Sponsors/Godparents
We would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and thank you for the integral role that you will play in this faith process. You have been chosen as a result of your example to others of someone who practices our faith in your daily life. The person whom you are sponsoring will look to you to help them explore various aspects of our faith on a one to one relationship. Through you relationship, you will be nurturing the faith of another and welcoming him or her to the Catholic Community in a truly personal manner.
A sponsor/godparent is a person of the Catholic faith who is a kind of companion to the one who wishes to become Catholic or to be confirmed in the Catholic faith (if already baptized Catholic).
The sponsor is someone who can support and guide the candidate on an ongoing basis, both during and after the RCIA process. By meeting regularly with the candidate; sharing his/her own experience of the Catholic faith with the candidate; answering the candidate’s questions about the faith; helping the candidate to feel welcome in the parish community by inviting the candidate to a meeting of a parish organization he/she belongs to, keeping the candidate informed about parish happenings, introducing candidate to some of sponsor’s friends at church, etc. Attending Mass with the candidate; attending RCIA meetings when possible; being available for the celebration of the Rites of the RCIA process.
Church Law has some minimum requirements for sponsors. These are:
 | must be designated by the one to be baptized/confirmed |
| must be at least 16 years of age |
| must be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist and leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken (attending Sunday Mass regularly, participating in the sacramental life of the Church, leading a moral life, etc.) |
| must not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared |
| may not be the father or the mother of the one to be baptized/confirmed |
| If married, marriage must be recognized as valid according to church law |
To be a sponsor in this Archdiocese, one must obtain from his/her parish of membership, a Sponsor Certificate (or Letter) which indicates that the person is eligible to be a sponsor, having met the above criteria of Church Law, and indicating that he/she is regularly practicing the faith.
The sponsor is welcome and encouraged to attend any sessions of the RCIA with his/her candidate, as well as to spend time with the candidate to help nurture his/her faith and be available to discuss questions, concerns, and help the candidate discern readiness for initiation.