Choosing the right godfather

When you have your child baptized, you promise to raise them in the spirit of the Church. Since this is a demanding task, there is the idea in both the Protestant and the Catholic Church to provide you with one or more godparents to support you.

Godfather: His tasks

The idea behind the sponsorship is to provide the baptismal child with other close relationships in addition to the parents, who can accompany the development of the child and provide help and advice in difficult life situations. The godfather should use his good and trusting relationship with the godchild and the parents to bring the idea of ​​the Christian community closer to him. Regular contact with the sponsored child and his family is an absolute prerequisite. This also means that the godparent thinks of the godchild on birthdays or other public holidays and makes it clear to him, for example with a small gift, that he or she plays an important role in their own lives.

The duration of the sponsorship differs in the individual denominations. While the sponsorship in the Protestant Church formally ends with confirmation, in the Catholic Church it lasts for life.

Select godparents

Being a godparent is a demanding task that should always be characterized by mutual trust between the godfather and the family of the person to be baptized. Because without this trust, the purpose of a sponsorship, namely assistance in difficult situations and support with educational issues, cannot be fulfilled.

Therefore, before you make your choice, you should clarify with each other what expectations you as parents have of the godparents and then choose a person who you believe can meet these expectations. In a joint conversation with the possible sponsor, you should formulate your wishes and requirements openly and also ask what ideas the sponsor himself has of a sponsorship. This exchange is very important so that everyone involved is clear about what is expected of you and what you are willing to give.

In order to strengthen the awareness of the responsibility, you can draw up a kind of contract with each other in which you record the formulated demands on the other side in writing. The godparent may even read out this list of “obligations” at the baptism to make it clear that he willingly and consciously assumes responsibility in the life of the baptized child. Parents can also read their list of commitments to godparents aloud as a nice gesture of welcoming them into the family.

Requirements: Who can be a godfather?

In principle, it is up to you who you choose to sponsor your child. However, in both denominations there are a number of formal requirements that play a role in the appointment of a godparent. The father or mother of the person to be baptized cannot be the godparents themselves, since the sponsorship is intended to expand the circle of the child’s attachment figures and also provide the parents with a trusted adviser.

The basic requirement for accepting the godparenthood is membership in a Christian church. This is not intended to test the godfather’s personal beliefs, for of course a person can also believe in God without belonging to a church. However, the godparenthood is intended to bring the value of the Christian community closer to the person being baptized, which seems difficult for the church if you have withdrawn from it yourself. However, if the godfather of your choice does not belong to any church, but you do not want to do without the person, most parishes have the option of using the person as a so-called baptismal witness.

Furthermore, a godfather must usually be confirmed or confirmed, depending on the denomination. In the Catholic Church, a godparent should be at least 16 years old, in the Protestant Church, young people are recognized as being of religious age from the age of 14.

Usually at least one of the godparents should belong to the same denomination as the person being baptized, other godparents can also be members of another church. However, there are exceptions to the rules in some parishes, so if in doubt it is always worth discussing the exact situation with the clergyman in your parish.