What Should Sponsors Avoid?

Posted on April 5th, 2010

Q. What are some things the RCIA leader should encourage sponsors and godparents to avoid doing?

A. Here are a few suggestions, based on the common experiences of those in parish ministry:

Referring to the person you are serving as a “non-Catholic”

Overwhelming him/her with chatter, advice, and knowledge of Catholic doctrine and practice

Prying or insisting on knowing information or sinful behavior that he/she wishes to keep private

Sharing your interior life and struggles in a form of spiritual “one-upmanship”

Assuming he/she will necessarily become a Catholic or become a Catholic this Easter

Making guesses as to the Correct answer to a question, or beginning or discuss a Church teaching with “I’ve never understood why…”

Allowing discouragement or difficulties to shake your trust in God’s providence and loving care of the person you are serving

Speaking of or treating Catholic beliefs or practices with disrespect

Trying to make the person you are serving a Catholic in your image

Using the RCIA sessions to get your own questions answered or to express your frustrations with the Church

Commenting on who does (or does not) attend parish-sponsored devotions

Expressing overly opinionated preferences in hymns, liturgical traditions, or why you think one cultural or ethnic expression of spirituality is better than another.

Giving extravagant gifts or gifts beyond your means

Assuming that the nature of your relationship during the RCIA process will always be the basis of your relationship with your new Catholic and that it will not change and evolve

Tags: Godparents, Sponsors
Filed under Sponsors |

3 Responses to “What Should Sponsors Avoid?”

1. NewGirl Says:
   April 5th, 2010 at 4:06 pm

   When I was a Catechumen, one person said, “I’m so happy my Mother baptized me as a baby. If she hadn’t, I would wonder if she loved me.” I was so shocked that I couldn’t even respond. My mother loves me, she just didn’t believe in baby baptism since she isn’t Catholic. I went home and cried. So please, let the sponsors AND candidates, know that being a Catechumen is a very good thing, not something to be ashamed of.

2. Angela Says:
   July 10th, 2010 at 10:03 pm

   I was baptized as a baby but when I saw the faces of our catechumens as they were baptized I wished my mother had not had me baptized LOL! I wished that I could have a memory of this wonderful event! I guess photos have to do.

3. Lavinia Says:
   October 18th, 2010 at 4:53 pm

   My biggest problem with my sponsor is that she wouldn’t really have anything to do with me. She was assigned to me, as I had no one of my own. She spent the entire RCIA sessions gabbing with another sponsor and ignoring me. She wouldn’t return emails. The one time I called her she cut the conversation short. But she called ME once because she had lost the RCIA schedule and needed to know if we were meeting that week.

   She didn’t show up for all the meetings and she was a no show for the Rite of Continuing Conversion. After Easter, after I had become Catholic, she didn’t bother coming to mystigogia with me. In fact, I didn’t hear from her again, period.

   A few months later, I saw her at mass, and went up to say hi. She said hi back then excused herself.

   Thankfully, I came into the Church for my own reasons, and I had other Catholics there for me. But it was frustrating at the time. So my two-cents is that “Sponsors should avoid being sponsors if they aren’t going to bother being one!”

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