Sponsor FAQ

Why is this process so different from what I went through?
The Dynamic Catholic Institute reports that 85% of confirmed teens will leave the faith within 7 years.  St. Gabriel greatly desires more for our teens and families.  Adolescence is a pivotal moment when a young person takes MORE ownership of the faith passed from their family.  We created our confirmation preparation model to:

a) empower parents to engage in faith-conversation with their kids with Parent Steppingstone Conversations
b) encourage this generation of young people to have more ownership of faith with simple "yes's" to God
c) connect teens more closely to our church by creating relational interactions with an adult sponsors in Milestones and with their Catholic peers in youth nights and retreats, and lastly to
c) prepare the teens to know what Confirmation is.

Suveys show our unique process is relational and impactful.

I live far away from the candidate. Can I still be their sponsor?
Absolutely! Yes! They have asked you to be in this wonderful role with them. What a privilege! This process is designed to be done in-person. However, with technology (ZOOM, Facetime, etc.) these meetings are possible.  We encourage virtual (zoom or similar) so you can share images and watch videos at the same time.  When you come to town for a special occasion, it is a great opportunity to meet in-person for a milestone or activity with your candidate.  (Keep in mind that it is ideal for you to be physically present with your candidate at the Confirmation Mass.)

When are we supposed to have this completed?
While Milestones are completed at the pace of the candidate and sponsor, target timeframes are suggested to encourage the best spacing while staying on course to complete preparation in one ministry year. Some candidates take more than one year to prepare, and that is okay too. There is no specific deadline given to families from the Youth Ministry Staff for when one is to be Confirmed.  The target date to complete all 5 Milestones in order to be Confirmed is listed in the Confirmation Journey Handout.  The Youth Ministry Staff will send reminders once a month to help sponsors and parents be aware of the status of the candidate's preparation journey.

Our family (candidate and sponsor) schedules are packed! How do I find time to meet with them?
This is one of the hardest challenges of this process. Our lives are packed with so many things. This is one of the reasons why this is a self-paced program. Get creative with the calendar. Meet for coffee or a shared meal somewhere. The most common joy reported from this process has been the relationship created between the sponsor and the candidate. It is worth the time.

I don’t know how to start or what I am supposed to be doing.
After the candidate invites you to be a sponsor, you will be emailed the Sponsor Training Webpage that will prepare you for your role as sponsor.  At the end of the training you will complete the "Confirmation Sponsor Info Form".  Once all the information from the sponsor and parent has been received, then you will be emailed the link to the first Milestone.

As a sponsor, I don’t know enough about the faith to teach them. Can I be a sponsor?
Even if you feel like you don’t know enough, you can still be a sponsor! They have purposefully chosen you to have these engaging conversations and to build a lasting relationship. In each milestone, you will find many training materials to equip yourself with the information needed to dive into the conversation. If you both find yourself asking the same question, look it up together! It is ok not to have all the answers.

My candidate seems to know very little about the faith in our conversations.  What do I do?
Our teens vary dramatically in their knowledge of the faith. For some candidates, this is their first experience in the faith. This makes your role as sponsor a wonderful privilege! You will discover that your conversations with your candidate may involve more teaching surrounded by questions about their reaction to the material. For example: How do you think your age would react to this information? What do you think about this topic? Our training materials for each milestone will include suggested questions and material to help you navigate the content.

I am not technologically savvy.  How do I show these pictures and videos to them?
The multimedia involved in these milestones is critically important. Many times, they are used to get the conversation started and sometimes it is the main source of dialog. Watching these videos, viewing images, and working on web pages are all parts of this experience. If you are meeting in person, we recommend the sponsor bring a laptop with them. You need access to the internet.  Links are in your email (to get links to milestones). The Milestone web pages will have it all for you. If you are an out-of-town sponsor and are meeting virtually, we highly recommend ZOOM (or a similar platform). These applications will allow you to converse while sharing an image or watching a video together. When in doubt, ask your candidate for help. Our teens today are extremely talented when it comes to multimedia. 

How do I know where I am in the process?
Since this is a self-paced process, it may be easy to forget where you left off. We've created a Milestone Handout you can download to keep track of the journey. Also, in order to help our candidates and sponsors, we will send reminders every month to the sponsor and to the candidate's parents. These reminder emails will contain the links needed as well as instructions on how to proceed.

These meetings have been tough. I find myself teaching more than engaging them in a conversation.
One of the hardest things to do as an adult sponsor is to resist the urge to teach. It is natural to be concerned if you find yourself in this situation. Keep in mind that this process is more focused on the heart (relationship) than on the head (knowledge).  If we can affect a person’s heart, the rest will come. Ask open-ended questions that require more than just a yes or no. Slow down in the presentation, present an idea, and then ask them what they think about it? How do they think someone their age would react to it? You will find that the training materials will help in preparing for the next conversation.

Our conversations have been great! Can I get more information on the Milestone to go deeper with them?
This is the GOAL of this confirmation preparation program. You and your candidate have developed an environment where the teen (and sponsor) feels comfortable sharing and feels listened to and heard. The recommendation on how to go deeper is largely dependent on the teens themselves. Sometimes encouraging the teen to journal about their experience with the faith is attractive to them, maybe encouraging reading a spiritual book together, or learning more about one of the prayer practices. Another idea may be to share the “Need to Brush Up” material that is developed for the sponsor (adult-level material) with the candidate.

Are there more Milestones? We don’t want to stop meeting.
While there are only 5 Milestones, the journey of faith never ends. We greatly encourage continued conversations after they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. Find out what they want to learn more about and research together. The Youth Ministry staff is here to help!