"Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the 'sacraments of Christian initiation,' whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For 'by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.'" ~ Catechism of the Catholic Church 1285

For a person to act as a sponsor for Confirmation, he or she must be at least sixteen years old, must have already received all the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Confirmation), and must be living in a way that demonstrates that one's faith is strong enough to be able to fulfill the responsibilities involved with being a sponsor. A sponsor who is married must be married in accord with the laws of the Catholic Church. If possible, particularly for a young person, it is desirable to choose as sponsor the one who undertook the same function in baptism. ~ cf. Code of Canon Law, can. 874, 892, 893

The pastor of the designated sponsor is normally responsible for determining that he or she understands the sponsor’s role and is qualified to assume it. The pastor, or his designate, is to provide a letter of eligibility for the designated sponsor when the Sacrament of Baptism is to be celebrated in Sacred Heart Church.

If you are a Sacred Heart parishioner seeking to serve as a sponsor, you may request for an eligibility certificate through our Confirmation Sponsor Eligibility page.

If you are an adult who is already baptized and made your First Holy Communion, please contact the parish priest at the Parish Office at (301) 769-3100 or sacredheart.bushwood.md@adw.org.

Adults who would like to learn more about becoming Catholic, or baptized Catholic adults who would also like to both make their First Holy Communion and receive the Sacrament of Confirmation should visit our Becoming Catholic page.
Becoming Catholic