Godparents - Olathe,KS

Im catholic also and I didnt do at traditional times but did it. The child could be baptisted later also if they choose. I would do it now and whatever happens later he can still make that decision.

I don't think it's weird to name Godparents...lots of faiths do it, not just catholics. The important thing is to find parents who have a true love for God, whether Catholic or not, that will help instill faith values to your child and show him/her what it means to be a christian. Good luck!

Hi M., Thought that I'd throw my 2 cents in. I'm non-Catholic and married a man that was raised Catholic. I thought my mother-in-law was going to have a stroke when she asked who the Godparents of my daughter was going to be and I told her that she wasn't going to have any. We had decided to raise our children Baptist. I have always been active with my church and my husband hadn't been in a Catholic church since his neice was baptized. Anyway, I didn't have Godparents and never even really knew anyone that did. My sister and her hubby would be the closest thing. My sister gets my kids if anything happens to us and I made her promise that if any happens she'll raise them with my relegious beleifs (which are the same as hers). I agree with some of the other responses that Godparents are a relegious thing and if they are not going to be raised in that relegion then you don't have to have them. Having other adults who are close to you kids and have the same beleifs is what counts. Other people to model the behavior that you want you kids to got up and have. Good luck!!

We had same type of situation, my husband is Catholic and I am Methodist. We were married in the Catholic church so when we had children we decided to go ahead and have them baptized and name Godparents. Their Godparents are like us, one Catholic the other not. We usually attend the Catholic church but occassionally go to the Methodist church with my folks. I do not feel there is any harm in exposing them to both and yes when they get older they can still make their own choice.

Good Morning again M., You could have your child dedicated to the Lord, through the church of your choice. This only means you have or will give your child all the opportunities to hear and learn the gospel. Baptism is something each person (in my faith anyway) must decide for themselves. My mom was raised Mormon, so I wasn't exposed to any thing unless a kind neighbor took me to Church. God wasn't mentioned in our home as a child. She had the same thinking as you. I thank God for neighbors who took an interest in my spiritual teaching. I myself decided to be baptized when I was 23, I came to know the Lord fully at age 19. Our son's were pew biters, meaning they were in Church from the time they were born. ( They both have a relationship with the Lord). "Train up a child in the ways he should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it". Pr.22:6
As for Godparents, this would be someone who you both admire, trust, is of honorable character to nurture your child in spiritual things. Could be a brother, sister, aunt or just a very good friend. They do not necessarily have to be strong spiritual people but they need to show they have a strong Personal relationship with God.

May God Bless you always
K. Nana of 5
PS Wooooohoooooooooooooo Roth IRA Accounts.
Thank you Lord for my Daughter in laws memory

Hi M.,

I am Catholic as well and I guess the answer to your question is what the purpose of naming godparents would be. I noticed you also posted a will/trust question. Are you wanting to name godparents as the people who would care for your son in your absence? (Years ago, the godparents were chosen with this in mind - although that's not really the case anymore) If so, you can name this in the trust (which is what I would recommend - won't be contested) and have a private conversation with them.

As far as naming godparents publicly - the purpose (as I'm sure you know) is for godparents to help the family raise the child in the Catholic faith. So if this is what you would like them to do I suppose that would be appropriate. It's really up to you, just make sure it serves some sort of purpose for them because without the baptism the godparents may wonder what the "title" means. Hope this helps.

M.-

My suggestion would be that you could always choose godparents for her without having her baptized, but why not have her baptized in one of your religions? It does not mean that she cannot choose her own religion when she is older. Here is what we did...

My husband's family is Catholic. Mine is Protestant. Hubby is Born Again Christian. He doesn't have a church (neither did I really) so we chose to have our daughter baptized in the church that we were married in because it held sentimental value for us. We chose godparents (those that would teach her about God), but could have done this without having her baptized!

Good luck in whatever you choose.

I was raised in a Catholic home and school. My husband was never Catholic or even ever went to church much at all when I did (I later changed to Methodist in my 20's). If you are going to remain Catholic and your son is going to participate in the Catholic faith, you should have him baptized in the church now with Godparents, even if your husband isn't. You can't really name Godparents though if he isn't going to be involved with God. It means dedicating him to God and promising that you will do your best to help him follow God and that is really the only meaning, which is a great one. Its not to honor your friends or family. If you are going to feel its to honor anyone else but God, then you are missing the point and probably shouldn't at all until you understand it better.

Both my husband and I are Catholic but are non-practicing. We still baptized our children in the Catholic faith..for various reasons a) we believe in the absolution of sins, b) it was something we were raised with, c) it appeased the family and d) it gave our children a basis of religion. Having said that, we have taught our children good moral values, and have shared stories from ALL faiths. We feel that it is our duty not to indoctrinate them but to educate them about various religions so that they can choose for themselves.

Choosing Godparents is not weird, it is a loving choice. Unfortunately, most of my children's Godparents have chosen not to continue a relationship with my children which has greatly saddened my husband and I. The Catholic church will allow you to choose 2 Godparents, 1 of which DOES NOT need to be a member of the Catholic church... However, NOT choosing to baptize them and naming Godparents is not something that I have heard of.

