Selecting a Godparent
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As you begin to prepare for your child’s Baptism, one of your first decisions will be the selection of sponsors (godparents). Prior to inviting a relative or close friend to assume the role of sponsor, it is important for you to understand what our church teaches.
Sponsors play a very important role in your child’s spiritual life and should serve as role models of the Catholic faith. Your child should be able to look to their sponsors as an example of how the church teaches us to live our Catholic life. They should support you in your work to teach your child our Catholic faith. Additionally, in their role as sponsor, they represent the larger church community. As you see, being a sponsor is not only an honor, it is a tremendous responsibility.
Church (Canon) law permits two Godparents for Baptism. Only one Catholic Sponsor is necessary. If one Godparent is chosen who has been validly baptized in a non-Catholic Christian community, they may act as a Christian Witness at the Baptism, again, provided there is also one Catholic sponsor.
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A Godparent has a special role in assisting the parents in presenting an infant or a child for Baptism. The Godparent also assists the newly baptized in living the Christian life in our Catholic tradition. Therefore, in order to fulfill the very nature of this role, the church has provided qualifications to be admitted as a Godparent:
- Should be at least 16 years old
- Not a parent of the child being baptized
- A fully initiated Catholic having received the 3 Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Holy Eucharist and Confirmation
- Practicing Catholic (attends Mass)
- Married in the Catholic Church
- Has completed a Baptismal Preparation class within the last 3 years and will supply the Certificate of Completion or a letter from the Parish where the class was taken to the Baptism Coordinator
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A baptized person, who is not Catholic, may serve as a Christian Witness to the Baptism in addition to one Catholic Godparent:
- At least 16 years old
- Not a parent of the child being baptized
- A validly baptized Christian
- Living an upright life
- Not a Catholic who left the church
- Has completed a Baptismal Preparation class within the last 3 years and will supply the Certificate of Completion or a letter from the Parish where the class was taken to the Baptism Coordinator
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1. Godparents and Christian Witnesses are required to take a Baptism Class. The class may be taken either In-person or online:
- The in-person class may be taken at St. Jude or another Catholic Parish. The Baptism Class Registration Form can be found on the main Baptism page under “Baptism Forms”, and is for the In-Person Class only. Baptism classes are offered on the 4th Saturday of the month (except November and December) from 9am -11:30am in the Lecture Hall. There is no charge for Godparents/Christian Witnesses to take the in-person class at St. Jude.
- The online class is offered in English and in Spanish by clicking on the following link: https://ascensionpress.com/pages/sacramental-preparation . Scroll down and click on “Belonging: Baptism in the Family of God”, then scroll down and choose the online certification course for $9.95.
- Once the Baptism Class has been completed, the Godparent/Christian Witness will need to submit their Certificate of Completion to the Baptism Coordinator.
- If the Godparent is a non-parishioner the Affidavit must be filled out, printed, signed/sealed by the Pastor of their home parish and returned to the St. Jude Baptism Coordinator.
- If the Godparent is a parishioner of St. Jude, the form may be filled out online and submitted. It does not require the Pastor’s signature or the Parish seal. Christian Witnesses are not required to fill out an Affidavit form.
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