Dear Catholic Exchange:
I have a question about baptism that I was unable to find answers to in your archives. I am Catholic, my wife is Episcopalian. We were married in an ecumenical wedding by a Catholic priest and promised him that any children born to us would be baptized Catholic. The problem I have is that my wife and I are new to a small community. We do not have any Catholic friends since we just moved here. None of the area priests are willing to baptize our child without sponsors. This troubles me very much because they appear not to be thinking of our worries and the child need to be baptized in case of unforeseen accidents, etc. in these turbulent times of terrorism. I want my child to be baptized so badly, but it seems all doors have been shut and that just doesn't seem to be fair to my innocent child. Should I baptize her myself, or should we turn to the Episcopal church? If she is baptized Episcopal, can she still be raised catholic and receive the other sacraments?
Thank you for your time and attention,
Scott
Dear Scott,
Peace in Christ!
You can choose as a sponsor(s) (Godparent) for your child someone from outside of your community. A person at your Catholic parish can stand in as a proxy. The sponsor might be a Catholic friend from your previous home who would understand and accept the responsibility of being a Godparent. The distance of the sponsor should not be an impediment to having your child baptized.
For help guidance in selecting a sponsor, please see our Faith Facts:
Spiritual Parents: The Role of Godparents in the Catholic Church
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United in the Faith,
Eric Stoutz
Information Specialist
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