To mark Temperance Sunday and the Lenten season, Armagh Archdiocese Auxiliary Bishop Michael Router welcomed the rewording of Ireland’s traditional Confirmation Pledge to explicitly include vaping and cigarette smoking. The renewal comes directly from feedback from school pupils to the Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative.
Router, who is liaison bishop with the Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative, said in his Feb. 15 Temperance Sunday message: “I warmly welcome the rewording of the Confirmation Pledge to explicitly include vaping and cigarette smoking, alongside alcohol and illicit drugs. This development reflects a thoughtful and prayerful response to the lived realities of young people today.”
In Ireland, the pledge has been a feature of confirmation since the 1930s. Every year, around 40,000 young people receive the sacrament of confirmation. The news of the pledge renewal has attracted mainstream media interest in Ireland.
Router explained to EWTN News the specific concerns about vaping: “The main impetus would have come from the worsening situation in regards to drugs and alcohol abuse in Ireland over the past number of years. The Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative facilitator … goes around to schools and parishes delivering vital education on drugs, particularly. And in his rounds of schools, he was beginning to get questions from students themselves about vapes.”
He added: “They were becoming aware of the addictive nature of them and the destructive side effects that were happening. Parents began contacting us as well, looking for information. We had a couple of heartbreaking stories about teenagers who have developed psychosis and depression and even suicidal ideation as a result of using some of these vapes.”
As a result of these concerns, the Irish Bishops’ Drugs Initiative was instrumental, along with other bodies, in having the vaping substance hexahydrocannabinol (HHC) banned in Ireland.
Router explained to EWTN News that the pledge came into being in Ireland because of the widespread abuse of alcohol in the 19th century and the early 20th century.
“It was formally linked with confirmation from the 1930s onwards, and it was very successful in countering alcohol abuse. We wanted to relaunch the pledge because it had fallen into abeyance a little bit across the country. We wanted to give it a new push and to add in things that are answering some of the challenges that young people have today.”
The bishop said in his Temperance Sunday message: “The renewed Confirmation Pledge ensures that this long-standing tradition remains relevant and meaningful. It offers young people a moral framework and spiritual support as they navigate adolescence, while situating personal choice within the wider context of family, faith, and community. Addiction thrives in isolation. By involving families, schools, parishes, and the wider faith community, the pledge becomes a shared commitment to support and hope.”
Router stressed to EWTN News the importance of education and understanding for young people to respond meaningfully to substance misuse.
“Education is hugely important. Drug use is everywhere. It’s in every small village, in every rural area, in every city, and in every town in the country. And it’s so easy to access. We have a module for schools and parishes to educate young people at that age about the dangers involved.”
He explained that this education program is open to all, whether they intend to take the pledge or indeed are being confirmed or not.
Router highlighted in the wording of the pledge the importance of family support and positive peer pressure: “The new wording of the pledge says I will listen to you and respect my parents and guardians who care for me and want to keep me safe. I will support my friends and peers in making good and healthy choices too.”
In his message, Router invited the faithful in Ireland to pray for those who struggle with addiction, to support families and communities affected by its consequences, and to renew their commitment to building a culture of care and moderation.
“Addiction, in its many forms, continues to exact a devastating toll on individuals, families, and communities. The human cost, seen in suffering, broken relationships, mental and physical health problems, criminality, and social upheaval, is beyond calculation. Yet the Gospel calls us away from despair and condemnation to compassion and accompaniment.”
Router told EWTN News that with other countries experiencing similar drugs, substance and alcohol abuse, the pledge in Ireland could inspire other initiatives.
“I think other countries definitely could learn from that, and it might be a moment to educate. This is a moment when young people take it seriously and are willing to listen to the issues and whatever information you have to offer. Couple that with the gifts of the Holy Spirit that they receive, you have a real opportunity to make an impression that we pray will stay with them through their adolescent years.”
Router pointed to the historic work of the Pioneer Total Abstinence organization in promoting temperance in Ireland. “Huge numbers of people became members of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association from the ’30s into the ’70s and I think a lot of that was to do with the pledge. It’s been kind of neglected a little bit in recent decades. Hopefully, with a new focus on it and a wider reach, it may help to counter the problems we are facing at the moment.”
Here is the new wording of the Confirmation Pledge:
Dear God,
Because I want to live a good and happy life with you,
I promise not to drink alcohol until I am at least 18 years of age.
Help me not to use drugs, vapes, cigarettes,
or anything that could harm my body or mind.
I will listen to and respect my parents and guardians,
who care for me and want to keep me safe.
I will support my friends and peers in making good and healthy choices too.
O Holy Spirit, give me the strength, courage, and joy to keep this promise every day.
Amen.
