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Parish Guidelines For Choosing Godparents |
For
the Sacrament of Infant Baptism |
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Being a Godparent is
special. Watch people's reactions when you
say, "I'm his Godmother." It is a lifetime
commitment to the spiritual birth and growth of a
child. While parents are the prime teachers
responsible for a child's religious formation and
passing on the Faith to the child. Godparents
can lend support and lead by example. The role
of Godparents for baptism is rooted in the role of
the sponsor of "catechumens" of those
adult persons to be baptized in the early
Church. The function godparent was to attest
to the integrity of the person asking to be admitted
to the Christian community and to journey with the
person in the long preparation process. In the
baptism ceremony today, the parents and Godparents
stand in for the child and profess their faith in
the name of the child who will, later on as an
adult, personally affirm membership in the Church
and all rights and responsibilities that being a
Christian Catholic mean. |
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The Godparent is a person
to whom the parents can point and say to their
child: "This is the kind of Christian Catholic
we would like you to become." A Godparent
is a role model and to be chosen is truly an
"honor," but also much more serious
responsibility than just a social honor which we
want to confer on a family member, favorite relative
or friend. From this understanding of the role
and meaning of Godparents the following guidelines
logically flow: |
- A Godparent should be a connected, active
and committed Catholic in relation to a
Catholic parish. They should be regular
Mass-goers (what we sometimes call a
"practicing" Catholic.) A
person, who no longer attends Mass on a regular
basis, has left the Church or drifted from the
Faith is not a suitable Godparent.
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- Godparent from a parish other than St. John's
must provide testimony from their home parish
stating that they are qualified to act as
Godparents for the sacrament of baptism.
This document should be in the parish office before
the baptism and can be mailed directly from
another parish to St. Johns.
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- Obviously, someone who is not Catholic cannot
represent and model the Catholic faith. A
baptized Christian from a Protestant
denomination, however, can act as a
"Christian witness" to the baptism,
but is not listed as the official Godparent.
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- A Catholic who was not married by a priest
in the Church (an "invalid"
marriage) is not qualified to act as a sponsor
until the marriage is validated in the Church
through an annulment (if married validly before)
or a dispensation if the marriage did not occur
in the Church by a priest. A divorced
Catholic who has not remarried outside the
Church and does not plan to do so, and
living a Catholic sacramental life may serve as
a Godparent.
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- Godparents must have reached the age of 16
and have received the sacraments of First
Communion and Confirmation.
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- Any exception to these guidelines is at the
discretion of the pastor.
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The Baptism Formation Team |
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Rev.
Robert Nugent S.D.S., Resident Adjunct Clergy |
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Shelley
& John Pokrivka |
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Karen
& David Gamache |
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