SACRAMENTAL SPONSORSHIP
IN THE
Considerations for all
actual or potential sponsors for Baptism and/or Confirmation
What does it mean to be a
sponsor?
“Sponsor” derives from a Latin verb
meaning “to pledge oneself to,” “to promise solemnly,” or “to engage.” In a legal context it can mean “to be a
security for,” or to “go bail for” a person.
Interestingly enough, that verb is also the root of the word “spouse”;
this etymological connection offers a meaningful and challenging perspective of
the marital relationship.
Sacramental sponsorship
possesses the weight of an oath, just as a sacrament does. Godparents and Confirmation sponsors testify—swear—to the truth, goodness, and
beauty of the Catholic Faith.
What do sponsored persons want?
+ Eternal life with the Trinity in heaven
+ An earthly life of holiness—goodness,
devotion, and obedience to God’s commandments and the precepts of the
Church—that prepares him or her for eternal life with the Trinity in heaven
+ A sponsor who offers the prayerful and active witness that the
sponsored person so needs and deserves.
If you have been asked to
sponsor someone for Baptism or Confirmation, you ought to ask yourself these
questions:
+ Do I testify to the truth, goodness, and
beauty of the Catholic faith by my actions and words?
+ Do I strive each day to obey the Commandments
of God and the precepts of the Catholic Church?
The Ten
Commandments are generally well known (cf. Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy
5).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
(paragraphs 2041-2043) lists five precepts:
1. You shall attend Mass on
Sundays and on holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
2. You shall confess your sins
at least once a year.
3. You shall receive the
sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
4. You shall observe the days
of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
5. You shall help to provide
for the needs of the Church.
Note on #1: Potential sponsors
need to acquire a letter from their parish testifying to their suitability for
sacramental sponsorship. Individuals who
have moved away from their parish for whatever reason (often because of school,
work or marriage) are asked to register in the parish in whose boundaries they
live, and to become active participants in that parish.
Note on #3: Persons who are
married “outside the Church” (i.e. without the Catholic Church’s permission)
are unable to receive the Eucharist, and therefore are ineligible to be sacramental
sponsors. Ask your parish priest or
deacon about how the situation may be rectified.
If you already happen to be a sacramental sponsor
and you continue to fulfill these requirements, keep up the good work! If you are a sacramental sponsor but are not
fulfilling these requirements, start to fulfill them, one at a time (we
suggest that you start with #1 above). If you have been asked to sponsor someone
for Baptism or Confirmation, but you do not meet these criteria at the time
of the request, please spare yourself and others a great amount of grief and
respectfully decline. You cannot
honestly present yourself for this role unless and until you bear witness to
the Catholic Faith as described above.
Ineligible persons may think that the Church is
levying a personal judgment upon them.
“Are you saying that I’m not a good person? I do charity work; I haven’t killed
anyone. I don’t tell big lies;
I...” That certainly is not the Church’s
intention. You may be a good person, but you—and everyone
else—are called to be better. If you are ineligible, consider the
reasons seriously, and take appropriate action.
The importance of the sacramental sponsor demands the Church’s careful
attention. Our personal religious and
spiritual commitments likewise demand that attention. Each day we must examine ourselves in this
regard, for whether or not we are a sponsor, we are always a witness.