Duties of a Confirmation Sponsor

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Crazy question:

I homeschool my children, one of whom just received the sacrament of Confirmation. Needless to say, I am also the Catechism teacher for all my children in addition to the other subjects. My daughter completed all her volunteering hours for church, community and home and was confirmed this past October. No problem.

However,*** I ***was just asked to be a Confirmation Sponsor for another fellow homeschooler and have NO CLUE what ***I ***need to do for her. I did everything with my daughter and didn’t ask her sponsor to do anything with volunteering, etc.

Is it my role to take this homeschooler to volunteer, to Confession, and Church, etc? I just assumed that role fell to the parent. Of course, I would provide her with Catholic guidance and buy her religious books, etc. But are there any other duties I must perform as a sponsor? Thank you in advance!

Peace.

+JMJ+
 
jmj777 said:
Crazy question:

I homeschool my children, one of whom just received the sacrament of Confirmation. Needless to say, I am also the Catechism teacher for all my children in addition to the other subjects. My daughter completed all her volunteering hours for church, community and home and was confirmed this past October. No problem.

However,*** I ***was just asked to be a Confirmation Sponsor for another fellow homeschooler and have NO CLUE what ***I ***need to do for her. I did everything with my daughter and didn’t ask her sponsor to do anything with volunteering, etc.

Is it my role to take this homeschooler to volunteer, to Confession, and Church, etc? I just assumed that role fell to the parent. Of course, I would provide her with Catholic guidance and buy her religious books, etc. But are there any other duties I must perform as a sponsor? Thank you in advance!

Peace.

+JMJ+
Click to expand...
Well, your main duty is to put your hand on her shoulder when she is confirmed. 😃

Mostly, your duties consist of preparing her for Confirmation, and answering her questions about being a Catholic in life and about the Faith. If she has a question that you can’t answer, please ask someone else for an answer. Do not just guess an answer. You should of course buy her Catholicism-related books if her parents are unable to.

You should teach her the importance of going to Mass, Confession, etc. But, it’s the parent’s role to ensure they go.

You must also set a good example for her. Fulfill your duties as a Catholic. Attend Mass weekly, go to Confession often, and volunteer if able. You must also keep her in your nightly prayers. Praying for her doesn’t stop after she is chrismated. You must always keep her in your prayers. Be prepared to offer spiritual guidance to her, even after Confirmation.

It is also customary to buy the confirmed a gift (a Rosary is usual) that they may treasure for the rest of their life.
 
As I see it your primary duty is to be an example of Catholic Christian living - and the hand on the shoulder at Confirmation, as bben15 posted. The other stuff you list are her/his parents’ responsibility unless the parish wants you present at specific sessions before & after. Of course you could offer to help if they’re stuck for a ride or such.
 
I was recently a Confirmation sponsor for a young lady who I have known for several years, and whose parents are friends of ours. Since I don’t live in the same country as she did, I was not able to be physically present during her time of preparation. I tried to help her by sharing with her interesting quotes from the Church fathers about the Holy Spirit by e-mail, and by sending her little booklets about the Holy Spirit which I found on the TAN website. I also let her know that I was praying for her everyday. She and I both said the Novena to the Holy Spirit in the days going up to her Confirmation day. I was present for the actual ceremony, and I tried to give good example by going to confession with the class. After the rehearsal her pastor wisely talked to the students about the importance of being prepared to receive the sacrament of Confirmation by being in the state of grace. He arranged for three priests to be present to hear confessions. I was so impressed by this priest! A large number of the kids took advantage of this opportunity. For a gift, I gave her a St. Joseph Sunday Missal with her name printed on the cover, and a beautiful rosary. Most importantly I still pray for my Confirmation “goddaughter” everyday. I gave her an apologetics book written for teenagers for Christmas. Her parents are devout and faithful Catholics, and I try to support them when I am talking to my young friend. Sometimes young people need to know that other adults, who they respect, agree with what their parents say and do. Congratulations on being asked to be a Confirmation sponsor. It is a wonderful opportunity to help a young person grow in their faith.
 
