MINISTRY SPOTLIGHT
Godparents & Sponsors
Jesus calls each one of us by name to follow him. He also calls us to follow him together in the communion of the Church.
That is why each candidate for Baptism or Confirmation, whether a child or an adult, is asked to have godparent or sponsor. The Sponsor represents the whole community of the church walking together with this candidate in following Christ.
This year in particular we are blessed with a large number of men and women seeking to enter the Catholic church. Each one of them needs a sponsor. Perhaps the Lord is inviting you to walk alongside a brother or sister in this way.
Since a sponsor or godparent represents the family of the Church, walking with Christ, it is necessary that he or she is living a fully sacramental life. The prerequisites for serving in this role are not an arbitrary checklist. They are concrete expressions of living a fully Catholic life, walking in the way of God’s commandments and celebrating the sacraments in the heart of the Church.
If you’ve been asked to serve as a godparent or sponsor, but do not yet satisfy these requirements, I hope you can see them as indicating away for you to walk more closely with Christ yourself. Jesus gave us the sacraments vital means transform us and strengthen us in following him. They are not just moments of life recorded in a book locked away in a church office. They are profound moments of encounter with Jesus that transform Our lives bringing us into a new relationship with him and giving us Grace and strength to live that relationship faithfully.
A godparent or sponsor must be at least 16 years old and be fully initiated in the life of the church. This means they have received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. They should also be an active member of their local parish, and are asked to present verification of this from their local pastor. A godparent or sponsor also observes the church’s teaching on marriage. That means if the sponsor is married, it is a marriage celebrated in the Church or formally recognized by the Church.
If you have been asked or are considering to serve as a sponsor, but do not yet meet these requirements, I invite you to see them as an invitation to make the next step in your journey with Christ. This could be an opportunity for you to receive the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist if you have not yet done so. You can begin again the regular practice of Sunday Mass in your local parish community. We can talk with the priest about the steps required to address an irregular marital situation.
These are not just bureaucratic steps or check boxes to fill out. They are concrete expressions of living a life of ongoing conversion and transformation in Christ. A godparent or sponsor is called above all to assist the candidate for baptism or confirmation in their own path of conversion and transformation, called by name to follow Christ in the heart of the Catholic Church.
If you are already a godparent or sponsor, pray for the one you sponsored. Reach out and let them know you’re thinking about them, and encourage them to recall the grace they received when they were baptized or confirmed. And entrust them to Jesus who called them and new life through these sacraments. In this way, you can help them – and yourself – remember and rely on the grace your received when Jesus called you by name to walk more closely with him in the communion of his Church.
-Fr Tom
