Just wondering if this is even possible.
I am Catholic. DH was raised Jewish. Our baby will be Catholic. My best friend/Godmother is Catholic. DH's brother was raised Jewish.
Has anyone ever heard of the Catholic church allowing a Jewish Godparent as long as one is Catholic? I know only one Godparent is necessary, but DH insists his brother must be included at the church... which I support, but I am not sure if a church will allow it.
We recently moved to his hometown so I don't have a church here yet, or I'd just ask our priest.
Any stories/information you have, I'd love to hear! Thanks
Re: Catholic baby with a Jewish Godfather?
I'm pretty sure you're fine. The rule is one baptised AND confirmed Catholic. The other can be whatever. However, if the Catholic is not confirmed, they cannot be a grandparent at all. When DD#1 was born the to-be godmother wasn't confirmed yet, so we had to wait until she was to have the baptism.
Double check with your church, but I'm 99.99% sure that you are ok.
Proud Mama to Mickey (12.03.09) and Nemo (06.06.13)
Actually a god parent is to guide the child in all/any faiths, i am not Catholic and i still have god parents. I do agree with everyone, i am sure if you ask your priest he'll be able to tell you what the rules are.
I just found this on the web....so i think it looks like for your faith it's a big fat no! Sorry!! https://www.catholicdoors.com/courses/godpar.htm
TO QUALIFY AS A GODPARENT
DISQUALIFYING AS A GODPARENT
I'm Catholic, DH is Baptist. His friend wanted him to be the godfather and the church said no.
I don't even go to Church and I really don't care, but a godparent is the person who is suposed to guide your child in the catholic faith. A Jewish person can hardly do that. Its not a way to confirm you're BFF's with someone.
I actually have my packet right in front of me about Baptism. The Godparent must be Catholic who has been fully initiated meaning they themselves have been baptized, confirmed and has received first communion and are active in their faith. So asking your best friend who is Catholic to serve as Godmother will work. In regards to your BIL who is Jewish, technically he cannot be a Godparent in the eyes of the church. However he can serve as an official witness - though to you he will be a Godfather. Only one godparent is needed for a baptism though.
Hope this information helps. We have been struggling as well with this. My best friend who is not Catholic was our first choice for Godfather. We have chosen though good friends of ours from church and they will be Godparents to all our children. (We have a 4yo and a 2yo, we just started going back to church and our two oldest are being baptized next month.)
All good information, especially the last post from Boizmom - thank you. Both DH and I will be fine with DH's brother just being a witness in the eyes of the church. He will be the Godfather to us and the baby. I hope we can find a church who is flexible and understands what we want to do. Since only one is needed, then my friend who is Catholic should be fine, I hope
jlynns05,
I was wondering what the actual role of the Godparents at the Baptism is. I didn't know if they had to say anything or like you said, just light a candle. I haven't been to a Catholic Baptism in a while and I forget what it was like
You should speak with your church. When my daughter was baptized, they asked to see the Godparents' baptismal certificates and that is all. BUT...I do know there are some more liberal Catholic churches, at least in my area, that will allow anyone to be a Godparent in a Catholic Baptism, without paper proof of their religon. My grandfather was a Deacon and performed numerous baptisms and even mentioned that churches were getting more and more laid back with this.