Godparents must be appointed and committed to guiding the child in the Catholic-Christian life .
Minimum age: 16 years, with sufficient maturity.
They are required to be practicing Catholics who have received Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation.
Active practice of faith is required, including regular Mass attendance and sacraments.
Non-valid marriages (e.g., outside the Catholic Church without the proper dispensation) disqualify potential godparents
marriage must be blessed to be eligible.
A Catholic separated from the Church cannot be a godparent or witness.
The parents of the one to be baptized cannot be the godparent.
Non-Catholics:
Non-Catholics cannot be godparents as they must have received sacraments in the Catholic Church.
A baptized non-Catholic can act as an "official witness" if a Catholic godparent who fulfills the above requirements, is present but the witness must be an active member of their faith community.
Witness Requirements:
A baptized non-Catholic can serve as a "witness" if a Catholic godparent is present.
The witness must be active in their faith community and of the opposite gender to the godparent.
They can fulfill many duties of a godparent
***Former Catholics who converted to another religion cannot be official witnesses.***