The minimum requirement to be a sponsor for Baptism and Confirmation is to be a Baptized Catholic and have received First Holy Communion and Confirmation. This must be verifiable. Additionally, couples that are living together must be married in the Catholic Church. Likewise, Baptized Catholics that wish to marry in the Catholic Church are to be Confirmed. If you live somewhere else and wish to receive Sacraments here, you must get permission from your current Parish Pastor.
Some have been permitted to serve as sponsors that were not qualified. Unfortunately, many people simply lie to us about their qualifications. There is nothing we can do about this. When non-qualified persons serve as sponsor because they were not truthful to the priest or deacon, then there is public scandal and an injustice is done to the whole community. If you know that unqualified persons have served as sponsors in the past, we apologize and ask you to understand that some are not honest with us in this matter. Nonetheless, qualification for sponsor has nothing to do with how long you have been a member of a parish, nor does it matter how much money you do or do not donate. Sometimes people dishonestly served as sponsor in the past but when they try do so again they are found unqualified. In good conscience, those of us who have the responsibility for preparing people for Baptism and Confirmation have to teach and abide by the rule of the Church no matter what has happened in the past.
