Can this person be
a godparent?
A few quick questions, about two minutes, and a straight answer — with the canon cited so you can check it yourself. There are four honest outcomes, not two, and one of them is the answer most families are actually looking for.
Is this person the mother or father of the child being baptized?
A parent presents the child for baptism; they cannot also stand as its sponsor.
Nothing you enter here is stored or sent anywhere. This is guidance, not a canonical ruling — your parish decides.
What the Church actually requires.
You don’t have to run the questions. Here is the whole of it, in the order a parish office will check it.
Named by the family
The godparent is designated by the one to be baptized — for an infant, by the parents — and is willing to take on the role.
c. 874 §1, 1°
At least sixteen years old
Sixteen is the ordinary minimum. The pastor or bishop may permit an exception for a just cause, and does so more often than families assume.
c. 874 §1, 2°
A confirmed Catholic who has received the Eucharist
All three sacraments of initiation — baptism, confirmation, First Communion. A missing confirmation is the most common disqualifier.
c. 874 §1, 3°
Living a life of faith
Practicing the faith in a way consistent with the role, including marriage recognized by the Church. Deliberately not defined in detail; the pastor judges it.
c. 874 §1, 3°
Not under a canonical penalty
The sponsor must not be bound by a canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared. Rarely relevant to a family — but it is part of the canon, so it belongs here.
c. 874 §1, 4°
Not the father or mother of the child
A parent presents the child and cannot also sponsor it. No exception exists.
c. 874 §1, 5°
One godparent, or two — never two of the same sex
One sponsor is sufficient. If there are two, they are one man and one woman. A baptized non-Catholic may be added as a Christian witness.
cc. 873, 874 §2
To be permitted to take on the function of sponsor a person must: 1° be designated by the one to be baptized, by the parents or the one who takes their place, or, in their absence, by the pastor or minister, and have the aptitude and intention of fulfilling this function; 2° have completed the sixteenth year of age, unless the diocesan bishop has established another age or the pastor or minister has granted an exception for a just cause; 3° be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has already received the most holy sacrament of the Eucharist and who leads a life of faith in keeping with the function to be taken on; 4° not be bound by any canonical penalty legitimately imposed or declared; 5° not be the father or mother of the one to be baptized.
Can a ______
be a godparent?
Most people arrive with one situation in mind rather than a full check. Find yours here — or run the whole thing.
Run the full check →- Christian witness
Not as the godparent — but a baptized Christian of another communion may stand at the font as a Christian witness alongside one Catholic godparent, and is named in the baptismal register. This is a real, honored role, not a consolation prize. An Eastern Orthodox Christian may, with the pastor's permission, sometimes serve as a sponsor proper.
- Eligible
Divorce alone is not an obstacle. A divorced Catholic who has not remarried, and who is practicing the faith, is eligible. The difficulty arises only with remarriage outside the Church without a declaration of nullity — in that case, speak with a priest, because convalidation is often possible.
- Not eligible
No — canon law asks for all three sacraments of initiation. But this is usually fixable: most parishes prepare adults for confirmation, and dioceses typically celebrate adult confirmation at least once a year. If the baptism is some months off, ask.
- Not eligible
No, and there is no discretion here. The parents present the child; the sponsor stands with them, not in their place. Grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and friends are all eligible.
- Depends on your parish
Usually not while the situation stands, because sponsorship presumes a life consistent with the Church's teaching. Many civil marriages can be convalidated — sometimes in a single meeting with a priest. This is a conversation, not a closed door.
- Eligible
Yes. Distance is no obstacle to eligibility. Where travel is truly impossible, many parishes let a sponsor stand by proxy at the ceremony — a long-standing practice permitted at the parish's discretion rather than a provision of the current Code; not every parish offers it, so ask. What distance does complicate is the preparation certificate and the letter of good standing — which is exactly why online preparation exists.
- Depends on your parish
This is the pastor's judgment, and it turns on the direction of travel. Someone returning to practice is often welcomed; someone who has formally left the Church generally is not. Ask early and ask honestly — pastors respond well to both.
- Eligible
One is sufficient. Two is the maximum, and they must be one man and one woman. Additional relatives cannot be added to the register, though a baptized non-Catholic may be recorded as a Christian witness.
This tool is free and always will be. If the parish asks your godparent for a certificate of preparation, we can help with that part too.