July 12-13, 2025
Dear parishioners,
You likely remember that, in my most recent article, I highlighted a very common misconception about the reception of Communion. As you recall, I quoted St. Thomas Aquinas’ commentary on the Gospel of John, in which he specifically states that we are not able to offer our reception of the Eucharist for someone else. He explained that the priest’s prayers at the altar collect the intentions of everyone in the pews and present them to God- prayers for the living and the dead. However, the graces to be received in the reception of Holy Communion pertain to the one who physically receives this sacrament. Running in a similar vein, I would like to speak briefly about a misconception surrounding another sacrament: Baptism. In particular, I would like to speak about the role of the godparents (referred to as “sponsors” in Canon Law) in the sacrament of Baptism.
To start, permit me to summarize the effects of Baptism on the one who receives this sacrament. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as well as all punishment for sin […] Yet certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized, such as suffering, illness, death, and such frailties inherent in life as weaknesses of character, and so on, as well as an inclination to sin that Tradition calls concupiscence, or metaphorically, ‘the tinder for sin’” (CCC 2163-1264). Additionally, Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ, constitutes the foundation of communion among all Christians, and imparts an indelible (un-erasable) mark on the soul (CCC 1267-1274).
As such, the role of the godparents is not merely symbolic. A common misconception about Baptism is that the godparents are only named “in case something happens to the parents.” When people use this phrase, they usually imply that godparents are only supposed to do something for the baptized child if the parents somehow die while the child is still a minor. However, this is not the case at all! Godparents are supposed to play an active role in helping to ensure that the baptized person (child or adult) understands the Catholic faith, and to help that person live it concretely in daily life. As the Code of Canon Law puts it, “Insofar as possible, a person to be baptized is to be given a sponsor who assists an adult in Christian initiation or together with the parents presents an infant for baptism. A sponsor also helps the baptized person to lead a Christian life in keeping with baptism and to fulfill faithfully the obligations inherent in it” (Can. 872). Turning back to the Catechism, it states that, “For the grace of Baptism to unfold, the parents’ help is important. So too is the role of the godfather and godmother, who must be firm believers, able and ready to help the newly baptized – child or adult on the road of Christian life. Their task is a truly ecclesial function (officium). The whole ecclesial community bears some responsibility for the development and safeguarding of the grace given at Baptism” (CCC 1255). The role of “godparent” is an ecclesial office in the Church! When someone agrees to be a godparent/sponsor for baptism, he is taking on a very real role in the eyes of the Church, and a real responsibility in the life of the baptized person.
To be clear, someone who takes on the role of godparent might actually be someone to whom the parents would truly entrust their children in the case of an early death. However, this is strictly speaking not the Church’s intention when she requires that we have at least one godparent for each person baptized. The Church teaches that parents are the first teachers of their children with regard to the faith, and she requires that parents designate one or two people to help them in raising their child in the knowledge and practice of the Catholic faith.
As Deacon Harrison Garlick from Catholic Answers once wrote, “The role or ‘function’ of godparents cannot be reduced to some social award. Parents should not feel obligated to select a favorite family member or friend; rather, they ought to seek partners who will join with them in this earthly pilgrimage to help their child attain heaven. The godparents will publicly affirm their commitment to help the parents in their Christian duty to raise the child in accordance with true religion.”
Blessings,
Fr. Ammanniti
