How to be the best Confirmation Sponsor proxy ever!

Saturday night was my second year in a row being a proxy sponsor at someone's Confirmation. You could say I'm pretty much a pro. :)

So two years in, here's what I've learned so far:

1. Don't forget the card!!!

As a sponsor/proxy, your job is to stand behind your confirmandi with your right hand on their shoulder for the moment they get confirmed. The other part of your job is holding up a little card that says their confirmation name on it, so the priest can call them by the right "new" name when he confirms them.

For example:

^^That's Dean getting confirmed! He took the name Thomas More.^^

Last year, I forgot the card!! So dramatic! My sisters had to pass it up to me. That was a rookie mistake; this year I wore a dress with pockets and stuck the card in my pocket as soon as I got it.

So if you're a forgetful type (like me), wear clothes with pockets.

2. Bring a crowd.

Dean only has about four Catholic friends, and since his wife and Frank (his actual sponsor) couldn't be there, he and I were going to be the only ones in attendance.

But it didn't seem right for him to enter the Church family without a little welcome party, so I asked a few friends to come too. Our good friend Jackie also came and brought friends.

Some of the guests had never met Dean before, but as one girl said, "I had to come to welcome my new brother!"

3. Bring tissues.

Right before the Consecration, I heard a small gasp. Looking over at Dean I saw that he was weeping. He truly believes in the Real Presence, and he was so overjoyed to finally be able to receive Our Lord that he wept with happiness.

As I saw the tears running down Dean's face, I almost started to cry myself. His faith was so beautiful to witness.

Fortunately he planned ahead and brought a pack of tissues. I passed them to him as needed. After communion, he wept again, whispering to me, "I can only comprehend the infinite through the particular—so all I can think of is Aslan from Narnia." What a beautiful image.

I asked God to give me a faith like Dean's. As Jackie said after Mass, "Dean, your wife is a lucky woman."

4. Get a photo of your confirmandi!!

After Mass is a great time for photos. Get pictures with the priest, with the family, with friends, etc.

Instead of a picture of Dean, I'll give you this one that Colleen and I took later that evening.

And on that note... joining the Easter outfit link-up over on Camp Patton.

5. Last but certainly not least, pray for your confirmandi!

Converting to Catholicism is a brave and bold step, one that involves a lot of intellectual honesty and that often happens in the face of family and friends' disapproval. Our newest brothers and sisters in the Church need our prayers—just as we need theirs.

When Frank entered the Church last Easter, my mom reminded him that conversion isn't over after the Easter Vigil. Rather, this is only the first step in a lifelong process of conversion as we seek every day to turn our hearts to Christ (this applies to cradle Catholics as much as to converts!). With the Vigil Mass, the newest Catholics have begun a lifelong journey of learning to imitate Our Lord. May our prayers be with them!

Happy Easter, dear readers! Tomorrow, a ridiculous story is coming up about a very large purchase I made last week. Stay tuned. :)