Godparent/ Sponsor Qualifications
To learn how to obtain a sponsor form please continue.
Canonical Requirements – A sponsor must
- Be designated by the parents;
- Be a practicing Catholic, age 16 or older;
- Have received his or her Sacraments of Initiation in the Catholic Church (Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist);
- Live a life of faith which befits the role to be undertaken; (Examples: attend Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of obligation; regularly receive the Eucharist; if living a conjugal relationship, the partners must be married, with the marriage having been officiated by or subsequently validated by a Roman Catholic priest or deacon.)
- Not be bound by canonical penalty; (infrequently incurred for notorious acts)
- Be neither the father nor the mother of the child.
Other Considerations
- The sponsor (and Christian witness, if applicable) must obtain a Sponsor Certificate from the parish in which they are registered and active. A minimum of one sponsor (godparent) is necessary.
- A minimum of one sponsor (godparent) is necessary.
- Two godparents may be designated, one of each sex.
- A person baptized in a non-Catholic Christian community, who actively practices his or her faith, may be a Christian witness alongside a Catholic godparent. (Please note that a person baptized in the Catholic Church, that has left the faith for another Christian tradition, or is non-practicing, cannot be a Christian witness.)
- A member of a separated Eastern Church may be a sponsor alongside a Catholic godparent. (Examples: Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox.) (DAPNE 98.b)
- A sponsor may at times be represented by proxy. (Example: the sponsor lives distant from the candidate and cannot travel to the place of baptism.)
As you can see, the role of a sponsor is not merely honorary. A sponsor should be prepared to accept a lifelong and active role in the faith formation of the child. If a prospective godparent is having difficulty obtaining a sponsor certificate from his or her geographical parish, please notify the office quickly so that the matter can be addressed.