sponsor

[georgia123]

Could someone please explain to me exactly what the role of the sponsor is for someone who is seeking to join the church.


Thank you,
Georgia :wave:

[Theophorus]

Kind of like a God parent. I was told that my sponser was now my sister (and she acts like one :D ) I was not told the "official" role, but my sponsor has helped to acclimate me to the Church. She has given me icons and books, spoke for my children at their baptism, given me fasting recipes, fed me, comforted me and my family, reassured us in certain matters.... has been a blessing in general.

[Michael the Iconographer]

My sponsor is a gentleman who is an iconographer (whose name I wont mention) who too it upon himself after I met him to work on talking to me about Orthodoxy and carried on long discussions with me about why I was (at that time) Byzantine Catholic instead of just making the switch from Roman Catholic to Orthodoxy. Without all of the work my sponsor did it might have taken much longer for me to convert to Orthodoxy than it did.

[georgia123]

Thank you for your replies. Do you pick your sponsor or is one appointed for you?



Georgia

[gzt]

People generally pick them, but if you're having trouble finding one or just prefer it that way, they can be assigned.

[Theophorus]

Mine was selected by my spiritual Father with my consent.

[Grand_Duchess-Elizaveta]

I thought men had to choose a male sponsor and women had to choose a female one?

[Theophorus]

:scratch: Don't know. She is a sponsor for my entire family. Like I said, she spoke for my children at their bapstism, she also made the crown and participated in our wedding.

[Michael the Iconographer]

It was kind of evident when I was to be Chrismated who my sponsor would be based on the fact that he had worked very hard toward helping me embrace the Orthodox faith.