"Enter the desert..."

Becoming a godparent/sponsor

CHURCH LAW STATES:

Sponsors for the Sacraments of Baptism and/or Confirmation must be Catholics who have been confirmed and have already received the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist, and who leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken (CC.874 & 893).


What does it mean to become a Godparent/sponsor?

Becoming a sponsor/godparent is more than just receiving additional gifts during major holidays or figuring out who is the most "fitting" person to take care of your child in case something were to happen to you. Being asked to be a godparent is accepting the responsibility to raise the child in the catholic faith to the best of your abilities. 

What do I need to become a godparent/sponsor?

In many parishes, a sponsor form or "affirmation form" will be given to the person that is being asked to become a godparent. It is asked that the form will be brought to the godparent's registered parish to be signed and sealed with the church's official stamp/seal. Please refer to the section below on the criteria of how to get the affirmation form signed.

For Baptisms, some parishes require a pre-baptismal seminar to be a godparent. It is the responsibility of the requested godparent to find a seminar and to show proof that a seminar was taken at the time of any form being signed. Corpus Christi offers seminars for registered parishioners every second Tuesday of the month.  

I am a registered parishioner at Corpus Christi and was asked to become a godparent... now what?

Whether you are being a Godparent/Sponsor here at Corpus Christi or for another church, we will need to attest that the godparent being requested is of good standing with the parish. Good standing does not necessarily mean an active contributor monetarily but is also an active member of the parish. It is important to make sure that all sacraments have been submitted to the front office (confirmation and church marriage). If you are unsure if any of your sacraments have been submitted to us, contact the parish office so that we may look into it. Affirmation forms will not be signed if there are no records/proof of sacraments on file

Some parishes may ask for a letter of permission/letter of good standing. If that is the case, please call the parish office so that we can obtain the information needed to prepare the letter. Similarly, please make sure that your proof of sacraments have been submitted and please allow AT LEAST a week to have the letter prepared. In the case of Baptisms, please keep in mind that if the parish is asking for proof of preparation/pre-baptismal seminars, it will be noted on the permission letter that a class was or was not taken. If a class was taken, please provide us with proof of attendance to a seminar. (If taken at Corpus Christi, proof of attendance will be based on the sign in sheet from the class).

We ask that you do not delay any paperwork needed to become a godparent/sponsor. It is the responsibility of the requested godparent/sponsor to allot an appropriate amount of time to have everything completed before the scheduled Baptism.

Need a Godparent checklist?

  • Submission of Confirmation Certificate with the front office
  • Submission of Church Marriage Certificate with the front office (if married)
  • Proof of Pre-Baptismal Seminar (if requested)
  • SIGNED AFFIRMATION FORM OR PERMISSION LETTER (If all of the above is present)