Map & driving directions to our parish

Parish Address:

76 Church St.
Lockport, NY 14094

The Role of Godparents – Part One

Unfortunately there seems to be a wide-spread and declining level of awareness throughout the Catholic Church in America of what a godparent is, and what a godparent is supposed to do. Godparenting is a ministry, and is, therefore, more than just a special honor. This role carries with it the responsibility to participate in the Christian life and religious education of a Catholic child. A godparent and godchild develop a mutually enriching spiritual relationship hopefully with heavenly consequences. The godparent needs to be a model of how to be a good Catholic, plus a friend and men-tor to the godchild. There are a number of different ways to grow together in faith. One example of that would be celebrating annually the anniversary of Baptism with a visit or a card. Another example: Try going to Mass together at times. A godparent needs to know Catholic doctrine and Church Traditions, because young people always have lots of questions, which need solid and reliable answers. Baptism is not a “one and done” deal, so that means that this important role covers all the years that it takes to complete First Holy Communion and Confirmation. It’s a good idea for the godparent to be there for those big life events too, like graduations, awards, etc. The parents of the godchild need the support and encouragement of the godparent as well. This is a “hands-on” role. Part two will cover how to pick a good godparent.

The Role of Godparents – Part Two

Godparents serve as special role models for the child to be baptized. Godparents are to represent the Catholic Church. Godparents are to assist the child's par-ents in raising their child in our Catholic faith, so that the child may profess and live the faith of the Church as an adult. Baptism gives a person both a new and special status as a child of God, and it makes a person a member of the Body of Christ, the Church. So that means you are looking for godpar-ents who can truly represent the Catholic Church. You need at least one person who is actively attending Mass and is a committed Catholic. Only one godparent is nec-essary, although both a godfather and a godmother are customary. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states "...the godfather and godmother... must be firm believers, able and ready to help the newly baptized child on the road of Christian life" (#1255). This is the Church's way of saying that being a godparent is truly a ministry in the Church, and not simply an honor. Church Canon Law also insists that this person be at least 16 years old, fully initiated (having received Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist), be someone other than the legal parents and one who leads a life in harmony with the Catholic Church. All this may seem like quite a bit, but the pur-pose is to ensure that the rich and beautiful faith of the Church is passed on to your child in the most holy, lov-ing, and authentic way possible. Hopefully you know by now that the task of choosing godparents is one which should be performed with much prayer, careful thought and with greatest concern for the precious spiritual life of your child.