Choosing a Confirmation Sponsor

Because of the connection between the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation, the Church encourages you to invite your godmother or godfather to be your Confirmation sponsor. “It is desirable that the one who undertook the role of sponsor (godparent) at Baptism be your sponsor at Confirmation” (Code of Canon Law, Canon 893).

Your godparent is encouraged but does NOT have to be your sponsor and should NOT be your sponsor if they do not meet the following requirements. Your sponsor cannot be one of your parents.  In order to be a valid sponsor, one must meet the following requirements:

• Baptized
• Legal canonical age (at least 16 years old)
• Received the sacrament of Confirmation in the Catholic Church
• Attend mass every Sunday and all Holy Days of Obligation
• Attends confession at least once a year
• Be a participating Catholic and in good standing with the Catholic church (living out Catholic dogma and doctrine)

Additional qualities to look for and consider when choosing a sponsor:

• A person of prayer and virtue
• A living witness to the Catholic faith
• Aware of their Christian duty to follow Jesus by serving others
• A person of honesty and integrity

Situations in which to NOT consider a person as a sponsor:

• Someone who is living with his/her boyfriend/girlfriend/fiancé has rejected the Church’s teaching that a sexual relationship is reserved to a man and woman united in Marriage.
• Someone who is in a same sex relationship or publicly supports same sex marriage is rejecting the Church’s teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman.
• Someone who supports the right to an abortion or euthanasia has rejected the Church’s teachings regarding the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.
• Someone who denies the need to support the poor and vulnerable in our communities, including the immigrant, is rejecting the Church’s Teaching regarding the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable.

In making your choice, you will also want to consider the following questions:

• Who will help me prepare for my Confirmation?
• Who will help me continue to grow as a Catholic after my Confirmation?

It is a privilege to be asked to be a Confirmation sponsor. The person you ask should recognize this and take it seriously. He/she should be your prayer partner and be your faith mentor leading up to Confirmation and long after you receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.