RCIA Sponsor

[robin_hood]

My wife has been asked to sponsor a lady through RCIA but the lady openly states that she doesn’t fully agree with church teaching on abortion and euthanasia.
Is it right to sponsor someone who is currently not fully in agreement with church teaching.
If my wife does sponsor her but she can’t be persuaded to fully accept church teaching at what point should my wife pull out of the agreement.

 

[MrSnaith]

My wife has been asked to sponsor a lady through RCIA but the lady openly states that she doesn’t fully agree with church teaching on abortion and euthanasia.
Is it right to sponsor someone who is currently not fully in agreement with church teaching.
If my wife does sponsor her but she can’t be persuaded to fully accept church teaching at what point should my wife pull out of the agreement.

In my opinion, unworthy as it is, I think she should bring this to her parish priest.

 

[ahs]

In my opinion, unworthy as it is, I think she should bring this to her parish priest.

Ditto. One would expect a non-Catholic in RCIA to not agree with everything the Church has taught. But if they are going to attend RCIA with the expectation of becoming Catholic, then there should be at least some openness to admitting that, “while I disagree with the Church on [whatever], I admit I could be wrong and I intend to follow the Church to Truth”.

 

[Joe_5859]

RCIA is a process of conversion. Presuming that your RCIA process is just beginning (with the reception of sacraments taking place on the Easter Vigil), I would expect most to have some issues at this stage in the game. Technically, most parishes are in the “pre-catechumenate” phase. People are just checking out the Church at this point. They don’t have to be ready to embrace it all just yet. That part comes later (at the Rite of Election, ideally).

We need to be very careful to allow room for conversion to happen. If we slam the door in their face at the outset, there is much less of a chance that they will stick around to actually experience this conversion.

Certainly, your wife can bring up any concerns with the pastor and/or RCIA director. But at this stage, it’s best to focus on the positive message of the Gospel (Jesus came to free us from sin and bring us to heaven) rather that going straight to hot button topics in moral theology. That stuff comes later in the process.

 

[Wesrock]

RCIA is a process of conversion. Presuming that your RCIA process is just beginning (with the reception of sacraments taking place on the Easter Vigil), I would expect most to have some issues at this stage in the game. Technically, most parishes are in the “pre-catechumenate” phase. People are just checking out the Church at this point. They don’t have to be ready to embrace it all just yet. That part comes later (at the Rite of Election, ideally).

We need to be very careful to allow room for conversion to happen. If we slam the door in their face at the outset, there is much less of a chance that they will stick around to actually experience this conversion.

Certainly, your wife can bring up any concerns with the pastor and/or RCIA director. But at this stage, it’s best to focus on the positive message of the Gospel (Jesus came to free us from sin and bring us to heaven) rather that going straight to hot button topics in moral theology. That stuff comes later in the process.

Thank you Joe, for posting everything I wanted to say but writing it 100X better.



My own journey back to the Church started with adamant opposition to it on some issues, but after many months, and as understanding grew, I submitted to Church teachings, first in my behavior, then intellectually, and finally in my heart (which is still ongoing).

 

[MrSnaith]

RCIA is a process of conversion. Presuming that your RCIA process is just beginning (with the reception of sacraments taking place on the Easter Vigil), I would expect most to have some issues at this stage in the game. Technically, most parishes are in the “pre-catechumenate” phase. People are just checking out the Church at this point. They don’t have to be ready to embrace it all just yet. That part comes later (at the Rite of Election, ideally).

We need to be very careful to allow room for conversion to happen. If we slam the door in their face at the outset, there is much less of a chance that they will stick around to actually experience this conversion.

Certainly, your wife can bring up any concerns with the pastor and/or RCIA director. But at this stage, it’s best to focus on the positive message of the Gospel (Jesus came to free us from sin and bring us to heaven) rather that going straight to hot button topics in moral theology. That stuff comes later in the process.

Excellent advice.

 

[DavidFilmer]

The Church does not expect every RCIA catechumen/candidate to be fully formed in the Catholic Faith. Heck, the Church does not expect that of professed Catholics!!!

Conversion is a process which rarely concludes. I am a Catholic convert who is still in the process of converting. Pray for my conversion (as Fr. Benedict Groeschel and Mother Angelica asks of everyone).

 

[ctb95]

The Church does not expect every RCIA catechumen/candidate to be fully formed in the Catholic Faith. Heck, the Church does not expect that of professed Catholics!!!

Conversion is a process which rarely concludes. I am a Catholic convert who is still in the process of converting. Pray for my conversion (as Fr. Benedict Groeschel and Mother Angelica asks of everyone).

But the catechumen/candidate should still be open to to what the Church teaches (especially when it’s a big issue like abortion or euthanasia). When I was in RCIA, there were certain doctrines that I had a difficult time understanding or agreeing with, but I was still open to what the Church taught about them.

