If a godparent cannot attend the baptism ceremony, a proxy can stand in the place of the missing godparent. They will witness the baptism on behalf of your godparent and also make confessions of faith on behalf of your child. 1. Where can I find information about Godparents by 2. If the church has the facilities, they could perhaps be linked via Skype or similar software, so they can still see the service. 1. The proxy must meet the same requirements as the Godparent. *Note: These requirements come from the Law of Canon of the Roman Catholic Church, you can view the Law of the Church by visiting the Vatican Website (click here). Members of the Eastern Churches are distinguished from members of ecclesial communities. Therefore someone else has to be appointed as Godmother. 3. The Catholic institution of godparenthood survived the Reformation largely unchanged. Godparent must give a mandate directly or indirectly (through the agency of At least two weeks before the date of the baptism, Godparents must submit a letter of eligibility from his or her parish indicating that he or she meets the below requirements. to attend the ceremony, the grandmother has declined the offer to stand as But the grandmother lives in Australia and is unable to attend Can someone serve as godparent by proxy (stand-in) if the godparent is unable to participate in the baptism ceremony? Parents may not serve as their child’s Baptism sponsors. So a proxy is appointed to stand-in for the grandmother as Can someone serve as godparent by proxy (stand-in) if the godparent is unable to participate in the baptism ceremony? In fact, there can be a proxy for marriage (at least under the old Canons). If they are married civilly or in another Christian tradition, they are not eligible to serve as a godparent until their marriage is recognized. The real Godparent must give a mandate directly or indirectly (through the agency of … 1254 For all the baptized, children or adults, faith must grow after Baptism. Canon (Church) Law describes a witness as “A baptized person who belongs to a non-Catholic ecclesial community.” A godparent is a confirmed, practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church. This website also gives a really good explanation and steps in a Catholic baptism. Yes, I agree and would love to see this in Church writing. As they are already making promises on behalf of the child, to have another person making promises on their behalf confuses who is making promises on behalf of who! If a godparent cannot attend the baptism ceremony, a proxy can stand in the place of the missing godparent. A baptized non-Catholic may not be a godparent but can serve as a witness along with a Catholic godparent. the ceremony. It’s helpful to look at these before the day, so read on to find out more about these promises and how to discover more about what they mean. They still fight about this practice in our parish. responsibility as Godparent. A godparent must normally be an appropriate person, at least sixteen years of age, a confirmed Catholic who has received the Eucharist, not under any canonical penalty, and may not be the parent of the child. There Godparents cannot be the parent of the child that is baptized. The Catholic Church no longer recognizes official "proxies" at baptism. Each child only requires one Godparent. A godparent is a confirmed, practicing Catholic in good standing with the Church. Your grandfather would be your Godparent by proxy. correct and leads to babies having no Godparents. A. 6. suddenly has an urgent medical condition such as a heart attack and is unable Godparent/Sponsor cannot be the candidate’s parent. Yes, the Catholic church does allow God parents by proxy - none of dd's godparents could make her baptism - one friend stood in for all of them. Catholic Church] or the Catechism of the Catholic Church? her child. Ordinarily the appointment of the proxy should be made by the Godparent in writting or before two witnesses; the real godparent mus give a mandate directly or indirectly (through the agency of other but with his or her consent) to the proxy. This is a total abuse of the process. Unfortunately, some priests still allow this to happen even through it is not The response is: "Faith!" The Catholic proxy must meet all the same requirements as the Catholic godparent. Your BF represented him at the Vigil. A Catholic who was baptized, but not Confirmed, cannot serve as a Godparent in Baptism. Q. The custom of leaving the appointment of the proxy to the parent of the infant or two the baptizing priest tends to make sponsorship doubtful and is to be reprobated. 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