It has been the constant practice of the Roman Catholic Church from the earliest times to administer the sacrament of Baptism to infants. Parents very naturally want to pass along their own faith to their child and their values that flow from that faith. Baptism marks the beginning of this faith life.
The family, the Christian home where the child begins to experience life as part of a collection of families is called the Church. At Baptism, the parents and sponsors along with the whole Christian community take upon themselves the responsibility to make the Church and the world a place that will offer the newly baptized the love and support needed to grow to full Christian adulthood.
Selecting Godparents: Godparents play a very important role in your child’s spiritual life. They should serve as role models of the faith. The child should be able to look to their godparent as an example of how the Church teaches us to live our Catholic faith. They should support not only the child but you, the parents as well. Additionally, in their role as godparent, they represent the larger Church community. Therefore, being a godparent is not only an honor, it is a tremendous responsibility. Therefore, the godparents should be carefully chosen. In recognizing the importance of the godparent and their duties, the Church has provided guidelines to help parents choose the best possible godparents for their children. If potential godparents are not practicing members of the church or have converted from the Catholic faith to any other faith, they should not be considered and will not be accepted.
The Church requirements for Roman Catholic godparents are:
- A child must have one practicing Roman Catholic godparent in good standing with the Church
- This Catholic godparent must be at least 16 years old and be mature enough to understand, accept and carry out the duties of a godparent.
A godparent must have received the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation.
A godparent must be living an exemplary life consistent with faith and morals as taught by the Roman Catholic Church.
A godparent must be actively practicing the faith.
A non-Catholic, baptized Christian may be chosen as a Christian Witness, as long as one godparent is Catholic.
If two godparents are chosen, they may not be of the same gender.
There may be no more than two godparents.
If both are Catholic, both must meet all the criteria above.
Baptism Preparation must be scheduled by contacting the Parish Office at (228) 255-7560, holygroundeagle@aol.com, or sacredheartdedeaux@gmail.com.