Choosing a Confirmation Sponsor

What the Catechism of the Catholic Church says about Sponsors 

The role of a sponsor is to "see that the confirmed person acts a true witness to Christ and faithfully fulfills the obligations connected with this sacrament."

The sponsor must be selected based on the following criteria: 

• Must be chosen by the Confirmation Candidate;  
• Must be at least 18 years of age;  
• Must be a confirmed Catholic and already have received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion and lead a life in harmony with the Faith and the role of a sponsor as mentioned above;  
• Should not be the candidate's parent(s) 
• Must be in good standing with the Catholic Church; 

What does St. Augustine Church ask of a sponsor?

• To become a sponsor, complete the on-line form at this link  On line Sponsor Registration. 
• Pray for the candidate on a regular basis.  
• Attend church with them if possible. 
• Your sponsor should be someone with whom you feel comfortable talking about faith and religion. 
• The sponsor is invited to attend classes, but does not have to be present
• The sponsor must be present at the ritual practice session and the Rite of Confirmation 

What are the goals of sponsorship?

• Build a positive relationship with you.  
• Nurture, support and challenge your faith life.  
• Invest quality time with the candidate. 

What are some specific actions you and your sponsor can do together?

Here are some activities to begin the process of crossing paths together. Use these as starter ideas to learn to work together as Sponsor and Candidate.

• Without telling each other, find ways to discover each other’s Baptism anniversaries. 
• Call parents, relatives, etc. 
• Take a road trip together to some different churches to experience what is the same and what is different in different churches. 
• Individually interview different people at St. Augustine who are active members and compare notes. 
• Why are they doing the ministry they’ve chosen? How did they learn about that ministry? 
• Take a training class together (i.e. Conflict Resolution, CPR, Liturgical Ministry Training, etc.) 
• In preparation for any particular Sunday, read and study the Gospel reading ahead of time. Each of you try to come up with three specific resources you might use (or assets you might be required) to take action on what you feel that Gospel is asking us to do.