Godparent question

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kristie_m

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Hi

I’m wondering what, if anything, is to be done, if the Godparents you have chosen for your child decide to leave the church? I know it’s been said that you can’t choose different Godparents once the child has been baptized, but how can they fulfill their obligation if they are no longer practicing Catholics?
 
Well there isn’t a lot that you can do.

Of course pray that they will return to the Church.

If you don’t feel that the Godparents are good examples of the faith your best bet would be to simply surround your children with people that are good examples.

Unfortunately they are the Godparents of your child forever whether or not they practice their faith. The reason you can’t change is because they were the witness to the one and only baptism that your children will ever recieve, therefore they can’t be replaced.
 
Your child can choose a person other than the Godparent as sponsor at Confirmation. This person could take on the active example role.
 
kristie_m said:
Hi

I’m wondering what, if anything, is to be done, if the Godparents you have chosen for your child decide to leave the church? I know it’s been said that you can’t choose different Godparents once the child has been baptized, but how can they fulfill their obligation if they are no longer practicing Catholics?
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they can’t but neither can they if they die or move away. You can find other adults among your family and friends who can serve as good Christian witnesses, and choose one of them as a Confirmation sponsor for your child when that time comes.
 
Thanks. What kills me is that this person, at the time, was very active in the Faith, and seemed like such a perfect choice. :nope:

This actually happened in reverse with my Goddaughter…her parents left the church too.

Gee, is it me??? :o
 
Yeah things change. Pray for them that they will return to the Church.

I never hear from my sponsor. I have not idea how to get in touch with him. My wife’s Godmother passed away awhile back.

Things happen, not everyone has a close Godparent for their entire young life. It’s sad, but not all is lost.
 
My husband’s brother baptized our 13 year old daughter. Within about a year of that, he decided he wasn’t Catholic anymore. I was very disappointed. The whole point to choosing someone Catholic is so they can help teach the child the faith. Well, not only did he switch to a “non-denominational” faith, he would take every opportunity to try and get us to do the same! I just had to tell him as nicely as I could that we would NEVER leave the Church, so please just stop asking. I am always upset when I see members of our families who leave the faith. All we can do is pray for their return. As far as him being my daughter’s godfather, I’m okay with that. He just has nothing to offer her when it comes to the Catholic faith. But that’s okay. That’s what parents are for!
 
Thank you “kristie_m” for the question, and thanks to everyone who replied. I had the same question, and learned what I needed to know from the thread - pray for the godparent and pray that I can effectively raise my child in the Faith. BTW…A wonderful tool for helping one defend their faith is the book “Suprised by Truth”, which can be purchased from the Family Life International website. In it, eleven converts to Catholicism give their reasons for becoming Catholic…Amazing! (Not trying to change the subject, but simply help address the needs of those in the thread who had loved ones trying to convert them out of the Faith.) 😉
God Bless!
 
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