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Member
Information
If you are new to the parish,
welcome! We hope you will find our
parish a place where your faith will be nourished. As part of your stewardship to God, we
hope you will be inspired to share your unique God-given gifts &
talents with us. Please introduce
yourself after Mass to our pastor and remember to register by filling out a
census form, available in the office or vestibule.
To all who consider Saint Vincent Ferrer Church
to be your parish:
Please make sure you are registered
by filling out a census form.
Sponsor Certificates are
issued only to registered parishioners who are practicing their faith.
The best way we have of
determining that is by your regular use of the Envelope System.
Your use also makes for a
stable income for the parish and enables us to plan realistically for the
future. Offertory contributions are
always held in strictest confidence and are never published.
Sponsor Certificates
Congratulations on being asked to be a sponsor or godparent. To be a sponsor (for Confirmation) or a
godparent (for Baptism) is an honor and a privilege. It should not be taken lightly.
In order to be a sponsor or godparent,
you must submit a “Sponsor Certificate” to the church where the Sacrament
will take place. The certificate
states that you are a full member of the Catholic Church, having
received all three Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, First Holy Communion
and Confirmation) and you are practicing your faith by
attending Mass regularly. Father
must sign this certificate testifying to the following truths:
● You are registered in this parish.
● You attend Mass here every Sunday (except when
away on vacation)
● You have received all your Sacraments of
Initiation, that is, you are baptized, received your First Holy Communion,
and are confirmed.
● You are at least 16 years of age.
● If married, it is a marriage recognized by the
Catholic Church (married in and by the Church).
● If divorced, you have not remarried outside
the Catholic Church.
Please know that unless all these
requirements are fulfilled, Father will not issue you a
Sponsor Certificate. Father will
assist you in fulfilling these requirements, but until they are fulfilled,
he cannot sign a document that says they are all in order. Please do not ask Father to lie for
you. It’s against the eighth
commandment!
What you need to do to obtain a Sponsor Certificate:
1. Be registered here by filling out our
census form.
2. Give evidence that you are practicing your faith
by coming to Mass for a period of at least 3 consecutive months. The best way we have of knowing that is
by your regular use of the envelope system; it automatically keeps
attendance records. It is not
about the amount of money you put in that envelope! If you fulfill all the other
requirements, and donate even only a penny each week, you will
still be issued a certificate.
3. You must submit certificates of your own Baptism,
First Holy Communion, and Confirmation.
You get these certificates from the parishes where you received
these Sacraments. (Begin with the Church of Baptism; they should have all
your records. If you received any or
all of them here, we will look them up in our Registers.)
4. If married, you must submit a marriage
certificate from the Catholic Church in which you were married. If your marriage is not recognized
by the Catholic Church as a valid Catholic marriage, Father cannot
issue you a Sponsor Certificate.
5. If you are divorced and have not remarried
outside the Church, you can receive a Sponsor Certificate as long as
all the other requirements are fulfilled.
Divorce alone does not prevent you from receiving the
Sacraments or serving as a sponsor.
(Divorce does not “excommunicate” you from the Catholic
Church. Excommunication is a very
serious offense and is imposed from the Bishop or Pope.)
If you do
fulfill these requirements, you may proceed in filling out the request form
available in the Church Office.
If
one or any of these requirements are lacking, Father will not issue
you a Sponsor Certificate. Please speak with him about getting these
requirements in order so that you may serve as a sponsor the next time you
are asked.
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