The Church indicates 5 duties for the godparent:. In addition, the godparent is generally expected to fill the role of a supportive adult that children can turn to for advice and help, particularly on occasions when it may not be possible for them to go to their parents.
Most parents hope that the godparents will share an interest in the development of the child and that there will be a special bond between them and the child. It involves a commitment to support the parents in bringing the child up as a Christian within the family of the Church, so that that they will confess the faith for themselves and come in due time to confirmation. Often at Christenings, the godparent brings the infant to the font to be baptised and in countries such as Latvia, it is the godparents who also choose a name for the child.
The Christian commitment in a baptism is laid out clearly and will follow the directions of the Church. It is quite acceptable for the aunt or uncle of the baby to also be a godparent as long as they are able to fulfil the other requirements laid out by the Church. There is no maximum limit to the number of godchildren that an individual can have, as long as the parents and the godparent are in agreement. Your browser cannot play this video. Hi, recently had my 2 baptised, and our priest said that we needed a minimum of one godparent, but could have more did not specify any limit if we wanted.
Regarding whether the godparents should be Catholic, I've included a quote from: www. The Code of Canon Law The legal system of the Church specifies that in order to qualify as a godparent, the candidates should be: a 16 years of age; b appointed by the parents, guardians or parish priest; c a Roman Catholic who has been confirmed and received Holy Communion; d be free of church penalties; e not the biological father or mother of the child to be baptised.
Non-catholic Christians may participate in Catholic Rites of baptism but obviously they cannot offer the guarantees required of the true godparent so they are called "witnesses".
Those Guarantees involve a commitment to foster the faith received by the child from the Church at baptism and to assist in fulfilling those duties that are implicit in the new baptismal dignity of the child, i.
Other sites and books that I have read say basically the same thing. Search for a thread. Religion Godparents for a catholic baptism.
Religion Catholic Baptism. Religion Godparents. Baby Products. Bookmark BookmarkTick BookmarkAdd save. By Stephanie Grassullo. Image: Getty Images. What Is a Godparent? Depending on the type of church you belong to, the precise godparent definition can vary. The Role of Godparents. How to Choose Godparents. While traditionally there was a religious aspect to being a godparent there is not set rule about whether or not the godparents have been christened or not.
Some strict churches may ask that all the godparents have been christened in order to fulfil their role, or others may be happy to perform the service if only one person has. Some may not even bother.
Godparents play an important role in christenings, according to Church of England Christenings. They often bring the infant to the font to be baptised and in countries such as Latvia, it is the godparents who also choose a name for the child. Christening gifts are traditionally silver, such as a silver spoon or rattle but here, too, this tradition is fading and all kinds of presents can be given.
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