Frequently Asked Questions

A Godparent (also known as a sponsor) has a special role in assisting the parents in presenting an infant or child for Baptism.  The Godparent also assist the newly baptized in living the Christian life in our Catholic tradition.  Therefore, in order to fulfill the very nature of this role, the church has provided qualifications to be admitted as a Godparent. 

Godparent (SPONSOR) Qualifications:

• One Godparent, male or female, is sufficient; but there may be two, one of each sex. This means that there cannot be two of the same sex, and there cannot be more than two sponsors. The only possibilities are  (1) one sponsor or (2) one sponsor of each sex. (From Canon Law #873)
• At least 16 years old.
• Not a parent of the one to be baptized.
• Be a practicing Catholic who has received the Sacrament of Confirmation and the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist and leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken.
• Not bound by any canonical penalty.  (Examples: not left the Church or if married, have had a valid Sacramental Marriage in the Catholic Church, etc.)

Note: A letter from the godparent(s) current parish is requested to be sent to the Baptism Preparation coordinator to verify good standing.  Please ask them to reference your child in the letter.  The letter can be mailed, emailed, or dropped off. 

CHRISTIAN WITNESS QUALIFICATIONS:

A baptized person, who is not a Catholic, may serve as a Christian Witness to the Baptism in addition to one Catholic Godparent.

• At least 16 years old.
• Not a parent of the one to be baptized.
• A validly baptized Christian.
• Living an upright life.
• Cannot be a Catholic who has left the Church.

No, however, we would invite your entire family to be involved in the upbringing of your child in the Catholic faith. Different family and cultural traditions are important to raising your children in the faith and are encouraged by the Church.

No. One Godparent, male or female, is sufficient; but there may be two, one of each sex. This means that there cannot be two of the same sex, and there cannot be more than two sponsors. The only possibilities are  (1) one sponsor, or (2) one sponsor of each sex. (From Canon Law #873).   We would, however,  invite your proposed second person to be involved in the upbringing of your child in the faith, just not in this role.

Unless the marriage is otherwise recognized as valid by the Church, this person cannot serve as a Godparent.

No. The Catholic must meet all the requirements for Catholics, even if the other godparent is Catholic. For example, the parents have, with difficulty, decided on one sponsor who is Catholic and meets all the requirements. The second sponsor is "hard to find," and may be a Catholic who never was confirmed, someone who has left the Church, or whose marriage is not recognized by the church. In these cases, the Catholic cannot stand as the Christian Witness or Godparent.  That person can play other important roles in the child's life.

Yes.  If the priest or deacon is the officiant and the Godparent, he designates a proxy for the Godparent during the Rite of Baptism.

No. Because the Godparent or Christian Witness renews the promises made at their own Baptism, an unbaptized person cannot be permitted to be the Godparent or Christian Witness.  They may play other important roles in the child's life, but since the nature of this role is to serve as a witness to living the Christian faith, they could not fulfill this role. 

Possibly. Separation or divorce does not necessarily inhibit a person from being a godparent, but please contact the Baptism Preparation Coordinator for clarification for your situation.

If the Godparents cannot be present at the Baptism, proxies can "stand-in" and be designated to answer the parts of the Godparents during the Rite. They should meet the same qualifications as Godparents but do not have to fill out the Godparent Form.

No, however; we would invite those who have not received this Sacrament to talk to one of the clergy for more information on how to celebrate this Sacrament.

One parent must be a baptized Catholic. If neither parent is baptized, please speak to the Baptism Preparation Coordinator to determine if an exception applies. If one or both of the parents have expressed an intent to become Catholic, the child may be baptized. As long as there is an earnest desire for the child to be reared in the Catholic faith, the Church will work with the parents on baptizing the child and addressing any specific concerns.

Yes, only one parent needs to have received the Sacrament of Baptism. The other parent must agree to have the child baptized. Please note, however, that if one or both of the parents have expressed an intent to become Catholic, the child may be baptized. As long as there is an earnest desire for the child to be reared in the Catholic faith, the Church will work with the parents on baptizing the child and addressing any specific concerns.

Parents do not need to attend another Baptism Preparation Class if they have attended a class within the last two years.  Please contact the church where you attended the class and ask them to provide a letter stating when you took the class. Please notify the Baptism Preparation Coordinator if you took the class at St. Gabriel.

While parish membership is not required, we have it in our baptism process because we do need the information collected in the parish registration process.  If you are a member at another parish and are not planning to become a member at St. Gabriel, please continue to fill  out the parish membership form as indicated and inform the Baptism Preparation Coordinator that you are a member at another parish.  We will update our records to reflect this. 

We collect all of the information on a member registration form because St. Gabriel will be the baptized person's "Church of Record" for the rest of his/her life.  All future Sacraments will be sent to and recorded at St. Gabriel.  This sacramental record keeping process has been around well before computers.   So in future years, when your child needs to provide a baptism certificate when preparing for marriage or Confirmation, you child will be contacting St. Gabriel for this information.

There is not a fee to recieve the actual Sacrament.  However, we do have a small supply and preparation program  fee of $30 (per family) to cover expenses of supplies and preparation materials.  We will not deny any person the Sacrament of Baptism because of an inability to pay this supply fee.  Contact us if you need financial assistance.  

If a family is planning to baptize multiple children at the same time, please contact the Baptism Preparation Coordinator prior to starting the paperwork.
 

Baptisms are typically celebrated during weekend Masses, with one Baptism at a Mass.  We do not celebrate Baptisms during Lent.