God parent dilemma (or in my case non dilemma).

Pollycat

Mickey666 said:

I'm godfather to my nephew and niece.  However, I'm not religious and initially resisted.  My sister knew that but she felt it was less about the religious aspect and more about 'secular pastoral' support (if that makes sense?) plus the comfort of knowing there would be someone to help them should the worst happen to their parents - so on that basis I was happy to accept.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of 'welcoming the child into the church' because it seems like indoctrination to me.  I'd far rather than children were genuinely educated equally about all religions so that they could form their own opinions, which could then be formally recognised with the appropriate ceremony at a suitable age and with their active consent.

I was exactly the same with my sister and her 2 children.

As I said up-thread:

Pollycat said:

I am godparent for both my sister's children.

Being their Aunt trumps that.

And I am the only one of the 5 godparents (I am the only one who is godparent to both) who is still in contact with the children (now grown).

Not being religious, being asked to be a godparent didn't sit very easily with me but I acquiesced as it was my sister and I knew I would have a more important role (in my eyes) with the children as an Aunt.

And that has proved true.

I will be there to help them should the worst happen to their parents.

But that comes from being their Aunt, not their godmother.

Mickey666

Pollycat said:

Mickey666 said:

I'm godfather to my nephew and niece.  However, I'm not religious and initially resisted.  My sister knew that but she felt it was less about the religious aspect and more about 'secular pastoral' support (if that makes sense?) plus the comfort of knowing there would be someone to help them should the worst happen to their parents - so on that basis I was happy to accept.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of 'welcoming the child into the church' because it seems like indoctrination to me.  I'd far rather than children were genuinely educated equally about all religions so that they could form their own opinions, which could then be formally recognised with the appropriate ceremony at a suitable age and with their active consent.

I was exactly the same with my sister and her 2 children.

As I said up-thread:

Pollycat said:

I am godparent for both my sister's children.

Being their Aunt trumps that.

And I am the only one of the 5 godparents (I am the only one who is godparent to both) who is still in contact with the children (now grown).

Not being religious, being asked to be a godparent didn't sit very easily with me but I acquiesced as it was my sister and I knew I would have a more important role (in my eyes) with the children as an Aunt.

And that has proved true.

I will be there to help them should the worst happen to their parents.

But that comes from being their Aunt, not their godmother.

I entirely agree, and it would have been the same with me (albeit as an Uncle) . . . but my sister insisted so I agreed to make her happy.  It made no difference to me either way.

I only got married in church for a similar reason . . . to keep my parents happy as I know they would have been hugely disappointed if I hadn't, so I feel it would have been somewhat disrespectful to ignore their feelings and wishes.

Mojisola

Mickey666 said:

Mojisola said:

Alan2020 said:

Mojisola said:

I don't think that's right.  The Code of Canon Law says “There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor or one of each.”

Sorry I am not an expert, I am pretty sure there aren't female priests etc In strict EU RC countries, I highly doubt they will be entertaining the baptism of a child with 2 godmother or 2 godfathers - I just vaguely remember this a someone was looking around for a godfather and they needed a lot of paperwork.  I doubt any random person can be sponsor.

Not sure of the relevance of the priest's gender.
It clearly says in my post that a child can have just one godparent (either sex) or one of each. 
Godparents do need to be regular church goers and would need written confirmation from their parish priest. 

Not in my case.  My church-going is limited to weddings and funerals, except for the two occasions I was made a Godparent in my sister's church, which is nowhere near my home parish.  I certainly didn't get any paperwork from my parish priest. 

Also, I'm told I was christened, yet I have nothing to actually prove this and I don't know which church I was christened in.  I also didn't even attend my parish church when my banns were read prior to my own church wedding elsewhere, so it all seems very vague when it comes to church-related paperwork.

Was this a Roman Catholic Church?  If not, Canon Law won't apply.

Siebrie

I'm a protestant Dutch person, living in Roman Catholic (or rather secular) Belgium, and I have discovered this: the godparents play a large part in the child's life. They are there for all major events (birthdays, school fetes, sports events), often babysit, and take the child out on daytrips once or twice a year. They are called 'meter' and 'peter' (pronounced 'mayter' and 'payter'). This title trumps other titles, so if an older sister or an aunt is the godmother, they will be called 'meter' rather than '(sister) Joan' or 'Aunty X'. For the child, of one of the grandparents is a godparent, they will be 'Granny and peter'.

However, it is an honorary title; in case of death of the parents, the child does not automatically become the responsibility of the godparents. You still need a will for that.

Mickey666

Mojisola said:

Mickey666 said:

Mojisola said:

Alan2020 said:

Mojisola said:

I don't think that's right.  The Code of Canon Law says “There is to be only one male sponsor or one female sponsor or one of each.”

Sorry I am not an expert, I am pretty sure there aren't female priests etc In strict EU RC countries, I highly doubt they will be entertaining the baptism of a child with 2 godmother or 2 godfathers - I just vaguely remember this a someone was looking around for a godfather and they needed a lot of paperwork.  I doubt any random person can be sponsor.

Not sure of the relevance of the priest's gender.
It clearly says in my post that a child can have just one godparent (either sex) or one of each. 
Godparents do need to be regular church goers and would need written confirmation from their parish priest. 

Not in my case.  My church-going is limited to weddings and funerals, except for the two occasions I was made a Godparent in my sister's church, which is nowhere near my home parish.  I certainly didn't get any paperwork from my parish priest. 

Also, I'm told I was christened, yet I have nothing to actually prove this and I don't know which church I was christened in.  I also didn't even attend my parish church when my banns were read prior to my own church wedding elsewhere, so it all seems very vague when it comes to church-related paperwork.

Was this a Roman Catholic Church?  If not, Canon Law won't apply.

No.  My parents are church of England (I think - definitely protestant rather than catholic, though I get confused about all the different variations; CofE, Methodist, Baptist, Quakers, etc), though we were never avid church goers.  School was basically CofE as well with assembly hymns, prayers etc and I can still remember the Lords prayer from all those years of recital every schoolday (indoctrination?).  We ended up sending junior to a catholic school, though not for religious reasons, but it seems they didn't manage to convert him.