RCIA Sponsor

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Graceful_Lamb

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I am trying to decide on a RCIA sponsor.

Since I will be a convert, I am thinking that I should choose someone who is also a Protestant convert to be my RCIA sponsor.

So, to those who have converted to Catholicism: Was your sponsor a convert or a cradle Catholic? Do you think that whether they were converted or not made a difference in your RCIA journey?
 
My husband, who was raised anti-Catholic, had a cradle Catholic couple as his sponsor. It was this couple who had guided him and answered his questions for years. We are both skeptical of converts, but we do like a few, like Scott Hahn 🙂
 
I just picked the RCIA director, who was the DRE of the parish. She was a cradle Catholic.

I don’t think it’s that important. You want somebody that is on fire.
 
TK421 said:
I just picked the RCIA director, who was the DRE of the parish. She was a cradle Catholic.

I don’t think it’s that important. You want somebody that is on fire.
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True. I have thought about that as well. I love that the pastor of the Church I attend really loves Jesus. He gives inspirational sermons from the heart.

I have a couple of people in mind who are on fire to ask to be my sponsor.
 
My sponsor is/was a cradle Catholic. She was first my friend, but so in love with her faith that I asked her over the other Catholic friend that I have that goes to the same church. In some ways I think a convert has a special understand about what an RCIA candidate goes through…as far as the challenge to our belief systems, alienation of family/friends because of the conversion, etc. But I’m not sure that necessarily makes them better or worse than a Cradle Catholic. I think it probably depends on the person themselves.
 
I know a sponsor is suppose to serve the role of a guide/helper. This is the diocese’s pastoral attempt to aid catechists in their journey into full communion. Practically speaking, you’re going to have dozens, and then hundreds, and then even thousands throughout your life that are going to serve this role in some fashion. So ultimately, I wouldn’t stress out too much about who your sponsor is, other than choosing somebody that is orthodox and loves the Lord.

I moved two time zones away since my reception into the Church. My sponsor is a Facebook friend that I haven’t talked to in months. These things happen.
 
I am a born and bred Catholic. When my mother converted and became Catholic, I was her sponsor.
 
Pick a **well-catechized **Catholic, since you will have many questions.
 
My sponsor was chosen for me by our RCIA chaplain. To be frank, I really didn’t have many questions about Catholicism for him, and neither did we really speak too much about the faith. I appreciate his help—and will never forget his words to me after I was baptized—but, in my opinion, he was merely a sort of formality and requirement for the Easter Vigil. 🙂

My wife—who is a cradle Catholic who went through RCIA in order to be Confirmed—likewise had an assigned sponsor, although she and her sponsor spent a good deal of time corresponding via email, and continue to have a friendship today.

(Incidentally, I would describe our Order of Preachers-run RCIA as being very conservative.)

So I suppose my point is simply this: going through RCIA was, for me, a good experience based on the quality of the instruction that we were given, all things considered, and not so much because of sponsors, although I have no complaints in that area. I can see how some people might need a good sponsor, and how others might consider it in a nice addition, and how still others could take it or leave it.

Like my wife, I just wanted to know what the Church taught and what I was supposed to believe. The “emotional support” side of things just wasn’t on my plate, although I can see why it might be for others.
 
O_Lumen said:
My sponsor was chosen for me by our RCIA chaplain. To be frank, I really didn’t have many questions about Catholicism for him, and neither did we really speak too much about the faith. I appreciate his help—and will never forget his words to me after I was baptized—but, in my opinion, he was merely a sort of formality and requirement for the Easter Vigil. 🙂

My wife—who is a cradle Catholic who went through RCIA in order to be Confirmed—likewise had an assigned sponsor, although she and her sponsor spent a good deal of time corresponding via email, and continue to have a friendship today.

(Incidentally, I would describe our Order of Preachers-run RCIA as being very conservative.)

