The godparent is the individual who accompanies the catechumen through the final periods of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and continues as a companion with the individual throughout life. The godparent must be fully initiated member of the Catholic Church; a person fully initiated in another Christian denomination may serve as a godparent if there is also a fully initiated Catholic as a godparent. The godparent, whom the catechumen chooses, formally begins his or her role at the rite of election. Election is the formal pronouncement of the catechumen’s readiness for full sacramental initiation. Thus, the ongoing companion who will witness and affirm this commitment formally begins the journey with the catechumen. Realistically, the godparent needs to be part of the catechumen’s journey already.
The godparent is chosen because of his or her witness to the Christian life, character, and level of friendship with the catechumen. Because the role of godparent is more than a ceremonial function-indeed it is a commitment of lifelong friendship in the Lord-we give the same level of consideration as sponsors regarding choice and formation to godparents. The popular practice of requesting people to serve as godparents for our children based on purely social or obligatory reasons has contributed to the functioning of godparents as purely ceremonial witnesses. Hopefully the ongoing relationship stressed in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults will inform the practice on the level of infant baptism. The same is true of sponsors for confirmation.
Godparents give testimony at the rite of election, witness the celebration of the Easter sacraments, and remain part of the catechumen’s life as they together struggle and grow in faith. Sometimes a catechumen may ask his or her sponsor to serve as godparent. While this may be appropriate, the sponsor needs to recognize the ongoing nature of this responsibility. Candidates for full communion do not choose godparents for full sacramental initiation. They retain the relationship established with their godparents at baptism. However, it might be good to include their godparents in this process of initiation to help establish the connection with their own baptism and to express ecumenical sensitivity.
All prospective godparents must either attend a baptism class at the parish or have a 15 minute phone interview with the parish priest in order to be considered for this role.