Welcome Sponsors

Dear Confirmation Sponsor!

Hi, my name is Sarah Elmer! Olivia Eickman and I are taking care of Confirmation this year! Thank you for saying yes and might I add, Congratulations!  

Yes, congratulations! Being asked to journey with your Confirmand as a sponsor is a huge honor and blessing. You were chosen by your grandchild, godchild, sibling, niece, nephew, cousin, friend, student, athlete (or insert however you may know the confirmand) for a reason.

This is so important it’s worth repeating: you were chosen for a reason. They admire something about you and want you to be part of their Confirmation journey. If you feel nervous about the process, worried about the time commitment, anxious that you don’t know enough… set those fears aside. We will do this together. All that is important is that you go forward with an open mind to learn alongside your kiddo, a joyous heart for what is to come out of the next few months and a soul that is aiming for Heaven. We will make it there together!

No matter what relationship you currently have, or where your confirmand is on their faith journey, you are in such a great position to lead your Confirmand into a deeper relationship with Jesus. By the simple fact that you were chosen by your Confirmand, you are respected, and chances are, your candidate will listen to you and follow your example.

Now, don’t freak out. We have great footsteps to follow on this journey.

Jesus gave us a great example in the Gospels on how we are to bring others closer to Christ. Jesus invested in people and built relationships. Once those relationships were built, an awesome thing happened: people trusted Jesus and were willing to listen to Him. That is how lives were changed.

It’s the same with you and your candidate. You are not a bystander in this Confirmation process; your job is to build a relationship that points towards Jesus.

Our main goal for Confirmation is that our Seniors grow to know, love and serve Jesus more in their lives, that they know how to live in this world and be Catholic at the same time, and that by the time they get to Confirmation, they are super on fire to receive the Sacrament.

Your role is huge in this! But wondering what to do?

Be Involved in the Confirmation Process

As a sponsor you will first be completing Four Challenges together- basically talking through the 4 Pillars of the Catholic Church and how they are/should fit into our Catholic lives. More on this below.

 A few optional ideas...

Your student will need to choose a Confirmation/Saint name. This can be challenging--spend time researching different saints with them. Another opportunity will be to help your student write a letter to Bishop Ricken on why he/she should be Confirmed.

Share Your Story/Spend Time Together

Share your story. What encounters have you had with God? Why do you love the Church and Jesus? What was your Confirmation process like? What do you remember about your Confirmation Mass or day?

Do not be afraid to share your past struggles and how God has helped you through some difficult moments in life. Your candidate needs to know that you are human and not perfect.

The most important thing to remember: spending meaningful time together is very important. It’s in these encounters that your candidate may have an experience of Jesus.

Here are some ideas for you and your candidate to do together:

• Go to Mass. If your young person is not going to Mass every weekend, invite them and make it a habit. If both of you already go to Mass every Sunday (not necessarily together), then go to a weekday Mass once a week together..
• Go to Reconciliation. When you go, you are leading by example. You can then be a support for your candidate.
• Call, text, Facetime, Zoom-Ask how the Confirmation process is going.Talk to your Confirmand about school, family, sports, work, or whatever he/she is interested in. Show by listening and engaging in conversation that you care.

Praying with your Candidate

This piece is so big and important- don't underestimate its value! Ask your Confirmand what he/she needs prayer for. If you are together, pray with him/her asking the Holy Spirit for guidance in that prayer. If you are not one who is comfortable with spontaneous out loud prayer, start small by praying a few Hail Marys for their intentions.

On the day of your candidate’s Confirmation Retreat, spend time praying for the retreat.

Make sure they know you are praying for them daily and follow up with the struggles they may be experiencing. Sending cards or words of encouragement will brighten up their day!

Offer to pray different pray experience with them- a Rosary, Divine Mercy Chaplet, or Adoration- to name a few.

 Confirmation Gifts

Yup, you really should invest in a gift for your candidate. Do not give money or the coolest outfit from GAP. Stick with something religious. Here are some ideas:

• Find out who their patron Saint is and find their medal.
• Crucifix
• Rosary
• Bible (Life Teen has a fantastic bible!)
• Religious jewelry (there are even some great options for men)
• A book that you know they will read

After the Confirmation Mass, you are not done! This relationship should be life-long. You will always be a spiritual mentor to the student. Send cards on the anniversary of their Confirmation. Stay in touch and check in to see how they are doing with their relationship with Jesus. Do they go to Mass? What struggles are they going through? What are some of the joys?

Once again, do not fear. You were chosen for a reason. The Holy Spirit will guide you no matter where you are on your own faith journey! Know that we at Holy Spirit Parish are praying for you! Thank you for your yes in serving the young Church! Congratulations!

Keep reading...almost done, I promise!
Info on the 4 Pillars Challenge below!

There are Four Pillars or foundations that make up an authentic Catholic life: Prayer, Creed, Mass/Sacraments and Morality. If these are strongly built in our students, then we can confidently send them out into the world with a firm faith foundation. So, alongside your Confirmand, you will be taking a quick look at each of these Pillars- what they teach us and how we can live them out. Although the topics seem large, it is our hope that you can see how smoothly we can build these foundations and integrate them in our lives.

The format is simple: Shared prayer time, intro to the topic, YouTube video on the subject, a few discussion questions, how it applies to our lives, and a “challenge” on how it will be lived out in the students life. The student will take a selfie upon completion of the challenge and email it to me so I can see how the “challenge” went.

 There are opportunities to go deeper if your Confirmation Student wishes. He/she will be responsible for emailing me upon completion.

Meet in person; otherwise this can be done via Zoom or some other virtual platform.

All information will be available on our parish website!

https://holyspirit-parish.org/4-pillars
All challenges should be completed by January 6^th. Please do not complete them all in one sitting. Its an opportunity for you to check in with your Confirmation student several times over the next month and to grow in your faith together.

Let me know if you have ANY questions!

Peace, Sarah Elmer and Olivia Eickman