Confirmation Candidates tend to question Church authority and belief systems as they begin to connect their lived reality with the Catholic Tradition. A strong relationship with the sponsor can provide for the candidate to question their faith in a safe and supportive environment. Essentially, the sponsor mentors the candidate by supporting, listening, and challenging the candidate’s faith. A sponsor guides the candidate and gives firsthand experience of Catholic living.
You have been selected by a young person to share your faith and their life. They will come to know God more deeply as you share your own experiences of faith, of doubt, of insights and of prayers answered. Listening carefully and patiently will enable your candidate to feel safe and free in sharing what is really in their hearts and on their minds. Pray from your heart with them.
Sponsor Packets
Each candidate is expected to meet with his or her chosen sponsor throughout the year. Candidates and sponsors will work through a number of different packets. Topics include: Prayer and Spiritual Life, Witness, Service, Vocations, and the Nicene Creed, just to name a few. These packets provide opportunities for the sponsor and candidate to get to know each other, spend time together, have meaningful discussions, and ask questions about the Catholic faith. Be real. At the end of each packet is a Summary Sheet. Both the sponsor and the candidate are responsible for filling out this sheet. Once filled out, the Summary Sheets can be removed and turned in.
Important Dates for Sponsors this year:
March 11 Sponsor Packets Due and Service Summaries Due
April 10 Confirmation Rehearsal at
St. Francis of Assisi Parish 6:30-7:30 pm
St. Francis of Assisi Parish 6:30-7:30 pm
April 14 Sacrament of Confirmation at Mass at
St. Francis of Assisi Parish 2:30 pm.
St. Francis of Assisi Parish 2:30 pm.
St Francis of Assisi Church
1114 Third Street SE
Rochester, MN 55904
(507)288-7313
What is a Confirmation Sponsor?
SPONSORS ARE WITNESSES – Share your faith
To know someone who lives what he or she says they believe is a powerful witness for all of us. This knowledge is especially helpful for the young person who has chosen you as a guide in faith. As a witness, you might ask yourself, “Is this young man or woman I am sponsoring growing in their faith?” Then perhaps ask yourself, “What can I do to help this young person’s understanding of God and continued growth as a Catholic?”
SPONSORS ARE COMPANIONS – Be available and 'in the picture'
Being a sponsor means that you serve as a companion or guide. If you live close enough, you can be an integral part of this young person’s life. If you live far away, you can keep in touch with a phone call or note of reassurance as to your willingness to help whenever there is a need. Your job is to be an adult friend.
SPONSORS ARE ROLE MODELS
Before you begin to feel overwhelmed by such responsibility, remember you do not have to be perfect, no one is. Simply challenge yourself to be open to your own faith growth and put into practice what a life committed to faith requires. Being a sponsor is a journey you and this special young person take together. So your faith growth is important. You can do this by attending Liturgies and Prayer services together, attend the Sacrament of Reconciliation together and discuss the effects the Sacraments have on you in your life.
A SPONSOR PRAYS
Acting as a sponsor means humbly admitting that God can use you to touch the heart and shape the life and faith development of this young person. Prayer will remind you that you are not doing this alone. Prayer will keep you open to the very real movement of the Holy Spirit in everyday life. Pray for your candidate daily!
