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Baptism - Godparents can't make Baptism Ceremony

  • 12-05-2011 9:07am
    #1
    trotter_inc
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,492 ✭✭✭


    Hello!

    My wife is due to give birth to our second child in 7 weeks and we would like her brother and his wife to be Godparents to our child. However, in 5 or 6 weeks they are both due to go overseas for a year as part of secondment with their job. Seeing as they won't be available for the baptism ceremony, can we still register them as the Godparents? Can we use witnessnesses or alisases in their place in the ceremony? I know in an ideal situation they need to be there but we really want them to be Godparents and we don't really know anyone else who we would like as Godparents.

    Is the church open to making exceptions in cases like this? Or, am is it just wishful thinking on my part? :)

    Thanks for the help.


Comments

  • #2
    homer911
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,150 ✭✭✭homer911


    Roman Catholic?


  • #3
    trotter_inc
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,492 ✭✭✭trotter_inc


    homer911 wrote: »
    Roman Catholic?

    Doh! Sorry, stoopid me forgot to put that in, yes we're Roman Catholic.


  • #4
    hivizman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,163 ✭✭✭hivizman


    As I understand it, in the Roman Catholic Church, if a godparent is unable to attend the baptism, then someone who will be present can act as the godparent's "proxy". The baptism certificate will record the names of the actual godparents (and will note if any godparents were represented by proxies). The proxy will make any declarations on behalf of the godparent being represented.

    This happened to me when my goddaughter was baptised - her mother is Australian, so the baptism took place over there. Because I wasn't able to travel to the baptism, my goddaughter's uncle acted as my proxy.

    It would be a good idea to discuss the arrangements in advance with the priest performing the baptism so that there is no confusion on the day.


  • #5
    anymore
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,672 ✭✭✭anymore


    Surely God parents should be living reasonably locally ?


  • #6
    trotter_inc
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,492 ✭✭✭trotter_inc


    anymore wrote: »
    Surely God parents should be living reasonably locally ?

    As I said in my post above, they are only going for 1 year :)


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  • #7
    slarkin123
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 249 ✭✭slarkin123


    The god mother i chose for my daughter ended up in hospital 2 days before the christening. You can have a stand in god parent and still register the ones you intended. Just let the priest know beforehand.


  • #8
    trotter_inc
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,492 ✭✭✭trotter_inc


    Thanks for the replied, relieved that we can work something out :)


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