One of the major questions that we get and issues that we deal with at the Parish Office centers around requests for Sponsor Certificates. People who have been asked to be godmothers or godfathers for Baptism call up to the office requesting the Sponsor Certificate. While sometimes these are pretty easy to take care of, there are also times and situations where challenges arise. So, I wanted to take a moment to discuss the requirements to be a godparent and what makes someone a good godparent.

First, the Sponsor Certificate that someone needs to acquire to be a godparent is not simply a statement saying that they have received their Sacraments. We’ll occasionally receive emails (not just here but every parish I’ve ever been at) from people who grew up or went to school here asking for a certificate stating that they’re Catholic. A Sponsor Certificate is more than just a simple statement saying that yes, a person has received their Sacraments. Asking their childhood parish (unless you still attend there) for a Sponsor Certificate is like calling your childhood physician when you’re 40 or 50 and asking for a statement attesting that you’re in good health. Your childhood physician, who you haven’t likely seen in a long while, won’t be able to give you such a statement because they haven’t seen you in many years. That type of statement would come from the doctor you are currently seeing. A Sponsor Certificate is very similar. What the certificate attests to, is not simply that you received the Sacraments many years ago, but that you are CURRENTLY practicing your faith. A Sponsor Certificate is an attestation that, yes, you have received your Sacraments, but also that you are currently a member of a parish and living out and practicing your faith. If you haven’t been to your childhood parish in many years, they won’t be able to attest if you are or aren’t currently practicing your faith.

The basic requirements to receive a Sponsor Certificate are that you are at least 16 years of age, have received the Sacraments of Baptism/Eucharist/ Confirmation, are in a valid marriage (if you are married), and a practicing Catholic who attends Mass regularly and is currently a registered member of a parish. Again, not that you were a member of a parish growing up, but that you are currently a practicing member somewhere.

The role of a godparent is much more than a social role, it is a deeply spiritual one as well. A good godparent is a person of deep faith, after all, we can’t pass on what we don’t practice ourselves. This doesn’t mean we have a perfect faith, but that we are living out our faith as best we can and attending church. Someone who isn’t attending church somewhere, isn’t the best choice for a godparent, since they are unable to hand on what they aren’t practicing themselves. The Sponsor Certificate is not a statement about what happened back then, but an attestation to what’s happening now. Hopefully that help clears up some questions and will help us as we reflect upon and choose those to be godparents. Hopefully it will also help those chosen to be godparents understand the responsibilities of their role in a deeper way as well.