Who sponsors child catechumens?

The Rite of Acceptance adapted for children, as it appears in the RCIA, presumes the children’s parents will be serving as their sponsors (see 265). I suppose this is because the parents are required to give their consent. If they cannot be present at the rite to do so, they are to send a “sponsor” to give consent for them (260).

I’m not sure that having parents serving as their children’s sponsors is the wisest pastoral practice, however. Isn’t it usually the case that the reason these children have reached catechetical age without being baptized is because the parents have had a few bumps in the road on their own journey of faith? They are not likely to have been the active Catholics we usually look for in the role of sponsor. But if the parents don’t serve as sponsors, who does?

Other possible sponsors for children

In some instances, it is not the parents presenting the children for initiation, but another relative—usually Grandma. Grandma is probably an active Catholic and, in other circumstances, would be a fine sponsor. However, even if they have given their full consent, parents can sometimes develop resentments that Grandma is bringing their children to church in their place. If Grandma also serves as the children’s sponsor, it is possible that underlying tensions will be exacerbated.

The RCIA also speaks of a group of children the same age as the child catechumens to whom the catechumens look to for “help and example” (254). Might one or more of these companions serve as sponsors?

Finally, there is the possibility of not adapting this part of the rite and choosing adult sponsors for all the catechumens, no matter what age. Let’s call one of these sponsors “Sally.” Sally is an active parishioner who is also well known to the catechumenate team. The team might ask her to serve as a sponsor to one of the child catechumens.

In choosing among these options, the driving question has to be what will best meet the needs of the children. The best option is probably going to be a creative use of all of these “sponsors” to help guide the children on the journey of faith. Even so, the Sally’s cannot be left out of the mix.

The parents (or perhaps the grandparents) are going to be the primary catechists and primary faith guides for their children. If their own faith formation is weak, they will need Sally to guide them through the catechetical and ritual steps along with their children.
Catholic children can be wonderful models of faith for their catechumen companions, but they haven’t lived that faith long enough to completely fulfill the role of sponsor. However, with Sally coaching them, some children might make excellent sponsors.

Rite of Acceptance with children

So when it comes to the Rite of Acceptance, who stands with the child catechumens? Flip open your RCIA to paragraph 10 to see the qualifications for a sponsor:

Sponsors are persons who have known and assisted the candidates and stand as witnesses to the candidates’ moral character, faith, and intention.

If Mom and Dad are bringing their child for initiation, they have obviously witnessed their child’s moral character, faith, and intention. So they should stand with their child in the rite. Or, if Grandma is bringing the child because Mom and Dad have not been able to witness the child’s conversion, Grandma can stand in. In some cases, a Catholic child companion might be able to stand as a witness as well.

Ultimately, however, an adult Catholic who has a mature faith understanding of what “moral character, faith, and intention” means needs to also stand with the catechumens.

There is no rule that a child catechumen may only have one sponsor. In the Rite of Acceptance, I think the minimum is probably two: a parent or guardian and someone like Sally. Others might stand in as well. The adaptations you make will be based on what is most spiritually beneficial for the children.

What do you think? How have you chosen sponsors for child catechumens? Leave a comment, and let us know.

Tags: Sponsors