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. 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 and 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 the Sacrament of Confirmation.
● You are at least 16 years of age.
● If married, it is a marriage recognized by the
Catholic 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 be
happy to 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 donate.
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 Record Books.)
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 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.
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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