Godparents

[Robbi]

Me and my wife were discussing when we were to have kids (God willing), who we would have as Godparents. She asked if they had to be Catholic and I said yes.

That kind of led to the questions - what is the role of the Godparents? Can their be more than one? And do they have to be Catholic? If more than one Godparent is allowed, to both have to be Catholic?

Thankyou,
Rob

[cappie]

From the Code of Canon Law


CHAPTER IV : SPONSORS

Can. 872 In so far as possible, a person being baptised is to be assigned a sponsor. In the case of an adult baptism, the sponsor's role is to assist the person in christian initiation. In the case of an infant baptism, the role is together with the parents to present the child for baptism, and to help it to live a christian life befitting the baptised and faithfully to fulfil the duties inherent in baptism.

Can. 873 One sponsor, male or female, is sufficient; but there may be two, one of each sex.

Can. 874 §1 To be admitted to undertake the office of sponsor, a person must:

1° be appointed by the candidate for baptism, or by the parents or whoever stands in their place, or failing these, by the parish priest or the minister; to be appointed the person must be suitable for this role and have the intention of fulfilling it;

2° be not less than sixteen years of age, unless a different age has been stipulated by the diocesan Bishop, or unless the parish priest or the minister considers that there is a just reason for an exception to be made;

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;

4° not labour under a canonical penalty, whether imposed or declared;

5° not be either the father or the mother of the person to be baptised.

§2 A baptised person who belongs to a non-catholic ecclesial community may be admitted only in company with a catholic sponsor, and then simply as a witness to the baptism.

Godparents have two specific jobs: 1. Witnessing the ceremony; and 2. Protecting the child. The first role is easy to understand. Godparents literally represent God at the ceremony.

WITNESSES TO THE CEREMONY
There are some necessary qualifications for those serve as godparents at a Catholic Baptism.
• They must be practicing Roman Catholics at least 16 years of age. Practicing means that they faithfully follow the precepts* of the Church
• They must have received the Sacrament of Confirmation.
• Some Dioceses allow a person who is not a Roman Catholic to serve as a "Christian Witness". In this case, there must be at least one Roman Catholic who serves as the true godparent.
PROTECTING THE CHILD
The second role takes much more involvement. It requires an on-going contact with the child. While you may want friends or relatives who live far away, it would be better to have godparents who can see the child on a regular basis.
When you celebrate the anniversary of your child's Baptism, the godparents should take part. The godparents should be considered as the appropriate sponsors at Confirmation, when the child becomes old enough. If anything should prevent you as parents from raising your child in the Catholic faith, godparents have a serious obligation to see that this is done.
When you pick someone to be a godparent for your child, you should have all of these tasks in mind. Will the people be able to continue a relationship with the child? Are they good role models? Would they be able to help you raise the child in faith? Would they be available to serve as sponsors at the Sacrament of Confirmation? Don't just pick someone whom you want to honor, think of your child's future.

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*The Precepts of the Church
The precepts of the Church are guidelines to Catholic life. They are sort of the six Commandments of the Church:
1. You shall attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation and rest from servile labor.
2. You shall confess your serious sins at least once a year.
3. You shall receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter season.
4. You shall obey the laws of the Church concerning marriage.
5. You shall observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church.
6. You shall help to provide for the needs of the Church.