Dear Friends in Christ:
A common concern that arises with the baptism of infants and children is the godparents. Godparents are important but not the most important part of baptism. The role of a godparent is to assist parents in raising their child in the Catholic faith and to be a model of devoutly living the Catholic faith. The requirements for godparents are quite simple. Godparents must be 1.) a baptized Catholic 2.) fully initiated (in addition to being baptized, they have celebrated the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion 3.) a practicing Catholic, and 4.) if married, married in the Catholic Church. “Practicing” means that they really live the Catholic faith. This does not mean “Christmas and Easter” Catholics. Being a godparent is an honor, but it is not merely “honorary”. It is a solemn promise before God to aid in raising the child in the Catholic Faith. To fulfill this promise, godparents must be living their Catholic faith themselves. If there are two Godparents, one must be male and the other female. While both godparents should be practicing Catholics, a non-Catholic Christian may serve as a “Christian Witness” along with a fully initiated and practicing Catholic. Godparents do not have to be married to each other, nor do they have to be relatives. However, if a godparent is married, he or she MUST be married in the Catholic Church. In the Rite of Baptism parents promise that they will raise their children Catholic. They should truly strive to be good and practicing Catholics. If the parents are not married or married in the Church, they should be working towards that. The Church does not want the children of parents who are not married or fully living a Catholic life to be denied the grace of Baptism. Ideally and hopefully, the birth of a child will help bring the parents closer to God and the Church so that they too can have the graces that God wishes them to have.
At Baptism, children should be given a baptismal name. They should have a patron saint’s name or a name denoting their new life in Christ. It is a most laudable practice to name girls in honor of our Blessed Mother (Mary, Marie, Maria, Miriam, Lourdes, Guadalupe, Carmen). Boys too can be honored with the Blessed Mother’s name as is our patron Jean-Marie Vianney and our current Pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio. A baptismal name connects the newly baptized to their patron saint in a wonderful way throughout their lives. It is important to have a baptismal name especially if the given name is of pagan origin or meaning. In some families, devotion to the saints is carried from one generation to the next in the baptismal names (Joseph, Anthony, Francis, Catherine, Patrick, Ann, Michael, Theresa, Clare, Elizabeth).
Baptism is the beginning of our journey with Jesus. When we are baptized, we receive an indelible mark on our soul and are configured to Christ. The gift of baptism does not give us the gift of infused, perfect, or complete knowledge. The baptized must still grow in their knowledge of the faith and be formed in the faith. Children are to be brought by their parents to Mass every week. They should be taught the faith and formed in the faith at home as well as at church. The gift of faith flourishes best when it is lived joyfully and enthusiastically in the home and family. When lived, the Catholic faith becomes appreciated as that pearl of great price which shapes our lives and gives our whole life meaning, identity and direction.
In Pace Christi,
Fr. Troy