Sponsor for Confirmation

We are asking Candidates to have chosen their sponsor by March 15, 2021. In order to secure a spot as sponsor, two items must be completed:

1. Candidate/family must complete the online form found at the bottom of this page.
2. If sponsor is *not* registered at St. Paul Parish, sponsor must request/obtain from their home parish a letter of eligibility for sponsorship.

Please note the following:

• Eligibility requirements for sponsors are listed below. Siblings who meet the requirements may serve a a sponsor. Parents may not.
• If a sponsor is not able to attend the Confirmation Celebration for some reason, a proxy sponsor may be chosen. The same requirements of eligibility apply to the person chosen as a proxy. If a proxy is necessary, please contact John directly (jmcguire@stpaulsofprinceton.org)

Requirements for Sponsors:
According to Canon Laws (cc. 872-874, 893:1), sponsors for the sacrament of Confirmation must be:

• 16 years of age or older
• Fully initiated Catholic (having received Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist)
• Leading a life in conformity with the faith and the role of a sponsor
• Not bound by a canonical penalty (e.g., invalid marriage)
• Not a parent of the one to be confirmed

Additionally the sponsor may be:

• The same as the sponsor (or godparent) for Baptism
• Male or female (i.e., female candidates may have male sponsors; male candidates may have female sponsors)

Confirmation Name

Here are some details about the choice of a name for Confirmation.

• May retain baptismal name or choose new name (Diocese of Trenton. Parish Religious Education Administration Manual, Section 507:A. rev. 2012).
• New name must be name of a recognized saint of the Church (Diocese of Trenton. Parish Religious Education Administration Manual, Section 507:A. rev. 2012).
• Newly chosen name does not need to be gender consistent (Diocese of Trenton. Parish Religious Education Administration Manual, Section 507:C. rev. 2012).

Please note: Candidates choose ONE name for Confirmation. For example:

My name is Kaitlyn Christine. When I was confirmed, I took the name Rose. I was confirmed as "Rose" (not "Kaitlyn Rose"). Had I chosen to retain my baptismal name, I would need to specify whether I would use "Kaitlyn" OR "Christine" as my Confirmation name. There is only one Confirmation name. When candidates receive their confirmation certificate, it will have their first name, confirmation name (if different than their first name), and last name.