Confirmation Sponsor

Question: What are the requirements for being a confirmation sponsor?

Answer: Although many dioceses have specific requirements for who can be a sponsor for the Sacrament of Confirmation, the Code of Canon Law identifies certain requirements that are true for all dioceses and parishes. First, the sponsor should be chosen by the one to be confirmed (or, in some cases, by the parents or even the pastor). Second, a sponsor must be at least sixteen years old (unless the local bishop has chosen another age, or a special exception has been made). Third, the sponsor must be a Catholic who has been confirmed and who has already received the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Beyond this, they must lead “a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on.” Fourth, they can have no sort of canonical penalty or impediment. Finally, they cannot be either the father or mother of the one to be confirmed (See Canons 893, §1 and 874, §1).

In some cultures, it is customary for one of the confirmand’s godparents to act as sponsor, although this is not required by Church law.

To learn about the requirements for your parish or diocese, you can consult your pastor or your parish or diocesan director of religious education or the diocese’s office liturgy and worship.