We begin by congratulating those who have been asked to be a sponsor for either the Sacrament of Baptism or the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Church takes this role seriously, and this invitation offers them the opportunity to reflect on the degree of their personal commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ and the level of their practice of the faith.
If you have been asked to be a godparent, and have agreed, you will be pledging by your presence at the Baptism or Confirmation that through your prayers and the example of your life you will help the parents of the child you’re sponsoring to raise him or her to be a practicing Catholic. This help will not so much consist in your teaching catechism lessons, but in the example you offer of how a Catholic life should be lived in the world.
By your presence at the Sacrament, you will also be representing all the members of the Church on earth—the faithful—who rejoice with the saints in heaven that someone new is being brought into a closer relationship with God.
But the Church on earth is localized in communities called parishes. And it’s as a member of a particular parish that you will represent the faithful at large. Like many parishes, Saint Peter's requires that people asked to be a sponsor for either Baptism or Confirmation fulfill the Church's criteria. So, we ask you to take the sponsor form to your pastor or his associate.
For those sponsoring children for Baptism or Confirmation at St. Peter’s, the completed Sponsor Certificate may be mailed to (or dropped off at):
St. Peter’s Church
PO Box 471
1017 Keator Avenue
Rosendale, NY 12472-0471