It is not only an honor to be a Godparent/Sponsor for a child at Baptism/Confirmation; it is also a great responsibility. Godparents/sponsors promise to help the parents rear the child in the Catholic faith. That means that Godparents/sponsors must also be profoundly Catholic in order to fulfill their responsibilities.
Let’s put it this way, you would want the best baseball coach to teach
your child how to play ball. In the same way, you would want the best Catholic
Godparent/sponsor available to teach your child (usually by their example) how to be Catholic.
So, what are the requirements of a Godparent/sponsor in the Catholic Church?
1. For Baptism, every child must have at least one Godparent and no more than two Godparents. If there are two Godparents, one must be a male and one must be a female.
2. A Godparent/sponsor must be a Sacramentally Confirmed Catholic who has already received Holy Communion.
3. A Godparent/sponsor should be at least 16 years old.
4. A Godparent/sponsor may not be the mother or father of the child to be baptized.
5. A Godparent/sponsor must lead a life of faith in keeping with the role and responsibilities to be undertaken. Thus a Godparent/sponsor must :
6. A statement attesting to the good standing of the person proposed to be the
Godparent/sponsor must be obtained from their proper parish. Or, if they are already members of Holy Infant Parish, the pastor must confirm their good standing and ability to fulfill the above requirements. This statement should be presented to
Holy Infant Parish at least two weeks before the scheduled baptism. A person
without this statement often called a Sponsor Certificate) cannot serve as a
Godparent. Try to prevent embarrassing a person by asking them to serve as
a Godparent/sponsor, knowing that they are not practicing the Catholic faith, are in
an invalid marriage, etc., and will be unlikely to obtain this statement from
their proper pastor.
REQUIREMENTS FOR A CHRISTIAN WITNESS (Baptism)
A Christian Witness is a baptized Christian who can be a witness to the fact of the
baptism when only one Godparent is chosen. This person should also be of high moral character and NOT BE AN “EX-CATHOLIC” OR NON-PRACTICING CATHOLIC.
In our day and age, it can sometimes be difficult to find qualified Godparents for a child’s baptism. However, this should not cause us to settle for persons who are not serious about their Catholic faith. Your child should be able to grow up and look at their Godparent and say, “I want to be a Catholic just like my Godparent.” So, parents should choose Godparents for their children who are able to fulfill their role. Being a Godparent is much more of a responsibility than it is an honor. Choose well, since your child will have their Godparent for most, if not all, of their lives. This same Godparent may be chosen to sponsor them later, at the time the Sacrament of Confirmation is received.
OTHER QUESTIONS:
Does a Godparent promise to raise the child in case of the parents’ death? No. The person who would take over the role of the parents in case of such a tragedy should be defined in the parents’ legal will. It does not fall to the Godparent to do this unless the Will has provided for it. Rather, a Godparent is the person who will help the parents or subsequent legal guardians rear the child in the active practice of the Catholic Faith.
What if I can’t find a person qualified to be a Godparent/sponsor? Sadly, this is sometimes the case. Perhaps one or both of the child’s grandparents could be the Godparent. Maybe a neighbor, or a parishioner could serve as the Godparent. If it comes to it, the pastor could provide a suitable and qualified Godparent for your child. While this is obviously not ideal, it is still better than giving the child an unqualified Godparent, someone that he or she cannot look up to as a role model for living the Catholic way of life.