49 people from across the Diocese of Salisbury were confirmed at Salisbury Cathedral last weekend (Saturday 16 May).
Ranging in age from nine to 75, the candidates were confirmed by the Rt Revd Karen Gorham, Acting Bishop of Salisbury, assisted by the retired Bishop of Exeter, the Rt Revd Robert Atwell. Confirmation is an important marker on someone’s journey to faith, as they commit their lives to following Jesus: the 49 new communicants - the highest for a confirmation service at the Cathedral since 2024 – took this step at the service surrounded by family, friends and supporters.
Six people, including young people, were baptised before confirmation. Many children are baptised (often called christened) as infants, when parents thank God for the gift of life and make a commitment to start the child on a journey of faith. Those who are not baptised as infants are baptised before making their own commitment to God through confirmation.
The confirmation service was also attended by a delegation from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Évreux in Upper Normandy, including Monseigneur Olivier de Cagny, Bishop of Évreux. The Diocese of Salisbury has been twinned with the Diocese of Évreux since the late 1980s, creating many opportunities for parishes and individuals to link up and enjoy exchange visits.A party of ten was in Salisbury for the weekend, sharing meals, rich conversation, discussions and listening marked by times of communal prayer, as well as attending the confirmation service and climbing Salisbury Cathedral’s tower.
The Rt Revd Karen Gorham said: “'It was wonderful to celebrate faith in the lives of so many people being confirmed. Candidates came from parishes across the diocese including Bradford on Avon, Weymouth and Pewsey, together with young people and staff from two schools, Dauntsey's in Devizes and Warminster School.
“As we moved through the Cathedral, the service was a tangible reminder of our journey with God, beginning with God's unconditional welcome, then baptism and confirmation, and ending with taking the light of Christ with us into the world. Confirmation has become a meaningful experience for many over the years, as a way of the whole Church affirming what God has done in a person's life, and praying that the Holy Spirit will be with them from that moment on.”
The high number of communicants on 16 May follows strong diocesan figures for 2025, which showed the highest number of confirmations since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 26% increase on 2024. A total of 497 candidates from Sherborne to Devizes and Purbeck to Stonehenge were confirmed in 2025, with the most significant growth in the 16-19 age group, which showed an increase of 71.4% compared to 2024.