Introductory Topics
       Home
       Frequently Asked Questions
       The RCIA Process
       Catholic Beliefs
Session Information
       Schedule
       Where We Meet
       Transcripts and Recordings
       Breaking Open the Word
Prayer Tutorial
       Introduction to Prayer Styles
       Prayer Texts
       Intercessory Prayer
       Liturgy of the Hours
       Reflection on Scriptures
       Journaling
       Meditation
Confirmation Resources
       Choosing a Name
       Choosing a Sponsor
       Annulments

Who can be a sponsor?

A sponsor is someone who can help you continue your journey in faith after the formality of the RCIA process ends. A sponsor is meant to be an ongoing spiritual companion in your lifelong journey of faith as a Catholic Christian. As such, the sponsor needs to be able to both relate well with you as a Catholic adult, and to help you learn more about how to live as a Catholic. 

Therefore, there are some requirements about who can be a Catholic. A sponsor must:

• be at least 16 years old - to journey with you as an adult, the sponsor needs to be mature in thought and have had enough life experience to be able to consult with you on life choices.
• be a fully initiated Catholic (have celebrated Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) - to journey fully with you as a Catholic, the sponsor needs to have engaged fully in that journey themselves.
• be someone who leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken and is not bound by any Church penalty - to mentor you on the Catholic Christian life, the sponsor needs to be a model of living that life.
• not be your parent - you already have a special, privileged relationship with your parents, and this needs to be respected as such and held apart from the relationship of sponsor. Relish this privileged relationship, and find an additional companion on your lifelong journey of faith.

In addition, if you've been baptized and your baptismal sponsor meets the above requirements, you are encouraged to choose your baptismal sponsor (your godmother or godfather) as your Confirmation sponsor. This ties baptism and confirmation together in their rightful relationship.

How can you best choose a sponsor?

• Reflect on who has nurtured your faith and perhaps your decision to fully enter the Catholic Church
• Think of someone in your life at home, work, or socially who is a model of how a person of faith lives in the world today
• Think of someone who is a guide, a confidant, a listener
• And most importantly, think of someone who will walk the faith journey with you after the RCIA process is complete. Being a sponsor is not a "one and done" event. A sponsor should be someone who can continue to engage with you throughout your lifetime.