What is the role of the sponsor in the RCIA, and how does both personal and communal accompaniment reflect the Church’s teaching that “the initiation of adults is the responsibility of all the baptised”

What is the role of a godparent in the Church, especially in the sacraments of Initiation, and how are they called to be “co-workers with parents” in helping the baptised live a Christian life and persevere in the faith?

A study of Church history shows the immense and important contribution of the religious in catechesis. St. John Paul II stated that throughout history, men and women religious have been deeply committed to the catechetical ministry (CT, 65). The Directory for Catechesis (2020) recognises the religious as “among the figures most dedicated to catechetical outreach” (DC, 119).

Catechetical formation is vital for future priests and deacons. Church documents from Vatican II to the 2020 Directory for Catechesis emphasize the need to study the kerygma, Catechism, RCIA, pedagogy, and Church teaching. Priests must be prepared to lead catechesis in the parish effectively and faithfully.