Two Godmothers?

[iamrefreshed]

I saw this at a baptism this weekend. I assume it is permissable since it happened in church.

The only thing I found in the CCC was 1255, it mentions both godmother and godfather.

Has anyone here seen this before?

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I saw this at a baptism this weekend. I assume it is permissable since it happened in church.

The only thing I found in the CCC was 1255, it mentions both godmother and godfather.

Has anyone here seen this before?

I have seen this but Canon Law says one Godparent either male or female ius required or one of each gender is allowed.
There should not be two Godmothers or Godfathers.

 

[tee_eff_em]

I saw this at a baptism this weekend. I assume it is permissable since it happened in church.

The only thing I found in the CCC was 1255, it mentions both godmother and godfather.

Has anyone here seen this before?

I would guess that either you misunderstood, or someone was very informal about the titles for the two ladies (I presume) involved in the baptism.

Can. 873 There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor or one of each.

Can. 874 §2. A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism.

Canonically, one of the ladies should have been the sponsor and one (even if likewise Catholic), merely a witness.

There is one other explanation that comes to mind: When my own son was baptized, two ladies stood in the place of godparents – His two grandmothers. But neither of them was actually a sponsor. Rather the two of them stood as proxies for my son’s actual sponsors (one male, one female) who were unable to attend.

tee

 

[Hellisreal]

You may have seen what people thought they saw at my childs baptism.

Everyone thought my child had 3 godmothers and one godfather.

The Priest explained there was only one godmother and one godfather and on the documents there was only one godmother and one godfather.

However, he allowed three of them to stand up in the ceremony.

So, what may appear to be a violation - may just be that-

an appearance of more than one, when in fact- its merely a nice thing to include the others

(in this case they were all sisters)

and yes, they were told about this before hand.

Just thought I would share this, since some people thought that about my childs baptism, and I had to explain this over and over till I was blue in the face.

 

[pprimeau1976]

I saw this at a baptism this weekend. I assume it is permissable since it happened in church.

The only thing I found in the CCC was 1255, it mentions both godmother and godfather.

Has anyone here seen this before?

Yes, my nephew has two godmothers.

This was done because there are three girls in my family. My oldest sister named my other two sisters as god parents because she did not want to have to pick from among them and exclude one of them from being the godmother. It also didn’t help that my other two sisters expected to be named godmother.

That was an interesting scandal in my family, but it was a minor one.

 

[iamrefreshed]

Good points. I am assuming two godmothers, I do not know this to be a fact.

My godparents were not at my baptism and my parents stood in for them so I do know circumstances sometimes make things seem out of sorts.

 

[kell0618]

My son appeared to have two Godmothers, but really one was the Godmother and another family friend was simply a Christian witness to the baptism. We could not find one Catholic male that we knew who was truly living the Faith at the time.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

My son appeared to have two Godmothers, but really one was the Godmother and another family friend was simply a Christian witness to the baptism. We could not find one Catholic male that we knew who was truly living the Faith at the time.

Technically speaking the Christian Witness should be the opposite gender of the Catholic Godparent.

 

[tee_eff_em]

Technically speaking the Christian Witness should be the opposite gender of the Catholic Godparent.

Is there a technical source for this claim?

tee

 

[Catholic90]

I have seen this but Canon Law says one Godparent either male or female ius required or one of each gender is allowed.
There should not be two Godmothers or Godfathers.

My oldest son has 1 Godfather and 2 Godmothers. All 3 signed the certificate. We had 2 Benedictan priests concelebrating the mass (1 had married us and the other was the pastor of our new parish we had just joined about a year earlier).

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

My oldest son has 1 Godfather and 2 Godmothers. All 3 signed the certificate. We had 2 Benedictan priests concelebrating the mass (1 had married us and the other was the pastor of our new parish we had just joined about a year earlier).

Why do we have such open displays of ignorance or disobedience of Church law from pastors that allow this?

 

[Bubble]

I’m one of two godmothers to the same child.

There was no godfather, because at the time (about 14 years ago), my there were no practicing male Catholic relatives or friends for the parents to choose from.

The parents had a few qualms at first, but the priest thought it was a great idea and said “no problem.”

Would it have been better for the parents to choose a non-Catholic male and a Catholic female, rather than two Catholic females? Just wondering.

 

[Catholic90]

Why do we have such open displays of ignorance or disobedience of Church law from pastors that allow this?

I don’t know…why?

I guess I don’t see the big deal. My son is loved and blossoming in his faith. He is 16 and has just picked his confirmation sponsor and is very excited about this. Obviously, the Godmothers, Godfather, and his parents have done something right!

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I’m one of two godmothers to the same child.

There was no godfather, because at the time (about 14 years ago), my there were no practicing male Catholic relatives or friends for the parents to choose from.

The parents had a few qualms at first, but the priest thought it was a great idea and said “no problem.”

Would it have been better for the parents to choose a non-Catholic male and a Catholic female, rather than two Catholic females? Just wondering.

It would have been better if the priest had followed Church law and informed the parents that they only needed one Godparent either male or female and could have an additional Baptized non-Catholic of the opposite gender of the Godparent as a Christian Witness along with the Catholic Godparent.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I don’t know…why?

I guess I don’t see the big deal. My son is loved and blossoming in his faith. He is 16 and has just picked his confirmation sponsor and is very excited about this. Obviously, the Godmothers, Godfather, and his parents have done something right!

Because someof us believe that rules are there to be followed and are not just suggestions that can be ignored when one wants to. Most of the time it is realized that the rules make sense, even thought they might not have at the time. I would suggest that the Godparents represent a “spiritual family” with the Mother and Father. Godmother and Godfather, we as Catholics do not accept as a family unit a Father/Father or Mother/Mother family. It projects the wrong image of family from the standpoint of Catholic theology.

 

[tee_eff_em]

Because someof us believe that rules are there to be followed and are not just suggestions that can be ignored when one wants to. Most of the time it is realized that the rules make sense, even thought they might not have at the time. I would suggest that the Godparents represent a “spiritual family” with the Mother and Father. Godmother and Godfather, we as Catholics do not accept as a family unit a Father/Father or Mother/Mother family. It projects the wrong image of family from the standpoint of Catholic theology.

So is your continued assertion that a Christian Witness (if there is one) be of opposite gender to the Catholic sponsor the Church’s rule, or your suggestion?

tee

 

[Joannm]

Canon 873 There is to be only one male sponsor (godparent) or one female sponsor, or one of each.

 

[fix]

Can. 873 There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor or one of each.

Can. 874 §1. To be permitted to take on the function of sponsor a person must:
1/ be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the person who takes their place, or in their absence by the pastor or minister and have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function;
2/ have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the diocesan bishop has established another age, or the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause;
3/ be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on;
4/ not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared;
5/ not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized.
§2. A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community is not to participate except together with a Catholic sponsor and then only as a witness of the baptism.

Code of Canon Law

 

[Bubble]

So, does this mean that one of us isn’t a valid godmother?

Also, I just want to point out. The parents of my god daughter try to be as true to the church as possible. They did not push to have two godmother’s, they simply asked if it was allowed. Knowing them the way I do, they’d be very upset to hear that they were misguided. It’s too bad that we can’t rely on our priests to give us the truth anymore.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

So is your continued assertion that a Christian Witness (if there is one) be of opposite gender to the Catholic sponsor the Church’s rule, or your suggestion?

tee

That is my assertion, that is how I read the Canon. My interpretation of the canon which carries no authority.