What Does It Mean To Be A Godparent In The Catholic Church

Being a godparent is an important duty in the catholic church.

How to choose godparents. The godparent represents the church the community of faith into which the child is being baptized and will assist the child to grow in that community. The action of the godparent s at a baptism when they physically raise the baptized person up from the font after the sacrament has just been administered has always symbolized the godparents spiritual care for the newly baptized one. It is a lifelong commitment of nurturing the spiritual formation of the godchild.

Worship together minister together study together help one another that is being part of the universal catholic church. Quite often godparents do not live in the same locale as their godchild. While this makes it difficult to be a part of the child s life it is not impossible. The practice of choosing godparents for a person to be baptized has existed since the earliest years of the church.

First godparents were essential in attesting to the integrity of the individual who was joining the catholic faith often because s he was an adult receiving the sacraments of initiation as in rcia today. Whatever the case being catholic means living a life that is alive with the grace of the sacraments and a personal unity with other members of the body. Being a godparent is therefore more than just fulfilling a centuries old catholic tradition. Has the attitude i am a catholic but and would not be a good example and witness to the faith also disqualifies himself.

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It is the catholic understanding that godparents in a liturgical and canonical sense should themselves be members of the church or ecclesial community in which the baptism is being celebrated. The godparent s represent the church including the church s faith. Often godparents are chosen from family members and close friends. For a catholic baptism only a catholic can take on this responsibility.

Let them know you are happy to be their godparent. Catholics the 1993 directory for the application of principles and norms on ecumenism directory on ecumenism explains. When you are happy to be a godparent it lets them know that you re not doing it just out of duty or expectation. Moreover if a person is catholic but antagonistic to the faith i e.

The role of a godparent is more than being a relative or friend who encourages christian behavior. The idea of a godparent being added spiritually to the immediately family reminds us that our bonds as catholics and christians are stronger than blood. A catholic who does not practice the faith by regularly attending mass or who is in an invalid marriage disqualifies himself from being a godparent.