No one becomes Catholic alone. The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults gives each inquirer a sponsor from the parish who accompanies them through inquiry and the catechumenate, and each catechumen a godparent, who may be the same person, chosen for the Rite of Election, the Easter Vigil and the years after. Candidates already baptized have a sponsor for their reception and Confirmation. It is one of the most important lay ministries in the Church, and one of the least visible: the sponsor's work is mostly conversation, presence and prayer. This guide sets out who may serve and what the role asks, so that you can say yes with your eyes open.

What you need

• To be a confirmed, practising Catholic at least sixteen years old who has received the Eucharist
• One evening a week for the sessions, and the dates of the rites through Lent and Easter
• A habit of praying for your candidate by name, daily
• Willingness to stay in touch for at least a year after the Vigil

When to pray it

From the first inquiry sessions through the Easter Vigil and the year of mystagogy that follows; the Rite of Election is on the First Sunday of Lent and the scrutinies on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays.

Steps

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   Step 1: Know who may sponsor

   Canon law sets the requirements for a godparent, and the Church applies them to OCIA sponsors: a Catholic who has completed sixteen years of age (the bishop or pastor may allow an exception), has been confirmed and has received the Eucharist, leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role, is not bound by any canonical penalty, and is not the father or mother of the one to be baptized. A married Catholic must be in a marriage recognised by the Church. There is one godparent, or one of each sex. A baptized non-Catholic Christian may stand as a Christian witness together with a Catholic godparent but may not be the godparent. The candidate usually chooses their own; the parish confirms the choice.

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   Step 2: Understand what a sponsor does

   The Order describes the godparent's task as showing the candidate how to practise the Gospel in personal and social life, sustaining them in doubt and anxiety, bearing witness for them, and watching over their progress in the baptismal life. In practice this means: being there, at sessions and at Mass; talking, about what was taught and about what is happening in their life; answering questions or finding someone who can; praying for them; and, at the rites, testifying before the Church that they are ready. It is accompaniment, not instruction. The sponsor in the early period may be a different person from the godparent chosen for Election and the Vigil, but continuity is best.

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   Step 3: Attend the sessions and the rites

   Go to the weekly sessions with your candidate whenever you can; the parish will tell you which ones require sponsors. Sit with them at Sunday Mass and, where catechumens are dismissed after the homily, know that they are leaving to reflect on the Word, not being sent away. Be present for every rite: the Rite of Acceptance or Welcoming, at which you present them and trace the cross on their senses with the priest; the Rite of Election; the three scrutinies; the Holy Saturday preparation rites; and the Easter Vigil. Put the dates in your calendar as soon as the parish publishes them.

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   Step 4: Pray for your candidate

   Pray for your candidate by name every day, from the first meeting to long after the Vigil. Ask the Holy Spirit to finish in them what he has begun: Come, Holy Spirit▾ is the Church's prayer for exactly this. Offer a Mass for them, or a Rosary, at each stage of the journey. Fast for them on the Fridays of Lent. Saint Monica prayed for years for her son Augustine, who was baptized at the Easter Vigil in Milan in 387; there is no better patroness for a sponsor. Tell your candidate that you pray for them; they will need to know it.

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   Step 5: The Rite of Election and the scrutinies

   On the First Sunday of Lent, at the cathedral, the bishop will ask you whether your candidate has faithfully listened to God's word, responded to it and walked in his way, and joined in the community's prayer; you answer 'They have' for the whole Church to hear. Do not answer lightly; it is the one moment the Order asks for your testimony. At the three scrutinies on the following Sundays you stand behind your candidate with a hand on their shoulder while the community prays and the priest lays hands on them. Between the rites, talk with them about what they are experiencing; Lent is the most intense part of the journey.

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   Step 6: The Easter Vigil

   At the Vigil you stand beside your candidate through the baptismal liturgy. You are named with them before the Litany of the Saints, you stand as witness while they renounce sin, profess the faith and are baptized, you may help them into the white garment, you light their candle from the Paschal candle and hand it to them, and at Confirmation you place your right hand on their shoulder as the priest anoints them with chrism. Then you kneel beside them as they receive Holy Communion for the first time. Bring nothing but yourself and a handkerchief; the night is long and most sponsors weep.

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   Step 7: Stay present after Easter

   The weeks after the Vigil are when new Catholics most easily drift, and the sponsor is the Church's answer to that. Sit with your neophyte at the Sunday Masses of Easter, come to the mystagogy gatherings, and keep meeting for coffee once the formal sessions end. Help them find a place in the parish: a ministry, a group, a work of mercy. Be the person they call when the first difficulty with the Church or with a Catholic comes, as it will. The United States norms ask parishes to accompany the newly baptized for a full year; the sponsor's promise is longer than that.

Tips

• You do not have to be a theologian. Your candidate has teachers; what they need from you is a Catholic friend who lives the faith and will answer honestly, including 'I don't know, let's ask'.
• A parent may not be a godparent for their own child, and a baptized non-Catholic Christian may serve only as a Christian witness alongside a Catholic godparent.
• The godparent for Baptism is ideally also the sponsor at Confirmation, so that one person stands with the candidate throughout.
• Keep the confidences your candidate shares. Much of what you hear is spoken because you are trusted.