What is the role of a Confirmation Sponsor?
Just as sponsor for baptism takes upon himself/herself the responsibility of helping the newly baptized person mature in the living a Christian life and offers his or her own life and practice of the faith as an example of faith, prayer and service within the Catholic Church, the Sponsor for Confirmation continues that work for the person who is to be confirmed. The Sacrament of Confirmation also creates a strong spiritual bond between the one who is confirmed and the sponsor. The sponsor should be committed to trying to be a part of the confirmandi’s life by presence and prayer always realizing that a sponsor’s prayers for that person are especially efficacious before Almighty God. One’s “yes” to be a sponsor for Confirmation is not just a “yes” to the candidate, but also a serious commitment to God in taking on this obligation.
What are the requirements of the Church for being a Confirmation sponsor?
- A sponsor must be someone other than the parent of the one to be confirmed.
- A sponsor must have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.
- A sponsor must be at least 16 years of age and may be male or female regardless of the sex of the candidate.
- A sponsor must be leading a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken; therefore, if married, must be married in the Church and if single, must be striving to live a chaste life and therefore cannot be living with a person outside of marriage.
- A sponsor must be a practicing Catholic, registered in a parish, who regularly attends Mass on Sundays and Holy Days and receives the Holy Eucharist.
Students will provide the name of their sponsor by end of October. All sponsors must attend a sponsor class to be held in the fall of the first year of the program. If sponsor resides in another state a letter from the parish confirming attendance to a similar class will be required.