catholic godparents???HELP!!!?

Question

ok so my husband is catholic and we are getting our son baptised catholic.. we are in the process of getting him godparents or "sponors" and i need to know if they have the be cathoilc?? cause...well i dont know any catholics!!! lol. so can i have a godparent of a diffrent religion? will the church accept that for the baptism?

Answer 1

If I remember rightly you can have a non-catholic, but there is a small chat with the priest before the ceremony takes place with the 'to be' godparent - anyway, your priest will give you the perfect answer

Answer 2

The godparents have to be Catholic. The duty of the godparents is the make sure their godchild is brought up according to the beliefs and practices of the Church in which they were Baptized.

How is it you cannot know any Catholics? Does your family attend Catholic mass on the sabbath? Is there no one at your parish whom you are friendly enough with and feel would serve as good Catholic role models for your child(ren)?

Answer 3

You wil have to find at least one Catholic godparent. You can have one godfather, one godmother, or one of each.

The role of the godfather and/or godmother is very important. They must be firm Catholic believers, able and ready to help the newly baptized—child or adult—on the road of Christian life.

To ensure this, a godparent must be at least 16 years old (for maturity's sake), fully initiated (having received Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist), be someone other than the legal parents, and one who leads a life in harmony with the Church.

If you have only one Catholic godparent, then you may have a non-Catholic participate as an official witness. The witness will be responsible for setting a good example for the baptized person while the Catholic godparent will share the specifics of the Catholic faith.

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

At least one of the godparents should be Catholic, but your priest the one you need to talk to.

The role of the godparent is to help the parents raise the child in the faith, and often plays a crucial role during the teenage years when there are questions the child doesn't want to raise with the parents but still needs guidance from a responsible adult that he or she can trust. Who do you want your child to turn to during the teenage years? That's your godparent.

Answer 5

I am sorry to say that they probably will not.

Unfortunately it seems that you're choice for Godparent has to be Catholic, according to my source:

They must:

12.3 "be a catholic who has been confirmed and has received the blessed Eucharist, and who lives a life of faith which befits the role to be undertaken;" (Canon 874.1.3)

As others have pointed out, though, you may find a priest who is sympathetic. It is probably best just to talk with the priest who will perform the baptism.


See my sources for details. (Specifically under #12)

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

I dont think the church asks what religion the godparents are. The godparent or sponsor, to me, is someone that will be there to guide your child if annything ever happens to the parents, and they will be able to do this no matter what their religion is so i dont think it matters

Answer 7

God parents are responsible for the religious education of the child if the parents are unable to do it.

Yes. God parents are required to be Catholic; however, you may find some priests willing to accept a non Catholic who promises to raise the child Catholic.

I personally would not have God parents that are outside the religion.

Answer 8

I seriously doubt it as they would be ill equipt to stand for the
tenets or beliefs of that faith but ask the priest ,they may have instruction expressly for that very purpose or accept some similar beliefs. funny you should ask as I once stood for a child as godparent and now I'm an atheist.

Answer 9

Okay. Well first of all, congratulations on your beautiful son. And thank you for being so kind to find out about your husband and soon, your son's faith.

You may not have a non Catholic as the godparent. The godparents must be Catholic. You may ask your non Catholic friends to 'witness' the baptism, but not be godparents.

When planning for a Baptism, sponsors (called "godparents" in the case of children) are chosen -- by the parents or by the catechumen himself, if he is of age -- to stand up for the catechumen during the Rite. The godparents act as witnesses and perform ritually in the same way that the Jewish kvatterin ("godmother") and kvatter ("godfather") pass a child to be circumcised from the former to the latter until the child reaches the mohel (the rabbi who circumcises).

There should, ideally, be one male and one female for this task, both baptized Catholics who are in good standing with the Church and who've reached the age of sixteen. If two sponsors are unavailable, one will suffice. Among those who may not act as sponsor are: members of religious orders, parents in respect to their own children, infidels, heretics, members of condemned secret societies, and public sinners (Note: the 1983 Code of Canon Law does not mention that spouses may not sponsor each other and that members of religious orders may not act as sponsors. As to Christian heretics, it says that while Protestants may not act as sponsors, they may act as "witnesses").

The spiritual relationship formed between sponsor and the the one sponsored is so close that, traditionally speaking, it is considered an impediment to marriage if a sponsor were to attempt to marry anyone s/he sponsors, or even a parent of the one sponsored (the 1983 Code of Canon Law doesn't mention this tradition).

Now, what is the responsibility of the sponsor/godparent?
In the case of children, the role of the godparent is to be that of "spiritual guardian" who takes up any "slack" in the child's catechesis, helps ensure that his godchild learns the Faith, and prays for the godchild throughout his life.

This is a very solemn obligation, not one to be entered into lightly. Parents should choose their child's godparents very carefully and select Catholics who know the Faith, understand the obligations of godparenting, and are willing and able to live up to them. Parents and godparents should work together for the goal of helping the child to know, love, and serve God! During the Rite of Baptism, the godparents will answer for the child, that is, they will make the replies to the questions asked by the priest of the one to be baptized.

Side notes:
1) it is common for sponsors to give a gift to the newly baptized on the day of his Baptism, and also common for the godparents of children to give gifts throughout the year, on days such as Christmas, Name Days, and birthdays -- to sort of act as an aunt or uncle would toward the child on special days such as these. These gifts need not be anything expensive, of course, but should be religious in nature.

2) Christening parties often follow Baptism -- especially after the Baptism of babies; they are usually small "family and close friends affairs" involving the serving of dessert and coffee. At these parties in Spanish cultures, the godfather will throw handfuls of coins to the children to scamper to gather up for "good luck."

3) it is typical for guests at a Christening to give small gifts or cards to the newly baptized on the day of his Baptism, just as it is the custom for guests to do so for those who receive their First Communion, who are Confirmed, or who receive the Sacraments of Holy Matrimony or Holy Orders.

4) It's customary to give the priest a stipend for his time, especially for a "stand-alone" Baptism, i.e., a Baptism that does not take place during the course of a regularly scheduled Mass.

Whew, okay--also, KEEP the Baptismal candle that is lit for your son's baptism. This candle will be used in all rites of his Catholic life: Confirmation, it is used when he marries, and lit when he dies. I have seen people having the dying hold their baptismal candle (unlit of course!). This is something the Church provides don't fret over it.

Many blessings to you, and again; Congratulations on your happy addition!!

Answer 10

I was a god parent for my nephew, and I am not catholic. Maybe the priest thought I was, but the parents knew I was not and no one asked.