Dear Catholic Exchange:
When baptizing your baby, do the parents and godparents have to be baptized, [have received} Communion, and [been] Confirmed before getting the baby baptized?
Ms. Brady
Dear Ms. Brady,
Peace in Christ!
It is ideal for all four individuals to be baptized and confirmed Catholics who have a strong relationship with God, and are faithful to the teachings of the Church. Nevertheless, the Church recognizes that the ideal is not always possible.
The faith of the parents is of utmost importance for the child. Baptism of a child is not a social custom, but an awesome decision made on behalf of the child. This decision entails grave responsibility. The Rite of Baptism for Children states: “Because of the natural relationships, parents have a ministry and a responsibility in the baptism of infants more important than those of the godparents” (no. 5).
It is important to recall what the parents are asking when they present the child for baptism. In requesting baptism for their child, parents are asking that their child become an adopted child of God and member of His Catholic Church. Parents have their child baptized because they want their child to be in right relationship with God, now and forever. In having their child baptized, parents assume certain responsibilities. They basically agree to have their child brought up in the Catholic faith.
Baptism is the foundation of teaching a child to love God, because parents thereby invite God to nurture the child through sanctifying grace, drawing the child to know and love God. As St. John writes, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the expiation for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:10).
The united witness of a child’s parents is crucial, beginning with their own commitment to personal holiness, particularly in loving each other and loving their children. Parents need to witness God’s love to their child, pray for their child on a regular basis, and introduce their child to the Catholic life in the child’s earliest years. This entails parents talking to their child about how they and God love him or her, beginning in the child’s infancy, for even then a child can be nurtured in love. Parents should also take their child to weekly Mass from infancy onward, seeking God’s blessing on the child in the liturgy.
Speaking of the parents of one to be baptized, canon 868 of the Code of Canon Law states:
§1 For the licit baptism of an infant, it is necessary that:
1. the parents or at least one of them or the person who lawfully takes their place gives consent;
2. there be a founded hope that the infant will be brought up in the Catholic religion; if such a hope is altogether lacking, the baptism is to be put off according to the prescriptions of particular law and the parents are to be informed of the reason.
Further, the Church provides for extreme situations requiring special treatment, especially situations involving danger of death. Canon 868, §2 states that an infant of Catholic parents (in fact, of non-Catholic parents also) who is in danger of death is licitly baptized even if against the will of the parents.
The Church does not make strict, universal laws regarding the state of the parents, though circumstances justifying a delay of the baptism may be specified in particular law. In all cases, it is the pastor who ought to weigh the situation carefully, and discern that there is well-founded hope of Catholic upbringing. The Church recognizes that, if the couple presented their child for baptism, they have given consent. But even if a non-Catholic parent consents, he/she may not be able to provide reasonable assurance of nurturing the child’s faith. In fact, such a parent is not even able to make the profession of faith on behalf of the child. If one does not believe in the truths of the Church himself, then he cannot participate in this rite (Rite of Baptism for Children, no. 4).
If a parent has not been baptized or confirmed, then they would be greatly hindered in their ability to instruct the child in the truths of the Faith. If neither parent is baptized or confirmed, it may be wise to postpone the baptism while the parents receive instruction in the Faith, thereby giving assurance or hope of Catholic upbringing.
While there is obvious concern that a child of an un-baptized, un-confirmed parent may not be brought up in the Catholic religion, this cannot be assumed. Many parents who agree to have their children baptized, though themselves not fully incorporated into the Church, or who even practice sinful lifestyles, still make a serious attempt to raise their children in the faith, for example, by sending them to Catholic schools. There would be very few infant baptisms if all infants whose parents were persistent sinners were refused baptism.
In all situations, “the first consideration is the welfare of the child, that it may not be deprived of the benefit of the sacrament” (Rite of Baptism for Children, no. 8).
In summary, the Church certainly desires that an infant be baptized. Canon 868 §1 shows that the Church first works through the faith of the parents. Canon 868 §2 shows that, if necessary, the Church will act despite the parents’ lack of faith. Baptized children need to learn the importance of their faith through the witness of their family, particularly their parents. This is best achieved if both parents are devout Catholics. Nevertheless, the Church recognizes that this is not always the case. Still, one ought to be hesitant in denying the grace of the sacrament to an infant. Only if reasonable hope is lacking, then the Church provides that the pastor may be wise to suggest a delay of the baptism.
Regarding the godparents or sponsors of the infant being baptized, the Church places great importance upon this role. It is far more than a social custom, and has real significance for the one being baptized.
The Code of Canon Law states, “Insofar as possible, one to be baptized is to be given a sponsor who is to assist an adult in Christian initiation, or, together with the parents, to present an infant at the baptism, and who will help the baptized to lead a Christian life in harmony with baptism, and to fulfill faithfully the obligations connected with it” (No. 872). This would best be achieved by one who shares the Faith of the one being baptized.
Children have a great need for both teachers and examples of the Faith while they are growing up. Godparents are called to be witnesses for the children and supportive of their parents. Because this role is so important, the Church requires that a godparent not only be Catholic, but one who has been examined by the pastor and found to be entirely faithful to the Church. He/she must have received the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confirmation, and “leads a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken.” (cf. Code of Canon Law, No. 874.1). During the Rite of Baptism, the parents and godparents profess the creed and state their desire that the infant be “baptized in the faith of the Church.” This statement reflects their prayers that the child will be raised according to the Catholic Faith they share.
Still, the Church recognizes that all Christian family and friends may be a positive influence on a child’s faith, including non-Catholic Christians. For this reason, the Church allows a child to be baptized with one Catholic godparent and a Christian witness who is not Catholic, and therefore cannot serve as a godparent. Though not a Catholic, such an individual is still invited to participate in the baptism and be a witness, since the one serving as godparent would be Catholic.
For additional information, please see our FAITH FACT entitled Spiritual Parents: The Role of Godparents in the Catholic Church. For more on why the Church baptizes infants, please read our FAITH FACT on this subject, Let the Children Come to Me: Why the Church Baptizes Babies.
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