sanct
N., I sign thee with the sign + of the Cross, and I confirm thee with the chrism of salvation; in the Name of the Father + and of the Son + and of the Holy + Ghost.
I think it's a lower ranked person but a more fancy sounding performance? I imagine if it was done by a higher ranked person than usual then that would make it extra honorable, but are lower ranked people even authorized to do it?
No, Confirmation is equally valid with a Priest but in the Western Church it was usually reserved to the Bishop for reasons.
Do people usually go to the bishop because it has to be the bishop or because it's preferable to get a bishop ranked ceremony when possible?
The Bishop would come to the Parish usually the main reason being is a Bishop is suppose to visit each Parish once a year and this kills two birds with one stone.
Coming from a place of ignorance, this just reminds me that he was born a new and it makes me think of jews learning Hebrew to do their worship. They work hard to show their faith, but then it turns out to be form over substance when they set up their eruvs.
Confirmation is more about making the commitment to live a Christian life for yourselves rather than your parents at your Baptism.
I thought literally everyone hates this current pope and doesn't give a shit what he decrees?
Pope Francis approval rating is higher than Trump's or Biden's. As for ignoring the decree a few Bishops are banning the Trads most don't give a shit and have dispensed the decree which they're allowed to do it isn't necessarily an insult. It really comes down to how ideological the Bishop is and how much a pain in the ass the trads have been. My Bishop just let the status qua continue but disallowed expansion without his approval. Keep in my trads are <1% of American Catholics and 99% of the problems.
