Companions on the Journey of Faith

By CAMILLE WITHROW

little over a month ago my family celebrated the baptism of my baby boy. There was a lot to do to prepare for this special day, including baptismal prep classes, meeting with our pastor, and inviting our family to celebrate Cormac’s new life in Christ.

The most challenging and time-consuming task for my husband and me, though, was to pick out the godparents who would accompany and assist Cormac throughout his faith life. We are blessed with many faith-filled family and friends, but, given that a godparent has a profound impact on our child’s faith life, we both agreed we needed to put a great deal of prayer and thought into making this decision.

At this time of the year, many catechumens (unbaptized) and candidates (baptized) are prepar ing to enter the Church through the RCIA process and are going through the same decision making process. While catechumens will choose godparents who will support them as they prepare for the Sacraments of Initiation (i.e., Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist) and beyond, candidates will also choose sponsors who will support and guide them for the remainder of their faith journey.

Deciding on a godparent/sponsor is not a deci sion that should be taken lightly, and maybe that is why this task seemed daunting to me. The person taking on this important role will hold it for life. With regard to the RCIA, godparents and sponsors are to assist the catechumens/candidates in their final preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation, and, after that, help them to persevere in their faith and live their live as Christians.

The person for this task should be chosen based on their good qualities, example, and friendship. These characteristics are important as godparents and sponsors take on a number of responsibilities. For godparents, these responsibilities include show ing the catechumens “how to practice the Gospel in personal and social life, to sustain [them] in moments of hesitancy and anxiety, to bear witness, and to guide [their] progress in the baptismal life." As I have discussed in a previous article, all of the baptized are responsible for the initiation of adults into the Church, and for praying for and supporting those participating in the RCIA process. Godparents and sponsors have a unique role to play in this way as they act as a link from the broader parish com munity to the catechumens and candidates. In this role, sponsors and godparents are able to hand on the values and traditions of the faith community to the persons they are sponsoring. Each parish has its own character and traditions, but godparents and sponsors also hand on the tradition of the Church as a whole.

In the booklet, Guide for Sponsors (Liturgy Training Publications), Ron Lewinski describes the tradition of the Church as a living one:

[I]t presumes that we are living the tradition that we hand on to others. It also means that what we pass on is integrated into the life of the inquirer, catechumen, or candidate. Handing on this living tradition transforms val ues, attitudes, and relationships, and lives as a whole. Just as godparents of infants have a public role at the baptism liturgy when they answer that they are ready to help the parents in their duty as Christian parents, godparents and sponsors also have a public role throughout a number of rites in the RCIA.

It is possible that a sponsor has been present as early as the inquiry period (i.e., the first period in the RCIA), but the first public act of a sponsor occurs at the Rite of Acceptance when the inquirer formally enters the catechumenate period. For many catechumens, this takes place toward the beginning of Advent. During this rite, the sponsor affirms that the person they are sponsoring is “ready to find and follow Christ." Since the sponsors have developed a relationship with the inquirers and assisted them in beginning the RCIA process, they “stand as witnesses to [their] moral character, faith, and intention."

Godparents are recognized publicly at the Rite of Election (following the catechumenate period of the RCIA), which takes place on the first Sunday of Lent. During this rite, they “testify to the faith” of the catechumen. At the Rite of Election, godpar ents respond to the bishop’s questions regarding the worthiness of the catechumens to receive the Sacraments of Initiation, while sponsors of the candi dates advise the bishop of their readiness to receive the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. The ability to answer these questions assumes that the godparents and sponsors have been walking along side the catechumens and candidates and have developed a relationship with them.

As with the godparents for infant baptisms, those serving as godparents and sponsors in the RCIA are unique. When we chose Cormac’s godpar ents, they were different than the godparents of my other two children. The choice of godparents for my children took into account the differences between each child. Similarly, the diversity of experiences and perspectives offered by godparents and sponsors can provide the setting for an RCIA formation experi ence with depth and richness.

The attributes of effective godparents and spon sors are similar no matter the age of the person preparing to receive the sacraments, and there are many characteristics that make up a good godparent or sponsor.

An essential characteristic is prayer. I am deeply comforted in knowing that my children’s godparents pray for them daily. Through their prayers, they are demonstrating that they are helping me in my duty as a Christian parent, as they vowed to do at my children’s baptism. For godparents and sponsors of adults, prayer can be even more critical as their catechumens/ candidates navigate through challenges that pertain specifically to adulthood. In addition to praying for them, it is also important to pray with them, and through this act they can learn how to pray and develop a prayer life of their own.

A sponsor or godparent should also be an effective and respectful listener. While it is important that catechumens and candi dates know the godparents’ and sponsors’ witness and experiences, it is also important that the cat echumens/candidates have a comfortable climate in which they can share their story and ask questions they may have. People going through RCIA come from a variety of backgrounds, and it is important that they feel safe in sharing their viewpoints and raising questions they may have about the faith. Providing this type of environment shows the cat echumens and candidates that we care for them and respect what they have to say.

Another attribute – which I find to be admirable in so many living out our Christian faith – is that a godparent/sponsor lives in hope. We are all called to be joyful witnesses, and it is this witness that can attract others to the faith as well as deepen their faith.

Ron Lewinski, in Guide for Sponsors, describes an effective sponsor as one who is in touch with both the good and bad in the world, but makes a choice to live in hope.

...hope arises from the conviction that no matter how dark and gloomy the forecast, Jesus is Lord and ultimately will triumph over it all as he tri umphed over death. By living in hope, the sponsor fosters in the catechumen or candidate an essen tial virtue of Christian life. My own children’s godparents are some of the most joy-filled people I know, and I am grateful that my children will have this witness to Christian hope and joy as they grow up.

After prayer and discernment, my husband and I decided on the ideal godparents for Cormac, and it was a blessing to have him enter into his new life as a child of God on the feast of Christ the King. Many of the catechumens will enter into this same new life at the Easter Vigil with their godparents by their side. Candidates receiving the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist (often at Easter time) will also have their sponsors beside them as they continue to show their support and care. What a blessing godparents and sponsors are, as - through their example, guid ance, and support - we are strengthened in our journey of faith! Camille Withrow is the program associate for RCIA ministry in the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. Todd Graff Director of Lay Formation & RCIA tgraff@dowr.org 7 February 2020 w The Courier w dowr.org Lay Formation & RCIA Companions on the Journey of Faith