Welcoming a new child into your family is one of
the greatest moments of family life. You who are
called by God to be parents will have to make many
important decisions concerning your children
throughout their lives. One of them is the choice
of Godparents, those special people who will
assist you in raising your children in the faith.
There is often, however, a great deal of confusion
over just what a Godparent is and who is eligible
to fulfill this role. Traditions, customs and
family sensitivities often dictate differing
“rules” and guidelines as to who should or who
“must” be selected to be a child’s Godparent.
These expectations, however, sometimes contradict
the Church’s understanding of a Godparent and the
requirements that must be fulfilled in order for
someone to qualify for this position. As a result,
parents sometimes discover that the person they've
already asked to be their child’s Godparent is not
eligible to do so, and they find themselves in the
rather awkward position of having to withdraw
their invitation to be their child's Godparent.
This of course can be embarrassing to the parents
and is sometimes taken as an insult by the
would-be Godparent. We ask you to read the
following information which explains what a
Godparent is according to Church law in order to
avoid such awkward moments as well as to help you
choose the best Godparents for your child.
First, let's mention what Godparents are not. They
are not people who will raise the child in case
something happens to you. That is a legal
guardian. (They may in fact be the people you'd
like to fulfill this role, but this is a matter of
civil law, and has nothing to do with the role of
a Godparent.) They are also not automatically the
Best Man and Maid-of-Honor from your wedding. A
Godparent is a sponsor, one who will assist you by
word and example in raising your child to be a
faithful Catholic. It is the responsibility of the
Godparents to show your child how to practice the
Gospel in personal and social life, to sustain
your child in moments of hesitancy and anxiety, to
bear witness, and to guide your child’s progress
in the baptismal life. They are role models for
your child of how to be a good Catholic, so that
if at any time your child is uncertain about how
to follow Jesus, he need only look to his
Godparents for an example. At the baptism, they
will be asked with you to renew their baptismal
promises and profess their faith in Jesus and the
Catholic Church. This understanding therefore
places some obligations upon Godparents. The laws
of the Catholic Church concerning Godparents are
as follows:
The 1983 Code of Canon Law clearly states that
Godparents must be mature enough to undertake this
responsibility. In the Archdiocese of New York, it
is stipulated that they must be at least fourteen
years old. They must be fully initiated Catholics,
having received the sacraments of Baptism,
Confirmation and Holy Communion; they must not be
bound by any canonical penalty, and they must not
be the mother or the father of the one to be
baptized. They must also be practicing their
faith, which means they actively participate in
Mass every Sunday and on every Holyday of
Obligation, and are not living in any situations
or involved in any activities that the Church
teaches are sinful. If they are married, they must
be validly married in the eyes of the Church.
In general, there are two areas of conflict people
often have with the Godparents they have chosen:
First of all, they must be Catholic. In certain
situations, particularly where one of the parents
is a non-Catholic Christian, out of respect for
the non-Catholic member, one of the Godparents may
be a practicing member of a non-Catholic Christian
denomination, provided the other Godparent is a
practicing Catholic. (This person is technically
not a Godparent but a Christian Witness, although
the role will be fulfilled in the same manner.)
Only one Christian Witness is permissible. There
must always be one Catholic Godparent. Under NO
CIRCUMSTANCES WHATSOEVER can a non-Christian act
as a Godparent or witness at a baptism. Church law
only requires you to have one Godparent for your
child. You may have as many as two (which is
traditional). It is not permitted to have more
than two Godparents. If you choose to have two
Godparents, they must be one male and one female.
It is not permissible to have two Godfathers or
two Godmothers, or one Godfather and two
Godmothers, etc.
Secondly, both Godparents and Christian Witnesses
must be regularly practicing their faith. All
prospective Godparents are required to acquire a
sponsor certificate from the parish where they are
currently registered and attending Mass every
Sunday. It is a frequent problem that people
choose someone who is not practicing his faith to
be a Godparent. This causes considerable
difficulty when this individual contacts a parish
and asks for a sponsor certificate. Usually this
person is unknown to his local parish, is not
registered, and cannot receive a certificate. In
some cases, he will be asked to sign a form
certifying before God that he is a practicing
Catholic, or that he promises to make whatever
changes in his life are necessary for him to be
so. If the person is not willing to begin
practicing his faith, he will not be able to sign
the form and will not be able to fulfill the role
of a Godparent. (And when you think about it, if
someone is not practicing his Catholic faith and
refuses to do so in the future in order to be your
child’s Godparent, do you really want to choose
that person? Your child will be the one who loses
out in the long run.) A Catholic who is living a
life not consistent with the Catholic faith cannot
act as a Godparent at a baptism. It is also not
possible for a Catholic whose life is not
consistent with the faith to be admitted merely as
a Christian Witness. Finally, Godparents should be
people willing to continue their role in your
child's life after the day of baptism, and should
be someone your child will grow up seeing on a
regular basis. If you are unsure about the
eligibility of certain people or if you have any
questions, it is always wise to speak with a
priest before you ask someone to be a Godparent,
so that the offer does not have to be
embarrassingly withdrawn because the person you
selected is ineligible. Remember, the Godparent is
not merely someone to stand next to you on the day
of baptism, but is someone who is promising to be
a spiritual guide for your child throughout his
life, and to be a living witness to your child of
his Catholic faith by his word and example. The
priests at Sacred Heart Church will always be more
than happy to help you in your decision to choose
the Godparents who would be the best Godparents
for your child, people who will truly be assisting
you in your duty as Catholic parents.
Compliments of Our Lady’s Guild
Sacred Heart Church, Suffern, New York |
