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All Roman Catholics are encouraged to receive the sacrament of confirmation. All Orthodox Christians are required to receive the sacrament of chrismation, and do so immediately after their baptism or conversion.

In the West the sacrament is normally performed by a bishop or a priest he delegates. Since a bishop cannot be present at every infant baptism, this led to the custom of confirming larger groups of older children and young adults, so that confirmation took on something of the nature of a rite of passage, and an opportunity to affirm a personal commitment to the faith. In most cases those being confirmed have been receiving the Eucharist for several years

In the Eastern Church, i.e., in Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern-rite Catholic churches, the sacrament may be performed by a priest, and is usually conferred immediately after baptism; therefore, it is usually received by infants. After receiving this sacrament, the recipient is eligible to receive the Eucharist. In addition, Chrismation is used to admit converts who were originally baptized according to a Trinitarian formulaThe trinitarian formula is the phrase in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit , or words to that form and effect referring to the persons of the Holy Trinity. These words are quoted in literal conformity to a command of Jesus acc.

In both traditions, the sacrament is considered to bind the recipients more perfectly to the Church, and to enrich them with a special strength of the Holy Spirit (see Lumen GentiumOne of the principal documents of the Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium is the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church . The name means "light of the nations" in Latin and is from the first line of the document, as is customary with Catholic Church docume for the Roman Catholic interpretation).