My heart is breaking for my God Child

[kresbrook]

When my oldest and closest friend asked me to be her daughters God Mother back in 1996, I gladly took on the task. I was not real active in the Catholic Church at the time, but believed in the faith strongly.

Even thought I live 100 miles away we would on occasion discuss the fact that they did not attend church regularity, and I would ask if she intended to enroll Lydia in CCD. The answer was always “when the time comes”. Well the time came and she decided to leave the Catholic faith and joined a “free church”.

Through many discussion and much prayer the Holy Spirit finanlly directed my friend back to the Catholic church, and she told me she was going to come home. But then her daugher bucked her because she liked the Sunday school class she was a part of. My friend is not a strong parent and allowed her daughter to make this decission.

I have expressed to my friend my fear that she is not only being taught about the Bible, but is being taught to be anti-Catholic. I have no way of knowing that this is going on, but it breaks my heart that I am not able to keep my promise to God. Please pray for my friend and her daughter, and I will gladly take any advice you have to offer.

Michele

 

[Jason_Hurd]

How unfortunate! However, I see here an opportunity for you to truly live up to the duty of a godmother, and start your own catechising of your god-daughter. You might start with a copy of the St. Joseph Catechism which is laid out in easy-to-understand pictures and texts. Don’t let the child languish while the mother hems and haws over whether or not to enroll her in CCD. It’s also a great opportunity for you to ‘brush up’ on the basic tents of the faith. You may find yourself learning as much as your god-daughter!

 

[CatholicSam]

I will gladly take any advice you have to offer.

Ask for the intercession of St. Philomena. She’s often prayed to for conversions, and she has a special love of children, so double power for your god child’s situation

P.S. I will definitely pray for her!

 

[mariam1976]

all i would ask is whether the child is actually following the teachings of God.
Is she in bad ways? If not, I would say allow her to take the decision once she is a little older as you do not want to alienate her from the church altogether by pressurizing her too much.

 

[Island_Oak]

I have expressed to my friend my fear is that she not only being taught about the Bible, but is being taught to be anti-Catholic. I have no way of knowing that this is going on…

Then “be not afraid,” continue to maintain a relationship with this child and encourage her faith and relationship with Christ. She may or may not ever take on the label of “Catholic” but that she will be close and trusting of the Lord should help bring you some comfort.

 

[kresbrook]

Thank you all for your advice!! I will look up the book that was mentioned. My goal would be to find a Christian book for children that didn’t necessarily identify itself as Catholic, but just as Christian.

Also I did hear back from her my friend and she understood where I was coming from. We discussed the fact that prejudice runs rampant on both sides of the Catholic/Protestant debate. She is going to talk to her daughter about not being prejudice, and that this applies not only to the black/white issue (which the child is already aware of), but that to any judgement of a group that is passed based on the actions of a few.

I will be praying to St Philomena!

She is a good kid, and does follow God, and I understand what mariam1976 and Island Oak are saying. I guess my biggest concern is not that she is being taught evangelical doctrine, but that she is also being taught anti-Catholic doctrine. I can live with her making her own choice when she gets bigger because I will never cease to teach her the Catholic fatih in word and in dead. But if she is being indoctrinated with prejudice it hardly makes it a real choice (in that she would have a hard time stepping outside her previous experiences).

Thank you again.
Michele:irish2: