Godparent help

[elizabethanne3]

Hi everyone…

So Baby H will be arriving any day! Praise God! It’s been a long road and we are so excited. The topic of baptism and godparents are coming up and I need some advice. My only Catholic friend (I am a convert) would be a perfect choice except for one huge stumbling block. I am under the impression, especially lately with the Chick-Fil-a hubbub, that she is a very “progressive” Catholic (ie same sex marriage). I am very much traditional and expect to raise my child that way. Other than that,I think she would be a great god parent (her child goes to a great Catholic school, family attends Mass, active at times with music ministry). Am I Overthinking this or am I right to feel concerned and hesitant about asking her?

 

[1ke]

No, I don’t think you are “overthinking” it. I would also hesitate to choose a godparent for my child who did not embrace the faith fully.

I would simply ask her to clarify her position vis-a-vis same sex marriage before making any selections for godparent. The fact that her child goes to a Catholic school and that they are active in their parish are really not indicators of her ability to be a good godparent, unfortunately.

I would want to know I could trust anyone selected as a godparent for my child not to espouse beliefs contrary to Church teaching. While many see godparent as some sort of honorific role only, it is really a spiritual role. Done correctly, that person would be involved in the spiritual formation of your child between baptism and confirmation. Most godparents really are not that involved. But I would still be cautious.

 

[elizabethanne3]

Thanks 1ke for your response!

 

[Gordon_Sims]

Am I Overthinking this or am I right to feel concerned and hesitant about asking her?

You have every right to be cautious when choosing a godparent. With one of our daughters we received a lot of pressure to pick one of my cousins and his wife as the godparents. Even if we’d ignored the fact that the two of them don’t care for us (which is putting it mildly), the flavor of Catholicism they follow doesn’t match up with our beliefs. This afternoon was a shining example of why we’d made a wise choice in not going with them, as he rudely bashed a mutual friend on Facebook for not condemning anyone who chose to eat at Chik-fil-A today.

 

[elizabethanne3]

Gordon Sims,

Wow! How sad he felt to do/say those things. Thank you for your personal experience and response. I’m starting to see I really should trust my gut in this department. It’s an important decision that I don’t want to take lightly.