Weekly THIS AND THAT for May 24, 2009: How to Choose Godparents and Sponsors

This and That:
How to Choose Godparents and Sponsors


Being a Godparent for Baptism or a Sponsor for Confirmation is a wonderful experience. It puts us in a position of having a unique relationship with someone that is based upon our Catholic faith.

The practice of having Godparents or Sponsors goes back to the way that people were initiated in the early Church. When adults were the candidates for initiation, they had a sponsor who was already Christian who helped them to prepare to be Baptized, Confirmed and to receive Eucharist. The sponsor presented the candidate to the Bishop for initiation. This was done all in one initiation ceremony, as we do with folks who go through the RCIA process now.

Baptism and Confirmation are closely related because they were initially one rite. In the history of the Church, they became two separate sacraments, with Baptism being celebrated by a priest or deacon and confirmation being celebrated later with a Bishop. In recent times, we have tried to emphasize the connection between these Sacraments of Initiation. One way to do this is to invite one of the Baptismal godparents to be the Sponsor for Confirmation.

Parents who are choosing Godparents for Baptism and Confirmation Candidates who are choosing sponsors need to be aware that the Catholic Church has three basic requirements for those who will fulfill this role:

1. The Godparent or Sponsor must be a fully initiated Catholic, having received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist themselves.

2. The person must be at least 16 years of age.

3. The person must be a practicing Catholic.

For Baptism, there must be one Godparent who meets these three requirements. While we have the tradition of two Godparents for Baptism, the second person is sometimes a Christian Witness. That is someone who may be from another Christian faith whom the parents believe will be a good support to the child in living their Catholic faith.

Godparents and Sponsors have the role of helping children and youth to grow in faith. They need to be people of prayer who are faithful to the Word of God and who live a sacramental life themselves. They become another model for children, in addition to parents, of what a faithful Catholic looks like in all aspects of life . . . Parents are not permitted to be Godparents or Sponsors for their own children.

Some suggestions for Godparents and Sponsors:

➢ Celebrate the child’s anniversary of Baptism by reminding them of this special day each year

➢ Pray daily for the child and share your own faith with them as they grow up

➢ Be attentive to the child’s growth in faith and encourage them

I have a Godson who received the Sacrament of Confirmation this year. He asked me to be his Sponsor and I was grateful and humbled. During the Rite of Confirmation I was flooded with memories of the boy’s Baptism, which had taken place in the same church. I remembered how his parents, his Godfather and I had made Baptismal promises for him as a baby. Now he was renewing that commitment and promising for himself to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I encourage parents to choose Godparents thoughtfully. Ask yourself, who will be a good model for my child of living their Catholic faith?

For those who are Godparents or Sponsors, remember that while you may be in relationship with the young person as a relative or friend of the family, you have this unique role of helping them to grow in faith as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Blessings,
Sr. Mary Therese