Should I Be a Confirmation Sponsor?

Issue: Having received an invitation to be a confirmation sponsor, how can a person decide whether to accept?

• is designated by the one to be confirmed, by the parents or the person who stands in their place, or in their absence by the pastor or minister
• has "the aptitude and intention" of fulfilling the function of sponsor
• meets the age requirement recognized in the diocese where the Confirmation takes place
• has been confirmed and has received the sacrament of Holy Eucharist
• leads a life of faith in keeping with the role to be undertaken
• is eligible to receive the sacraments and is not bound by any ecclesiastical penalty,
• and is not the mother or father of the child to be baptized.

Canon 893 also expresses the desire that "the sponsor chosen be the one who undertook this role at Baptism"—i.e., has served as godparent. This is not a requirement, but "expresses more clearly the link between Baptism and Confirmation and also makes the function and responsibility of the sponsor more effective." (Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, Rite of Confirmation, August 22, 1971, no. 5).

A Catholic may not be a sponsor for a non-Catholic confirmation. The Directory on Ecumenism states: "In the present state of our relations with the ecclesial Communities of the Reformation of the 16th century, we have not yet reached agreement about the significance or sacramental nature or even of the administration of the sacrament of Confirmation" (no. 101). These differences prevent a Catholic from being able to serve as a sponsor in a non-Catholic confirmation. The Church has pastoral reasons for this rule as well. The Directory on Ecumenism, no. 98, speaks of both baptism and confirmation:

It is the Catholic understanding that godparents, in a liturgical and canonical sense, should themselves be members of the Church or ecclesial Community in which the baptism is being celebrated. They do not merely undertake a responsibility for the Christian education of the person being baptized (or confirmed) as a relation or friend; they are also there as representatives of a community of faith, standing as guarantees of the candidate’s faith and desire for ecclesial communion.

As a representative of a community of faith, the sponsor either implicitly or explicitly affirms the faith of that community into which the candidate is being confirmed. Because non-Catholic understandings of confirmation do not harmonize with the Catholic understanding of confirmation, a Catholic could not in good faith assent to those beliefs. Because of the difference in beliefs and separation from the fullness of unity, the Catholic also could not fulfill the promise of helping the confirmand continue to grow in his own ecclesial community.

Even if a potential sponsor meets the requirements of canon law, personal considerations might encourage or discourage him from accepting the invitation. Such considerations include:

• Whether the potential sponsor is prepared to fulfill the duties of a confirmation sponsor. A sponsor becomes a spiritual parent to the confirmation candidate. The sponsor is to help guide the candidate in his faith.
       Sponsorship is a lifetime commitment. A sponsor should be prepared to pray for the confirmand regularly—not only prior to confirmation, but after confirmation. The sponsor might also consider whether he is prepared to maintain contact with the confirmand. (One catechist remarked that at the absolute minimum, the confirmand should be on the sponsor’s Christmas card list. Christmas cards, birthday cards, and confirmation anniversary cards, along with phone calls and visits, can be important elements in sustaining the relationship. Attending Mass together, along with participating in Church activities such as service projects, are other good ways of maintaining contact.)
• Whether the potential sponsor leads a life of faith that he would want the confirmand to imitate. Candidates for confirmation generally ask a person to sponsor them because they like and admire that person. Though every human being sins, in general does the potential sponsor lead a life that someone could imitate and not be led astray? Is the potential sponsor ready to answer (or find answers to) the questions the candidate might have about the faith and about life in general?
• Whereas a godparent doesn’t "know" the infant to be baptized, confirmation sponsorship generally builds on an existing relationship. This being the case, a potential sponsor can consider his present relationship with the candidate. Is it strong and healthy? Does it have the potential to continue to grow? Will the sponsor be able to guide and correct the confirmand, helping him to be a true witness to Christ?

Date created: 4/11/2006
Date edited: 10/10/2007