 

[AKDee]

Is it right to sponsor someone who is currently not fully in agreement with church teaching.
If my wife does sponsor her but she can’t be persuaded to fully accept church teaching at what point should my wife pull out of the agreement.

IMO, YES, it is 100% appropriate to sponsor someone who is not in full agreement with Church teaching. RCIA is the process that people go through to get familiar with Church teachings and why they are what they are. You don’t have to fully believe everything the Church teaches to start with- in fact, many won’t, since many are coming from a protestant background. Many people would never convert to Catholicism if they had to believe everything before RCIA. Candidates DO need to be on board in the end, at least in terms of being obedient to Church teaching, even if they still don’t fully understand or agree. I recall the day in RCIA where we had a discussion on gay marriage, for example. It was animated. Many people in the class felt that it was unfair for God to make people gay and then to deny them the right to marry. I still struggle with some teachings but am obedient to them. I asked my priest in confession one time if it was a sin to not fully agree with church teaching provided I am obedient to them and do not speak out against them. He said no, and added, “I think we will all have 5 or 10 questions we’ll want to as God when we get to Heaven.”

 

[FathersKnowBest]

My wife has been asked to sponsor a lady through RCIA but the lady openly states that she doesn’t fully agree with church teaching on abortion and euthanasia.
Is it right to sponsor someone who is currently not fully in agreement with church teaching.
If my wife does sponsor her but she can’t be persuaded to fully accept church teaching at what point should my wife pull out of the agreement.

While I agree with the “tender” approach of graduality espoused by some of the posters, I think it would be wise for your wife to also open a dialog on the issues.

Might I suggest Tent Horn’s book: Persuasive Pro-Life, or his DVD Making The Case For Life?

 

[Horton]

When I started RCIA I didn’t believe everything the Church taught, a lot of it I didn’t even know there was a teaching on it. My biggest sticking point at that time was regarding marriage. No church was going to tell me I was still married to man I hadn’t seen in over 20 years! But I stayed, listened, studied, and most of all, talked to my sponsor. She was and still is a mentor and role model of what a Catholic woman should be.

To the OP’s question - Yes, your wife should sponsor the woman. She could be a transformative mentor to her. If the woman still struggles with those teachings have her speak to the RCIA director or the priest.

 

[Andreas_Hofer]

Experientially, a sponsor mentors someone along the faith journey; liturgically .a sponsor vouches for the person’s readiness to be received into the Church. A candidate/catechumen who is struggling with certain doctrines is very much in need of a person who will be honest about NOT vouching for him/her until they really have embraced the faith, so I would say it is better for your wife to go into the job knowing the challenge but committing to helping honestly than for the person to receive some other sponsor who will put in pro forma work and help their charge make shipwreck of a faith half-heartedly professed. But this is all premised upon your RCIA not simply “graduating” people in batches; I would be clear that I’m happy to accompany someone along the journey but will not stand by at their election/initiation if I have doubts about their readiness.

 

[Joe_5859]

While I agree with the “tender” approach of graduality espoused by some of the posters, I think it would be wise for your wife to also open a dialog on the issues.

Might I suggest Tent Horn’s book: Persuasive Pro-Life, or his DVD Making The Case For Life?

I agree that it really requires both a tender approach and open dialogue. Certainly, I do not mean to imply that disagreements be swept under the rug. Not at all. But we need to be prudent about our timing. In my parish, RCIA is just beginning. I am assuming that the OP’s parish is on a similar timeframe (though he can correct me if I am wrong). I would not push moral issues—or even Mary, the saints, and the sacraments—at this stage in the game. We need the foundation first: salvation history, revelation, the Trinity. That foundation is what makes the other stuff make sense.

 

[casslean]

My wife has been asked to sponsor a lady through RCIA but the lady openly states that she doesn’t fully agree with church teaching on abortion and euthanasia.
Is it right to sponsor someone who is currently not fully in agreement with church teaching.
If my wife does sponsor her but she can’t be persuaded to fully accept church teaching at what point should my wife pull out of the agreement.

Your wife should absolutely be willing to sponsor her! Further, it isn’t your wife’s role to “persuade” her to accept the church’s teachings; she should keep the lines of dialogue open and gently present the truth of the church’s teachings to her, but these are truths that this woman will have to come to accept freely and willingly through the work of the Holy Spirit, not because she has been persuaded or convinced by anyone in the RCIA process (particularly not if that persuasion includes the threat, implicit or otherwise, that failure to agree means the loss of a sponsor).

When I started RCIA I didn’t agree with the church’s teachings on contraception. I was prepared to abide by them, but I didn’t agree with them. I can honestly say that I didn’t come to embrace the truth of those teachings (and the reasons behind them) until three months after I was baptized - but when I got it, I really got it because it was a truth I was allowed to learn and discover on my own.

This is a journey. Your wife’s role is to help the candidate on their journey, not direct or lead them. That’s up to the Holy Spirit.