This blog post is written by Dwight as he reflected upon his own journey and how it’s led him to now being a guide to someone in RCIA. Dwight and his candidate Daniel met and quickly became friends. I love watching this happen with our sponsors and candidates. I think Dwight’s story shares with us both the story of Dwight becoming more active in his faith, but also the deeper story of sharing that faith with another.
When I was asked to be a sponsor to an RCIA candidate, I found out the candidate was a veteran and immediately accepted the invitation. I too was a convert to the Catholic faith many years ago and have been involved with many areas of the Church through Prayer, Study, and Action, so assumed I could be a guide for someone else.
I first met my candidate when I invited him to go to Perkins as I wanted to treat him to breakfast. It didn’t take long in our conversation that I became somewhat humbled by his enthusiasm to not only join the church but to learn all he could in the process. His enthusiasm caused me to look back at my own journey.
When I met my wife Bev, I was 23. I had spent some time at Iowa State, served as a combat veteran in the army in Vietnam, and was working at John Deere in the apprenticeship electrical program. One of the things Bev insisted on is going to church, as did her family when she took me home with her to meet them. My first introduction to Mass was at the Drake Neuman Center. Now, I believed in God and was familiar with many of the scriptures and bible stories as my parents made it a priority to attend church and we went to many different churches. I read the Bible through several times when I was younger as I was isolated growing up on a farm in Southern Iowa. Not that I understood it all, but it was familiar. I had walked out of an Evangelical Church in Indianola when a pastor was screaming in my face that I was going to hell if I didn’t come forward to the alter rail. The more I attended Mass with Bev and her family, the more I realized that it felt like home. True, many of the rituals - when to stand and when to kneel - were something that took a while to understand, yet there was a peace in knowing and admitting while we were not perfect, there was a path to reconciliation and peace. I still remember Bev’s whole family making it a priority to travel to Christ the King in Des Moines when I was confirmed.
Now jumping forward to over 50 years of making a priority to not only attend Mass, but to learn, grow in our faith and give of ourselves in service to others. We have been involved in many activities such as working with engaged couples, presenting Marriage Encounter Weekends, Serving at Mass, and being active in the Knights of Columbus.
So, it should seem that I have it all figured out and can be a guide to others. Now getting back to being a sponsor to my candidate. I met with him several times or visited him on the phone when he was out of town for work or zoomed with him at some of the RCIA classes because that is what I was supposed to do. Unfortunately, I was away on a trip the day he was confirmed, and we had agreed to have one of the teachers that he felt a connection to as a proxy sponsor. I did manage to zoom into the RCIA class just after his confirmation and felt a few tears listening to him describe his experience with both Reconciliation and being received into full Communion into the Church.
Since then, I have been gifted to being present to him and his wife adopting their little girl and a proxy Godparent for her at her baptism, as well as attending her 1st birthday party. Privileged to introduce him to the Knights of Columbus and now realize that it was I was more of a tourist watching the Holy Spirit move my friend. It made me feel so blessed to just give of myself just as Jesus gave of himself for us all.
Blessings, Dwight Whitlatch
I think that many, like Dwight, agree to being a sponsor for many reasons, but most of all to walk with another on their journey… I think one of the beautiful things I see happen is the journey the sponsor goes one without even realizing it!
Thank you Dwight - and all the sponsors who have said YES to walking with our wonderful candidates and catechumens!