Parents often guide their children in the Catholic faith. For the Wysocki family of Port Washington, it was the daughter who helped guide her parents.

Payton Wysocki (left) helped guide her parents, Robert and Katie, on their journey to Confirmation, serving as sponsor for both. (Submitted photo)

Payton Wysocki, a recent recipient of an Archdiocese of Milwaukee Vatican II Award, inspired her parents, Katie and Robert, to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation — and served as sponsor for both of them.

“Seeing her go through this process of mission trips and teaching, volunteering, and doing the youth groups, it just inspired me. It made me want to take that next step and get closer to the Church,” Robert said.

“Watching Payton go through the steps and see how the Lord is such a big part of her life was very inspiring. She chose to go to church. She was never forced to. She likes to go. She likes to be involved,” Katie said.

“If Payton’s doing this Confirmation thing, I’ve never been confirmed, and they’re offering this at church, I feel like I should step up and do this too.”

The Wysockis all belong to St. John XXIII Parish in Port Washington, while Payton attends St. Norbert College in De Pere.

The idea of Payton sponsoring her mom and dad for their Confirmation stemmed from her kidding her parents about it, after finding out during her own preparation for the sacrament that they never received it.

“I had been joking, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m going to get confirmed first. I could technically be your Confirmation sponsor,’” she said. “I brought it up as kind of a joke, but then they took it seriously.”

“I thought it was kind of a special, unique thing for our daughter to be able to be our sponsor and be the one that takes us into the next step,” Robert said.

They had already taken seriously their desire to come closer to God after living much of their life without completing their sacraments of initiation.

“I was baptized and [received] First Communion but never was very active. Even as an adult, it wasn’t a big part of my life. When I met Katie and we got married, I started thinking about it more,” Robert said.

“I went to parochial school and then went to public school the rest of my career, and kind of was forced to go to church as a child,” Katie added. “I was baptized. I had my First Communion. I went through all those things, but I had never gotten confirmed.”

As their children grew up, Katie and Robert focused their kids more on their Catholic journey, yet still didn’t complete their own sacramental formation.

“I wanted the kids to have some kind of faith in their life,” Robert said. “We never really pushed Payton. We just kind of introduced it to her and she just took off with it.”

Payton lived her faith more by example within their home. Her faith also became evident in everyday moments.

“We were on a car ride home one time and she was sitting in the back. I heard some Christian music. I’m like, ‘What are you listening to?’” Robert said. “She goes, ‘I listen to this every morning before school or after school.’ It was a little a-ha moment for me.”

Katie and Robert were confirmed June 8, 2025, at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Milwaukee, during a Mass for confirmandi from across the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

The moment of Confirmation during that Mass became a moment of joyful tears for both parents as Payton put her hands on their shoulders.

“I was trying not to just totally bawl. I cry very easily,” Katie admitted. “I was trying to keep my eyes wide from letting all the tears fall out all at once.”

“It was emotional for me also, but I felt a lot of pride in it. It was kind of cool to be like, ‘This is my daughter. She brought me here,’” Robert added.

“It was very emotional just because all the music was going and the archbishop was right there, and then Payton was standing there, right behind us with her hand on each of our shoulders. It made me very proud.”

All three Wysockis share a powerful pride in how God has led them all to live lives more deeply in the Catholic faith, even if it’s through a most unusual pathway.

“Very proud of them,” Payton said. “I’m happy that they were able to get confirmed and make that decision.”

“I’m very proud of her,” Katie said. “I just think she lives her life every day the way God would want her to.”