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poche
Guest
If they are not Catholic. If they are in a marriage that is not recognized by the Catholic Church.
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Agnus-Dei
Guest
Going out on a limb here with my saw: This is where I see cradle Catholics having it easy, and adult conversions being the struggle. Born, baptised, shazam! You’re Catholic. Adult, sponsor, baptism certificate if you have it. (Have to make sure it was a trinitarian form you know. If not, you do it again, but the right way.) Rcia classes for months, final exam now probably too. Took less time to register my car and insure it in a different state after a move.
Dominus vobiscum
Dominus vobiscum
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neophyte
Guest
Like the people at a parish arrogating to themselves the right to make up rules instead of abiding by those the Church establishes? Yes, it does seem that way.
Or, perhaps the message was misunderstood. Perhaps it was more like “finding a sponsor in your home parish will require you to get to know people, and that will help you feel at home and increase your involvement in the liturgical life of the Church. We think it best if you do that”. And while it’s hard to argue with that kind of reasoning, I can certainly see how a young person might translate it as “I’m not allowed to have someone who’s not local”.
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neophyte
Guest
And as an adult convert, I say “thank God for it”.
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BartholomewB
Guest
On the one hand, we see these parish officials who create artificial difficulties of this kind that deter prospective candidates from seeking confirmation. On the other hand, we see the constant handwringing over shrinking congregations, leading to the closure or amalgamation of parishes. So which is it to be? What do we say to all those baptized Catholics who have drifted away from the Church, for whatever reason, and now want to come home? Do we welcome them, or do we hand them a rulebook and warn them, “Sorry, that’s not as easy as you seem to think. Read carefully through all the small print and then, maybe, you will want to change your mind.”
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EricF
Guest
My sponsor was from another state. However, two weeks before Easter Vigil he fell over dead. One of my RCIA sponsors stepped up.
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Mary888
Guest
I think the sponsor is less than a God parent . It is someone who represent the Church as the Communion of the faithful. They’re not supposed to be friends or spiritual advisers to the person being confirmed.
Representing the Church the sponsor represents the congregation or the parish that welcomes the candidate. It’s a representational position not spiritual leadership.
The OP can be the spiritual advisor of his or her cousin lateron.
We have similar discussions in the East about godparents (who are also sponsors). The Church is not pleased with family relatives. They say the Godparents represent the Church. They are required just to be practicing their faith. They can be or not be spiritual advisors to the Baptized child. It is best if they can be but not necessarily required. Also Baptism and Chrismation represent entering the Church as a Gathering in God’s name, this implies a little distance from the natural family. If being a Godparent equaled being a relative then the best sponsors would be the parents themselves as long as they practice their faith. However that is not the rule of the Church…
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TheLittleLady
Guest
In my experience it is because proposed sponsor is in an invalid marriage, is cohabitating outside of marriage, or has never been confirmed themself.
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TheLittleLady
Guest
RCIA is for the unbaptized, people who are not Christians who need to learn about Christianity.
When an already baptized Christian comes to the Church, they meet with pastor who determines how much that individual needs to learn about Catholicism, it might be months or it might be they are ready tomorrow.
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TheLittleLady
Guest
One reason I PRAY daily that the whole world goes back to restored order of the Sacraments!
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Irishmom2
Guest
People are baptized as babies, that part is true. They attend classes as children to be prepared to go to reconciliation/confession before they make their first holy communion, for a couple of years. Then they attended classes for years before they made their confirmation. What part of that do you see as ”Shazam?”
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babochka
Guest
Generally, it is because they don’t meet the requirements that are laid out in canon law. Maybe they are practicing Catholics, maybe not married in the Church (if married) , maybe never themselves confirmed.
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babochka
Guest
You forgot to add a lifetime of Mass attendance, Catechesis (formal and otherwise), and generally struggling to live out the faith.
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Horton
Guest
Number one is marital status. To be a sponsor/godparent in the Catholic Church one must, if married, must be in a sacramental marriage, ie. married in the Church. If not married, one must be living as a faithful Catholic single, ie. not living with a partner.
If we don’t know the sponsor, if they are not a known person in our parish, or if they are from another parish, they must provide a verification form from their parish stating they meet the criteria to be a sponsor.
If we do not receive the verification for whatever reason we ask the student to choose another sponsor.
If we don’t know the sponsor, if they are not a known person in our parish, or if they are from another parish, they must provide a verification form from their parish stating they meet the criteria to be a sponsor.
If we do not receive the verification for whatever reason we ask the student to choose another sponsor.
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Horton
Guest
I disagree. A sponsor for confirmation is not less than a godparent. In fact having a godparent as a confirmation sponsor is strongly encouraged. However it is not always possible. A sponsor is encouraged to have conversations with their student about the faith.
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Irishmom2
Guest
When I made my confirmation back in the very late 60s, people did not have individual sponsors.
So, we were all on our own.
So, we were all on our own.
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Phemie
Guest
True enough. Generally you had one devout woman as a sponsor for all the girls and one devout man as sponsor for all the boys. At least that’s what I find when I look in old parish registers.When I made my confirmation back in the very late 60s, people did not have individual sponsors.
So, we were all on our own.
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Gorgias
Guest
I think we’re seeing this dynamic on both sides of this equation, here.
True – and insightful!
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1ke
Guest
It would also seem that (some) deacons and religious education coordinators are attempting to usurp the authority of the church And place requirements on people that do not exist in the law. The requirements for sponsors are well established in canon law.
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Gorgias
Guest
Are these folks not acting under the authority of the pastor? Does he have no authority here?
If this were something that was preventing a person from receiving a sacrament, I’d agree. Or if it were attempting to go around requirements already in the canons, I would likewise cry ‘foul!’.
But, in this case, if what’s happening is that they’re attempting to set a policy that supports the intent of the canons – that the sponsor is able to “take care that the confirmed person behaves as a true witness of Christ and faithfully fulfills the obligations inherent in this sacrament”, then are they to be told that they’re in violation of the canons?
I would think that this falls more in the range of “prudential judgment” than “adherence to canon law.”
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