Gulf Pine Catholic • July 11, 2025 21 From RCIA to “I Do” BY PAUL BLANCHARD In the fall of 2022, I was asked to assist with my parish RCIA program. I had no idea that decision would lead me to sponsor my first person into the Catholic Church: a young man named Gavin. And now, as I sit in a pew at his wedding rehearsal on April 4, I can’t help but reflect on the journey that brought us here. When people first arrive at RCIA, I try to notice their habits. Do they always sit in the same seat? Do they stick with the same group? There was one young man who always caught my eye. Gavin. He arrived and left alone, always with a genuine smile on his face. One evening after class, I introduced myself more formally. “What brought you to RCIA?” I asked. Without missing a beat, he replied, “My ex-girlfriend.” I laughed. “Well, there’s got to be a story there.” He grinned and began to tell it. Gavin explained that his ex had helped with the parish youth program and invited him to attend Mass. He went a few times, despite not knowing what was going on -- kneeling, standing, sitting, all the unfamiliar prayers. But then he described something that stopped me in my tracks. “During the part of the Mass where the priest holds up the circle…” he said, trailing off. “The consecration?” I asked. His eyes lit up. “Yeah! That part. When the priest did that, my heart started leaping in my chest. I thought I was having a heart attack or something. But once the priest began handing it out to everyone, my heart calmed down.” I thought to myself, Gavin, you just had a Eucharistic encounter with Jesus -- you just don’t have the language for it yet. He continued. “I came back a second time, and it happened again. I called the church to ask questions, and they told me about RCIA. So here I am, trying to find answers.” “That’s awesome!” I said. “So, who’s your sponsor?” “I don’t know what that is,” replied Gavin. I explained that a sponsor is someone who walks with you during the RCIA process -- helps answer questions, goes to Mass with you, and supports you along the way. It could be a friend or a family member. “I’ll ask my family,” he said enthusiastically. The next week, I followed up. “Hey Gavin, did you find a sponsor?” “Well, I asked my dad, my mom, my stepmom, my stepdad, my grandma…” he began. “Wait,” I interrupted, “are any of them Catholic?” “No,” he said. “I’ve never even been baptized. But they’re all supportive -- they just said they didn’t have time to walk with me.” My brain froze for a second. Here was a young man bold enough to ask his entire family tree to sponsor him into a faith they didn’t share -- while I know lifelong Catholics who struggle to talk about their faith even within their own homes. Then Gavin added casually, “Oh, and I think I need to get baptized, too.” I had never sponsored anyone before. I hadn’t even been a confirmation sponsor. But suddenly, I was seriously considering it. “That’s really great that your family is so supportive,” I said. “You don’t always hear that.” Then Gavin asked, “Hey, could we grab coffee sometime? I feel like there’s not enough time in class to talk through everything.” We made plans. We met at Lady May’s café. I pulled up on my motorcycle and parked behind another. When I spotted the helmet inside, I realized it was Gavin’s. Of course he rides. As we sat and talked, I realized how much we had in common. It felt like meeting a long-lost brother. He asked what I thought made a good sponsor. I told him that my godparents had been distant, so I could only speak to what I wished I had. “To me,” I said, “a sponsor is someone who isn’t just in a photo at Easter. It’s someone who prays for you and with you for the rest of your life.” He nodded. We finished lunch, and I felt more certain: I wanted to walk with Gavin on this journey. The next week, I told one of the RCIA coordinators that I’d been praying about sponsoring Gavin -- but I wanted it to be his choice. After class that day, Gavin stood up. “Everyone, I have an announcement!” he said. He walked right up to me, got down on one knee, and said, “Paul, will you sponsor me into the Catholic faith?” I burst out laughing. “Yes!” I replied. He jumped up and gave me a bear hug. Later, Father Mike approached me. “How long have you two known each other?” he asked. “Hmm… about two weeks?” I said. He looked surprised. “Sometimes people just click,” I added. “He really does feel like a long-lost brother.” From then on, Gavin started attending Mass regularly. I helped him learn the flow of the liturgy using the Breaking Bread book. I told him it was okay to feel lost at first -- the Mass is something you grow into. Over time, I began inviting him to join my friends for game nights, cigar nights, movie nights, and deep conversations about faith. Gavin quickly became the joyful heartbeat of our group. When it came time to choose a confirmation saint, together we discovered St. Philip Neri -- patron saint of joy. It couldn’t have been more fitting. Deacon Jim joked one day, “Since Gavin’s being baptized, that technically makes you his godfather.” Once Gavin heard that, the title stuck. Gavin soaked up everything we covered in RCIA like a sponge. Every question he asked me was rooted in conversations he was having with his family. “So, I was talking to my stepmom about this, and I got stuck -- where can I find more info?” His openness and hunger for truth gave me a fresh, deeper perspective on my own faith. I realized being a sponsor isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about being willing to walk alongside someone and learn together. At the Easter Vigil in 2023, something beautiful happened. Gavin found out that one of his grandmothers had grown up Catholic but had been away from the Church for years. Father told him that if she had been baptized and confirmed, all she needed to do was go to confession. So, Gavin arranged it. I got to sit between them that night. She recited every prayer from memory. The joy in that room was tangible. It felt like heaven was celebrating with us. On April 8, 2023, Gavin was baptized and confirmed. And in the process, he brought his grandmother back home to the Church. In the time since, Gavin finished nursing school. He began dating Logan. Sponsored her into the Church. He landed a job at a local hospital. Proposed to Logan. And on April 5, 2025, I stood at the back of the church and watched my godson get married -- when just three years earlier, he hadn’t even known what the Eucharist was. God is good. I felt compelled to share this story -- not just as a reminder to myself, but as a hope-filled witness for others. The Holy Spirit does all the heavy lifting. We’re just called to show up, be present, and walk with people. Sometimes, just being a companion on the journey is enough for God to do something extraordinary. So may the Holy Spirit pour out grace in abundance on the Hartleys, their families, every RCIA (OCIA) candidate and alum, and every cradle Catholic discovering new ways of what it means to believe. Gavin & Logan Hartley on their wedding day
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