Confirmation Sponsor Information

Selecting a Sponsor for Confirmation:

Many of you will wonder who you should choose as a sponsor for your confirmation. It is desirable that one’s baptismal godparent also serve as one’s sponsor for confirmation. In doing this you are expressing more clearly the relationship between baptism and confirmation. In a real way the godparent’s role and responsibility as a sponsor is more effective.

Who is eligible to be a sponsor?
The Catholic Church requires the following of sponsor:

• You must choose your sponsor, and your sponsor must be willing to help you lead a Christian life in harmony with your baptism call and fulfill the obligations connected with it.
• Your sponsor must be at least 16 years of age.
• Your sponsor must be Roman Catholic, baptized and confirmed, and have received first communion.
• Your sponsor must be practicing his/her faith, that is, a faithful Catholic who attends Sunday Mass on a regular basis.
• If married, they must be married according to the regulations of the Catholic faith
• Your sponsor must be someone besides your parents. The church prefers that the godparents at baptism serve again as the sponsor at confirmation. You may choose as your sponsor, your brother, sister, godfather, godmother, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend, or neighbor who meets these requirements. Your parents, step-parents, foster parents, or guardians may NOT act as sponsors.

The Role of the Sponsor:

The sponsor is responsible for seeing that the one confirmed lives as a true witness to Christ and fulfills faithfully the obligations connected with the sacrament. On the day of the Confirmation the sponsors bring their candidates to receive the sacrament, present them to the bishop for anointing, and later help them fulfill their baptismal promises faithfully under the influence of the Holy Spirit whom they have received.

Suggested Ways to Support a Candidate

• Help the Candidate become aware of his or her reasons for receiving the sacrament of Confirmation.
• Help the Candidate understand and appreciate the sacrament of Confirmation, and have the right intention for receiving it.
• Help the Candidate prepare for Confirmation by encouraging him or her to pray, to participate in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, and to become actively involved in the life of their parish.
• Support the Candidate and their family, and be a good example of Catholic Christian living.
• Meet with the Candidate on a regular basis for Mass, prayer, faith-sharing, reading Scripture, and discussions about the Christian life.
• Help the Candidate understand what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
• Present the Candidate to the bishop for Confirmation.
• Ensure that the confirmed person behaves as a true witness of Christ and faithfully fulfills the obligations inherent in this sacrament.
• Continue to encourage the confirmed person to live a Catholic Christian life through: - prayer and the celebration of the sacraments - living the Gospel of Jesus Christ - turning to other Catholics for support and guidance - studying the Catholic Faith