Confirmation Sponsor Eligibility Duties & Responsibilities

Confirmation Sponsor Eligibility Duties & Responsibilities
The sponsor for a Confirmation candidate is meant to provide spiritual help to the candidate (Catechism 1311). He or she should be willing to serve as a strong and lasting Christian influence on the candidate. The sponsor enters into a spiritual relationship with the candidate and acts as a spiritual parent and mentor. Therefore, it is both a great blessing and a responsibility to commit to the role of a sponsor.
Each candidate may choose only one sponsor; it may be either a man or a woman. A sponsor takes on a life-long commitment to help their candidate persevere in the Faith. According to the Code of Canon Law (892), “The sponsor is to take care that the confirmed person behaves as a true witness of Christ and faithfully fulfills the obligations inherent in this sacrament.” The Church states that it is desirable that the sponsor would be one of the person’s godparents; however, this is not a requirement (893, §2). The sponsor needs to be a registered member of a Catholic parish in order to get the Sponsor Certificate of Eligibility signed by the pastor. Moreover, a sponsor must have intellectual and physical facilities to be a sponsor.
According to Canon 874, a sponsor must meet the following criteria:
- Must be 16 years old or older - Must have received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist - Must not be a parent of the one to be confirmed
This canon (874, §1, 1) also states that the sponsor must lead “a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on.” Therefore, the following persons are not eligible to act as a sponsor:
- Persons married outside the Catholic Church - Persons who miss Sunday Mass and Holydays of Obligation and/or consider Sunday
Mass and Holy days of Obligation optional - Persons cohabiting without the benefit and grace of Catholic marriage - Persons who neglect the religious education of their children - Individuals who neglect to fulfill their “Easter Duty” that is, Communion at least once a
year during the Easter season and Confession once a year if in the state of mortal sin - Those who give public scandal in any way
In the event that the sponsor cannot attend the Confirmation liturgy in person, a proxy, explicitly designated by the sponsor, who fulfills the above qualifications, may stand in for the sponsor during the liturgy. If the Confirmation candidate has a proxy, he or she must notify the Religious Education Office in advance. A parent may not be a sponsor, though they may act as the proxy if the sponsor cannot attend.

Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church 46639 Algonkian Parkway Potomac Falls, VA 20165
Confirmation Sponsor Certificate of Eligibility Due: January 12, 2018

I have been asked to be a Sponsor for the Sacrament of Confirmation for the following individual: ________________________________________________

I have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.

I am a practicing Catholic; I attend Mass faithfully on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, fulfill my Easter duty, and live up to the moral teachings of the Catholic Church.

If married, I am validly married in the Catholic Church.

I am aware of the serious responsibility of being a sponsor and I promise to give support to the person I am sponsoring by my prayer, and by the Christian example of my daily life.

I am 16 years of age or older.

I am a registered and participating member of the following parish:

_______________________________ _______________________________

Parish Name

Parish City & State

Sponsor’s Signature: ________________________________________________

Sponsor’s Printed Name: _____________________________________________

I certify, to the best of my knowledge, that the above-mentioned person is eligible to be a sponsor.

Pastor’s Signature: __________________________________Date: ______________

PARISH SEAL (must be present):