Any faith that you baptize a child in will want/require you to continue to teach the child in that faith...after all that is the ultimate purpose. Perhaps we were dishonest in not admitting we were not going to be wholehearted participants in the Catholic church...but that is my sin to carry then and I will gladly accept it. Frankly, my belief is that every parent should have the right to have their child baptized if they feel strongly about it. It should be seen as a faithful symbol of believing in a new life and a cleansing.

I'm sure you will have a lot of pros and cons on responses to this but ultimately it comes down to your and your husband's decision. Bless you on whatever path you choose. (My children were baptized at 3 mos and 6 mos and have been taught about the Catholic, Lutheran, Buddhist, and Pagan faiths).

Hi M.,
I am also Catholic with a non-Catholic hubby. When we were married in the Catholic church it was understood that our children would be raised Catholic. That being said, I believe all religions are very important and give us a purpose in life. I think it's very very good for the child to be baptized now and not later. My husband's mother is Mennonite and father doesn't attend church. She decided not to baptize the kids and they still are not baptized even though I beg my hubby to get it done! I feel that he is really missing something sometimes since he was raised with pretty much no faith at all. This is very hard to change when you get older when you weren't raised with it.
Anyways,even if your son is baptized outside the Catholic church they will not "re-baptize" him if he later decides it's the church he wants. I'm trying not to sound too preachy but I really feel that baptism points you in the right direction for life.... hope I'm not babbling.. Good luck in whatever you choose :]

I guess there are lots of points to address. One, why are you naming godparents? Godparents are people to help raise your children with the Lord, be it Catholic or another protestant religion. You said your husband was not Catholic, but didn't say if had a religion. Instead of baptising you can also just dedicate your child in many churches. That says you promise to raise your child with the Lord in their life.

Good Morning, M.. In the Catholic faith, we choose Godparents for our children to help us raise our child in our faith. When I was choosing Godparents for my son, I chose people who would be an example of Christianity for my son. I also chose someone within my family because I know they will always be a part of my son's life. At least one Godparent must be a practicing Catholic, and depending on your pastor, s/he may need to provide a letter from the pastor of his/her church to show that s/he is a practicing Catholic. Also, most churches require the parents, and sometimes the godparents, to attend a class prior to baptism. You may want to look into that at your parish.

We're in the same boat with our 10-month-old (only my husband's the Catholic one). We asked my husband's cousins to be godparents, but spelled out that it's not so much a religious role. It's more like the British definition of godparents, in which they would advocate for our son if something happened to us. And if our son decided to become Catholic, then they would assume the religious role. Hope that helps. If nothing else, I hope it helps to know that you're not alone in this one!

I think you need to ask yourself, what is the purpose of naming Godparents?? Is it to name a guardian in case of your death? If so, that is a legal matter. If it is for religious reasons, then a religious ceremony (a baptism) should go along with it. There is no reason to name Godparents unless your are baptizing. I am Catholic, hubby is not. We are NOT religious in the traditional sense, but our daughter was baptized Catholic to keep my Mom happy. We also live in the city, across the street from our Catholic church, and we plan to send our daughter there for school. Again, why do you feel the need to name Godparents?

A good friend of mine had a similar situation. They became part of The Ethical Society (don't know if there's a branch in KC, but probably!?) and had their child "baptized" there. It was a ceremony that included some sponsors for the baby and they called the sponsors God parents.

Do what makes you happy. You don't necessarily have to follow any rules of religion or society so do what works for your family.

I say just do it. My best friend has three kids, the smallest of which is my Goddaughter. My friend was raised Methodist but only goes to church on Easter Sunday, I'm Agnostic (for lack of a better term) & was never raised in a church & only went to a small brach of UCC for a few years during highschool & college. All three of her girls have Godparents. Her oldest two have 2 godfathers each & the youngest has me & her uncle as Godparents. I think it's not so much your religion that should play a part of your decision but rather what you and your husband think as parents & a married couple about what the meaning of a Godparent is to your kids'. I'm sure you'll make the right decision. Good luck!

Just because you baptise him catholic doesn't mean he can't choose a different religion later. I am not catholic but my husband is. Do you plan on sending him to a catholic school. Usually only catholics have godparents.

M.: Please get your baby baptized and give him some religious training. Otherwise, when he gets older he will not know God or anything about him so how can he make choices. This world needs more faith. Just look at what's on TV, what kind of choices are they making? Unfortunately, that's what the kids see so they don't now right from wrong unless otherwise trained. God bless you and your family. PS: I am Catholic and my husband is not but we had our son baptized and trained in the Catholic church as my husband didn't go to his church. My husband was very supportive with me doing this.

Baptizing a child into the Catholic church means you are choosing a religion for him until he is able to make a decision about his faith. Confirmation is when he "confirms" that he wants to remain Catholic. A Godparent is there to oversee the faith of your child is not lost in your absence. Children need their parents guidence in helping them "choose" a religion. Good luck