So I suppose my point is simply this: going through RCIA was, for me, a good experience based on the quality of the instruction that we were given, all things considered, and not so much because of sponsors, although I have no complaints in that area. I can see how some people might need a good sponsor, and how others might consider it in a nice addition, and how still others could take it or leave it.

Like my wife, I just wanted to know what the Church taught and what I was supposed to believe. The “emotional support” side of things just wasn’t on my plate, although I can see why it might be for others.
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I don’t think that I am going to have a lot of questions, since I have already asked some already. Also, I have really paid attention to what is written here about Catholicism. My husband is RC, so that helps, too.

In this parish, you are allowed to pick your own sponsor. I want a sponsor who is well catechized, who deeply believes in the Catholic teachings, and Jesus.
 
Graceful_Lamb said:
In this parish, you are allowed to pick your own sponsor. I want a sponsor who is well catechized, who deeply believes in the Catholic teachings, and Jesus.
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The same is true in our parish, but neither my wife nor I really knew anyone, so the priests assigned us sponsors instead. 🙂

I think holiness is a really important trait in a sponsor, since a major task of theirs should be praying for whoever they are sponsoring. To be at least halfway blunt, I’m not so sure how many of the folks who are coming in to the Church can be said to *already *be in a state of grace, and this has theological repercussions for the efficacy of their prayers. The sponsor has a spiritual duty to fill in this gap, and to merit extra graces for the non-Catholic they are sponsoring, and their personal level of holiness is important insofar as *that *is concerned.

I don’t know if speaking bluntly on this is particularly acceptable, but really, this aspect is quite crucial.
 
O_Lumen said:
The same is true in our parish, but neither my wife nor I really knew anyone, so the priests assigned us sponsors instead. 🙂

I think holiness is a really important trait in a sponsor, since a major task of theirs should be praying for whoever they are sponsoring. To be at least halfway blunt, I’m not so sure how many of the folks who are coming in to the Church can be said to *already *be in a state of grace, and this has theological repercussions for the efficacy of their prayers. The sponsor has a spiritual duty to fill in this gap, and to merit extra graces for the non-Catholic they are sponsoring, and their personal level of holiness is important insofar as *that *is concerned.

I don’t know if speaking bluntly on this is particularly acceptable, but really, this aspect is quite crucial.
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for those starting n RCIA (non-Catholics), I think it would be impossible to be in a state of grace. Can’t go to confession, for one, until a certain time (not sure when that is. Can’t receive the Blessed Sacrament until being received into the Church.
 
Graceful_Lamb said:
In this parish, you are allowed to pick your own sponsor. I want a sponsor who is well catechized, who deeply believes in the Catholic teachings, and Jesus.
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As a member of the RCIA team when we talk about pairing up inquirers and sponsors it’s not something taken lightly. Choosing a sponsor for someone else is given a great deal of thought and prayer.

Inquirers may choose their own sponsor or we’ll line them up with someone.

Just an FYI when I went through RCIA my initial sponsor was a cradle Catholic who didn’t know his faith nearly as well as he thought he did. About halfway through we had a serious falling out & I asked him to step aside. I went to the RCIA director who set me up with convert of many years who is not only an amazing Christian but is a great friend. You want to pick someone who not only knows their faith but truly lives their faith.
 
Horton said:
As a member of the RCIA team when we talk about pairing up inquirers and sponsors it’s not something taken lightly. Choosing a sponsor for someone else is given a great deal of thought and prayer.

Inquirers may choose their own sponsor or we’ll line them up with someone.

Just an FYI when I went through RCIA my initial sponsor was a cradle Catholic who didn’t know his faith nearly as well as he thought he did. About halfway through we had a serious falling out & I asked him to step aside. I went to the RCIA director who set me up with convert of many years who is not only an amazing Christian but is a great friend. You want to pick someone who not only knows their faith but truly lives their faith.
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Thank you for your response. I do want a sponsor who lives their faith, too.
 
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