Many requirements

Confirmation sponsors are becoming increasingly difficult to find

Confirmations are also taking place this weekend in the Mariendom in Linz

(Bild: Chris Koller)

The high number of people leaving the church is making the search difficult. The number of confirmands is also falling. Confirmation sponsors are not easy to find, as they have to fulfill a number of requirements. The situation is different in Italy, where you have to be confirmed to get married in church. 

At Pentecost, Christians celebrate the sending of the Holy Spirit, which is why the day is one of the most popular confirmation dates in the country. This year, the sacrament will once again be administered in 223 of the 487 parishes in Upper Austria, but the number of confirmands is declining. While 8555 young people aged 12 and over wanted to be confirmed in 2019, this figure fell to around 7900 last year.

Numerous requirements 
According to Rafael Fesel, Confirmation Officer at the Diocese of Linz, it is "difficult to answer" why this is the case. Corona or low birth rates are cited as possible causes. Most of the confirmands had a godmother or godfather at their side, although the search was probably not easy for many of them. Due to the high number of people leaving the church, many no longer meet the requirements. "Godparents must be at least 16 years old, not parents of the child, confirmed themselves and members of the Roman Catholic Church," says Fesel.

Dario and Lia, a couple of Italian origin, were confirmed in St. Mary's Cathedral in Linz. The reason: the church wedding in Italy.

(Bild: Angelika Danner)

Sometimes adults also get ordained
Although adults are always willing to make up for their own confirmation if they are asked to be godparents, the number is manageable. 87 people over the age of 18 received this sacrament in Upper Austria last year. Dario and Lia appeared before Bishop Manfred Scheuer in Linz's St. Mary's Cathedral on Friday evening for a different reason: the couple with Italian roots want to get married in southern Italy this summer, where confirmation - unlike in Austria - is still a prerequisite for a church wedding.