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A sponsor for Confirmation is someone who takes their faith seriously and is willing to walk with the Candidate on this journey to recieve the sacrament and grow in their personal relationship with Jesus. Ideally, the sponsor should to reside locally and cannot be a boyfriend/girlfriend but someone further along in the faith that the student looks up to and is willing to learn from. They need to be available to meet with the student once a month for the proximate preparation large group meetings. If the student and sponsor cannot make the large group meetings, the sponsor would contact Rachel to be trained to go through the material one-on-one as the mentor.
Sponsor Eligibility
There are some basic requirements, established by the Church, which a person must fulfill to be accepted as a sponsor. He/she must:
- Be an active, practicing and devoted Catholic in good standing as a member of a Catholic parish
- Have received the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation)
- Be at least 17 years of age
- Not be prohibited by the Church law from exercising the role of sponsor
- Not be the candidate's parent (per Canon law)
Additionally:- There is no gender restriction; the sponsor can be male or female for any candidate.
- Only one sponsor per candidate; you cannot "officially" have more than one. Only one seat will be saved for the day of your confirmation but if you choose to meet with a couple, or use both your godparents, that's fine. Only one will be recorded and only one will sit with you and go up with you during the Confirmation Mass.
- Please don't share a sponsor, especially between related candidates. Each child must have their own sponsor.
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The Role of the Sponsor
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Jesus instructed His apostles for three years before sending the Holy Spirit to empower them and make them formal members of His Church and send them out to make “disciples of all nations.” The sponsor is in charge of instructing the candidate and making sure he is ready to be a follower of Christ and get him ready to receive the power of the Holy Spirit to live the Gospel of Christ and share it with others.
he sponsor represents Jesus. The sponsor represents the Catholic Church.
He is in charge of helping the candidate to join this Church, which is the vehicle, founded by Jesus Himself to help us pursue holiness and reach our final destination: heaven. Promoting the Catholic Church by showing the candidate all it offers is an essential part of the role of the sponsor.The sponsor represents the community.
He is in charge of helping the candidate feel welcome as a new adult member and to become an active and joyful member of the community. The sponsor must help the candidate to see that being in community helps him to live a Christian life and to find good friends and peers who love and serve the Lord. He must promote the sacraments, the community prayers and community activities including the participation in youth group.
The sponsor must be a spiritual companion to the candidate in his journey toward receiving the sacrament.
He must not look at his role as just a temporary assignment but as a lasting spiritual relationship with the candidate, which must go beyond the confirmation ceremony. The ideal situation is that the sponsor becomes a spiritual godparent and feels responsible for the spiritual life of the candidate for as long as circumstances permit. He must be a counselor, a guide and a role model. He must also be a prayer warrior and intercessor for the candidate. -
Recommended books
LIVE Youth Bible Catholic edition, NRSV
Catholic Youth Bible, NABRE
Breath of God: Living a life led by the Holy Spirit by Fr. Dave Pivonka
Your Life in the Holy Spirit: What every Catholic needs to know by Dr. Alan Schreck
Youcat: Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church
Docat: Catholic Social Teaching for Youth
Youcat Confirmation book Leader's Guide (student book also available)
Youcat Youth Prayer Book -
Contact Us
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Rachel Smythrachel.smythctrcc.comDirector of Youth Evangelization and Catechesis
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