80 The Art of Accompaniment
support each other’s spiritual journey, especially if the couple is
in an interfaith marriage.
3. Passing on advice and support when it comes to putting life
transitions and tasks in perspective of the gospel.
4. Sharing their stories of married life and faith life with the en-
gaged couple in order to demonstrate how holiness unfolds
within the context of the married vocation.
Godparents and Sponsors
Another sacrament formation ministry that lends itself to rich spiritual
accompaniment is the formation of sponsors and godparents. Godparents
and sponsors are the first representatives of the community of believers in
the life of newly initiated Catholics. The task of the godparent and sponsor
is to accompany the neophyte in all things, especially the spiritual and cat-
echetical, while striving to live an exemplary life of virtue and holiness that
is sustained by the Word of God and the sacraments.
The Catholic faith is both personal and communal. To grow in faith
and love of God, the human person needs a community:
...faith needs the community of believers. It is only within the faith
of the Church that each of the faithful can believe. (Catechism of
the Catholic Church, #1253)
Sponsors and godparents provide this first introduction to the community
of faith, and assist neophytes in maintaining a connection to this commu-
nity long after initiation.
Parish catechetical leaders who coordinate and direct sacrament for-
mation should take steps to develop a godparent and sponsor formation.
This formation can be passed on from the sponsor to those they accompa-
ny. This formation should mirror the training of mentors described above,
including:
1. Evangelizing sponsors by conveying the story of salvation
and facilitating a new encounter with Christ for those they
accompany