Church law requires that a person to be baptized have at least one Godparent who:
- is a baptized and confirmed member of the Catholic church,
- is willing and able to help the child develop and grow in the Catholic faith,
- is sixteen years of age or older.
If there are two Godparents (only one is required), one must be male and the other female. A baptized Christian, who is not Catholic, may participate along with a Catholic Godparent by serving as a “Christian Witness”.
Non-baptized persons may not officially act as a Godparent or a witness to a baptism of a child in the Catholic faith.
You have asked to have your child baptized. In doing so, according to the rite of Baptism, you are accepting the responsibility of teaching your child the Catholic faith.
The Rite further states that, “It will be your duty to bring up your child to keep God’s commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor.”
Ordinarily this commitment means that you will provide your child with an opportunity to attend Mass each weekend, to attend Catholic school or Catholic religious education classes and to help in the preparation of your child for the reception of the other sacraments.
Most importantly, you are committing to be a positive role model for your child by what you teach your child and by the example that you set of how to live the Catholic Christian life – loving both God and neighbor.
