5 tips for being a better godparent or confirmation sponsor
Godparents should set a good example by living a faithful Christian life and help the godchild grow in faith. They must build their own spiritual life on the four pillars of the Catechism—doctrine, sacraments, moral life, and prayer—before guiding others. Regular participation in sacraments, especially Mass and confession, and cultivating a prayerful, charitable life are essential for effective sponsorship. Godparents should periodically review their own spiritual practice to ensure alignment with Catholic teachings and better support their godchild.
about 2 months ago
The article offers practical guidance for Catholics who serve as godparents or confirmation sponsors, emphasizing that the role is a lived witness to the faith and a partnership with parents in nurturing a godchild’s spiritual growth. 1
Godparents are called to help their godchild “receive and cultivate a new life” rooted in an encounter with Christ, guiding them toward a deeper Christian identity. 1 2
The primary task is to support the godchild’s growth in faith, sharing the Christian life and encouraging a personal relationship with Christ. 1
A godparent must first embody the “four pillars” of the Catechism—doctrine, sacraments, moral life, and prayer—because “no one gives what he doesn’t have.” 1 2
Regular participation in Mass, confession, and personal prayer (including the Our Father, Hail Mary, Creed, and rosary) is essential, as is extending charity to others. 1 2
Godparents should continually assess whether they are living according to the four pillars and seek formation when gaps appear. 1
Parents are urged to select godparents who are trusted partners in raising the child’s Christian life, rather than merely close friends. 1 2
These tips, drawn from an interview with Mexican priest Father Luis Fernando Valdés, aim to strengthen the spiritual bond between godparents, parents, and godchildren across baptism, Eucharist, and confirmation. 1
Assess the role of godparents in fostering Catholic spiritual formation
Godparents have a specifically ecclesial role in Catholic sacramental practice: they are meant to help the baptized persevere and live the faith, supporting the parents in the child’s formation and, when necessary, stepping in to guard the child’s spiritual welfare. This role is not merely ceremonial; the Church treats it as a real responsibility tied to the baptismal moment and to ongoing Christian life.
Catholic teaching situates godparents within the Church’s understanding of baptism as spiritual generation and incorporation into the Church’s life. In this context, godparents represent both:
The Church also describes godparents as people who assist before baptism and help after baptism so that the person will “persevere” in the faith and in Christian living.
A key element is the classical theological description (found in Aquinas drawing on Augustine): godparents “take upon themselves the duties of a tutor” and are therefore bound to “watch over their godchildren” when needed—especially regarding the child’s spiritual environment and upbringing.
If baptism is incorporation into Christ and his Church, godparents are meant to be a visible, credible support for that incorporation—helping the child’s faith become lived reality rather than an event that soon fades.
The Church’s General Introduction for Christian initiation provides a succinct “function statement”:
Aquinas’ account clarifies that this responsibility includes vigilance about the child’s setting. In a Catholic environment, godparents may be “excused” because the parents are presumed to instruct carefully; but if godparents perceive the contrary, they would be “bound, as far as they are able,” to ensure the godchild’s spiritual welfare.
So the role has two layers:
The Church is explicit that godparents must be qualified in order to carry out the proper responsibility. This qualification is not only juridical—it aims at spiritual credibility and effectiveness.
Godparents must, in the judgment of the parish priest:
Aquinas emphasizes that godparents’ responsibility is not to be entered lightly. He also teaches that the Church’s practice reflects discernment and a concern for danger and readiness, including the principle that one should not delay baptism unnecessarily for the sake of seeking “better instruction” in the meantime.
In the same spirit, godparents must be chosen as people who can actually assist and persevere, not as honorary placeholders.
While the sources provided do not give a “checklist” of godparent activities, they do identify concrete formation mechanisms that naturally follow from the duties described.
Because godparents are to “assist” and (together with parents) profess the Church’s faith at baptism, they function as living testimony. This testimony matters for formation because spiritual formation depends on a real ecclesial context, not only private belief.
The Church explicitly links godparents with helping children “come to profess the faith and live up to it.”
This connects directly to what the Church means by spiritual formation as an ongoing process: arousing and animating desire for holiness and strengthening conversion—placing God at the center—through life lived intentionally in the light of the Gospel.
Aquinas gives a clear criterion: godparents are particularly responsible “when and where children are brought up among unbelievers,” and they are obliged to act when they perceive that the parents are not providing needed instruction.
In modern terms, this implies godparents should pay attention to whether the child’s real life—friendships, schooling climate, religious practice at home—supports or undermines the growth of faith.
The Catechism tradition emphasizes that parents, godparents, and pastor ensure a Christian name is given; the patron saint provides a model of charity and “the assurance of his prayer.”
This means godparent responsibility can include cultivating a living relationship with the saint named—introducing the child to that model of charity and encouraging trust in intercession.
Godparents contract a real spiritual relationship with the person baptized (not with the parents), and this relationship has canonical consequences. The Baltimore Catechism explains:
“Godparents… contract a spiritual relationship with the person baptized (not with his parents), and this relationship is an impediment to marriage…”
This illustrates the Church’s intent: godparenthood is not a casual social role but a bond understood within the sacramental and spiritual economy of baptism.
Bringing these points together, the role of godparents in fostering Catholic spiritual formation can be assessed as:
In short: godparents foster Catholic spiritual formation by acting as credible witnesses and faithful collaborators in the Church’s maternal work of baptismal perseverance—stepping in especially when the child’s formation would otherwise be at risk.