Should I keep this secret?

[amontoya]

I am in RCIA and will enter the Church at Easter Vigil. My family is not happy with my decision. It was a struggle to tell them, but I needed to be honest.

My sponsor has a similar situation with her family. They are very anti-Catholic. She converted two years ago but hasn’t told anyone in her family except her husband. I think she needs to be honest about this, but it’s not my place to tell anyone for her.

My problem is that when I had the chance to meet some of her family, she told them she knew me from church. They thought I was Methodist and I didn’t correct them. I don’t want to hide my faith from anyone, and now I feel very guilty for not standing up and telling the truth. I feel I have denied Christ.

Should I help her keep this secret?

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

Prudentially choosing to refrain from correcting a mistaken assumption is not the same thing as directly denying your faith. Given the choice that your friend made to avoid telling extended family her decision to become Catholic, it probably was a mistake for her to mention that she knew you from church. You are correct though that only she can tell her family that she is now Catholic.

However, I do recommend explaining to your friend that if her family directly asks you a question about your church affiliation, you feel it necessary to reply honestly. But please keep in mind that an honest response need not be an in-depth response. For example, if asked, “Where do you attend church?” you can give the name of the parish alone without expansion on that. Or, if asked the name of the pastor of your church, you could say “The Reverend Adams” rather than “Father Adams.” It is possible to be discreetly honest while avoiding being brutally frank.