Godfather

[anjoh66]

Hi!
I am on my way in joining the church and the priest of our parish is the one who after christmas time will initiate me, i mean holding my cathechesis and all other necessary things.

I am not yet counted as a catechumen but after christmas he will contact our bishop to make the necessary arrangements for me to be accepted as a catechumen.

I have understood that i need to choose a godfather to support me on my way.

The question is : is it possible to choose the priest who will also be my teacher of the catechesis as godfather or must it be someone else?

We dont know so much people in the parish, well not more than that i see them at sundays and so on and i feel that my best contact in the parish is the priest.

Can he be the godfather or must it be someone else? i didnt ask him yet, thought i´d better ask here first

 

[FrDavid96]

Hi!
I am on my way in joining the church and the priest of our parish is the one who after christmas time will initiate me, i mean holding my cathechesis and all other necessary things.

I am not yet counted as a catechumen but after christmas he will contact our bishop to make the necessary arrangements for me to be accepted as a catechumen.

I have understood that i need to choose a godfather to support me on my way.

The question is : is it possible to choose the priest who will also be my teacher of the catechesis as godfather or must it be someone else?

We dont know so much people in the parish, well not more than that i see them at sundays and so on and i feel that my best contact in the parish is the priest.

Can he be the godfather or must it be someone else? i didnt ask him yet, thought i´d better ask here first

Your sponsor “Godfather” is the one who presents you to the priest, stating that you are ready to be received into the Church, and promising to the priest (as representative of the Church) that he will support you in faith. That’s why the priest himself cannot be your sponsor. As long as your sponsor is Catholic, he need not be from the same parish. As your spiritual Father, that priest is already a “Godfather” of sorts to you, so don’t feel that you’re missing-out by not having him as your sponsor.

 

[anjoh66]

Your sponsor “Godfather” is the one who presents you to the priest, stating that you are ready to be received into the Church, and promising to the priest (as representative of the Church) that he will support you in faith. That’s why the priest himself cannot be your sponsor. As long as your sponsor is Catholic, he need not be from the same parish. As your spiritual Father, that priest is already a “Godfather” of sorts to you, so don’t feel that you’re missing-out by not having him as your sponsor.

I see i thought that he will be teacher and as such also could be sponsor because he said he will contact the bishop to make arrangements for me to be accepted as catechumen, so i got the impression that the bishop is the one who will accept on behalf of the church and who also will baptise when that time comes.And that the priest is the one who will prepare me for it.

Maybe i got it wrong.

 

[FrDavid96]

I see i thought that he will be teacher and as such also could be sponsor because he said he will contact the bishop to make arrangements for me to be accepted as catechumen, so i got the impression that the bishop is the one who will accept on behalf of the church and who also will baptise when that time comes.And that the priest is the one who will prepare me for it.

Maybe i got it wrong.

As for whether the bishop or the priest will be the one to administer baptism, that’s up to the bishop, but it could be either one. Even if the priest won’t be the actual minister of the Sacrament, it’s generally improper for a pastor to be a sponsor for one of his own parishioners. It used to be forbidden for clergy to be sponsors for anyone (even relatives), so there’s a general understanding that although it isn’t specifically forbidden, it’s still improper. Since he is already your pastor, he realy shouldn’t be your sponsor, because he already has an important role to fulfill to you personally. The best thing to do is to identify someone whom you feel to be a strong Catholic, and whom you admire and would like to be truly a Godfather to you.

 

[anjoh66]

As for whether the bishop or the priest will be the one to administer baptism, that’s up to the bishop, but it could be either one. Even if the priest won’t be the actual minister of the Sacrament, it’s generally improper for a pastor to be a sponsor for one of his own parishioners. It used to be forbidden for clergy to be sponsors for anyone (even relatives), so there’s a general understanding that although it isn’t specifically forbidden, it’s still improper. Since he is already your pastor, he realy shouldn’t be your sponsor, because he already has an important role to fulfill to you personally. The best thing to do is to identify someone whom you feel to be a strong Catholic, and whom you admire and would like to be truly a Godfather to you.

I see well it can be mentioned that he will only be pastor pro tem in the parish. We changed priest, the former got another mission, and the bishop asked this one who is now to be priest in the parish and he accepted if they make him just pro tem until they find another more suitable, as he himself said it, he considers himself to be too young for being the ordinary pastor of the parish, he is only 31 years old.

But i guess you are right he has anyhow another role to fulfill, the problem is that i dont know so many catholics but i guess i must talk it over with the pastor