According to the book Catholicism for Dummies, the same requirements for Baptism are canonically identical for Confirmation. The sponsee can pick their own sponsor. That person can be their godmother or godfather or someone else, as long as they are a practicing Catholic. They must also be over the age of 16, already confirmed and in good standing with the Church. One person can sponsor two people but after two, there has to be a grave necessity. It is up to the minister of that particular occasion to allow one person to sponsor a few at one time (the Jesuits in North America is an example of one person sponsoring a few at one time).

I found five conditions listed for both Baptism and Confirmation sponsors in Prummer. here they are:
  1. Must be a Baptized person.
  2. He or she cannot be excommunicated or under interdict or a heretic or schismatic nor be excluded in any way from the Church nor be a deposed or degraded cleric.
  3. The sponsor cannot be the father or mother.
  4. The sponsor must have been assigned.
  5. The sponsor must be there at the Confirmation and attend to the sponsee.
Other stuff listed in the same book is this:

Lawful sponsorship also notes that the person sponsoring must have the rudiments of the faith down pat.
Nor can the sponsor be a novice or professed religious unless there is urgent need and there must be express permission given by the religious superior.
The sponsor cannot be in Sacred Orders unless he has received permission from his Ordinary (again the Jesuit Missions here are good examples).
Sponsor should be of the same sex too, unless there is a good reason for otherwise.

Here’s something too which I’ll quote because it so interesting: “Spiritual relationship ensues from Confirmation between subject and sponsor, whereby the sponsor must see to the Christian education of th godchild and must have a perpetual care for him,” Prummer, 582.

There ensues a spiritual bond that lasts. Oh what a privilege to be apart of all that God wills for those being Confirmed. You are blessed.

Glenda
 
glendab said:
According to the book Catholicism for Dummies, the same requirements for Baptism are canonically identical for Confirmation. The sponsee can pick their own sponsor. That person can be their godmother or godfather or someone else, as long as they are a practicing Catholic. They must also be over the age of 16, already confirmed and in good standing with the Church. One person can sponsor two people but after two, there has to be a grave necessity. It is up to the minister of that particular occasion to allow one person to sponsor a few at one time (the Jesuits in North America is an example of one person sponsoring a few at one time).

I found five conditions listed for both Baptism and Confirmation sponsors in Prummer. here they are:
  1. Must be a Baptized person.
  2. He or she cannot be excommunicated or under interdict or a heretic or schismatic nor be excluded in any way from the Church nor be a deposed or degraded cleric.
  3. The sponsor cannot be the father or mother.
  4. The sponsor must have been assigned.
  5. The sponsor must be there at the Confirmation and attend to the sponsee.
Other stuff listed in the same book is this:

Lawful sponsorship also notes that the person sponsoring must have the rudiments of the faith down pat.
Nor can the sponsor be a novice or professed religious unless there is urgent need and there must be express permission given by the religious superior.
The sponsor cannot be in Sacred Orders unless he has received permission from his Ordinary (again the Jesuit Missions here are good examples).
Sponsor should be of the same sex too, unless there is a good reason for otherwise.

Here’s something too which I’ll quote because it so interesting: “Spiritual relationship ensues from Confirmation between subject and sponsor, whereby the sponsor must see to the Christian education of th godchild and must have a perpetual care for him,” Prummer, 582.

There ensues a spiritual bond that lasts. Oh what a privilege to be apart of all that God wills for those being Confirmed. You are blessed.

Glenda
Click to expand...
The Dummies book seems to impose things the Church doesn’t.

Since the Church recommends that the sponsor be one of the godparents, to maintain the connection between Baptism and Confirmation, and since there is no requirement or suggestion that if you only use one sponsor at Baptism he/she should be of the same sex as the child, the sex of the Confirmation sponsor would not seem important.
 
Thank you so much for all of your responses! You put everything into perspective that I hadn’t given much thought to previously. God bless!

+JMJ+
 
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