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Two Parishes - One Faith

Choosing a Sponsor

Who Can Be a Sponsor?

The sponsor must be sufficiently mature, belong to the Catholic Church, and be initiated into the three sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.  He/she doesn’t need to be the same sex as the candidate, but CANNOT be the parent.

About the Sponsor

The support of the entire community is focused in the sponsor chosen by the candidate to be confirmed.  The introduction to the rite of Confirmation states: “Ordinarily, there should be a sponsor for each of those to be confirmed.  The sponsor presents the candidate to the minister for the anointing, and will later help the candidate to fulfill the Baptismal promise faithfully under the influence of the Holy Spirit.”  The introduction also indicates that the Godparents at Baptism can be the sponsors at Confirmation.  In this way, the relationship between Baptism and Confirmation is retained.

The sponsor should be someone who truly can support the candidate in the desire to believe in Jesus Christ and to live out that belief in daily life.  The sponsor must also be willing to challenge the candidate on un-Christian attitudes or actions, when that is necessary, and to pray with the candidate and encourage the candidate.  Practically speaking, this means that the sponsor must be someone with whom the candidate can have actual contact with during the preparation period. Additionally we recommend that he/she can attend some (or all) of the classes with the candidate.

Role of the Sponsor

The symbolic role of the sponsor is to be the representative of the adult community as well as an advocate for the candidate.  The ideal sponsorship is to be sought in persons who can actually accompany and assist the candidate in unfolding the gifts of the spirit in their own lives and bring this gift of maturity in the Christian community.