Godparents must have been baptized in the Orthodox Church, must be in full sacramental communion, and must be a member in good standing of a local Orthodox parish.
The Church requires that the Godparent be an Orthodox Christian in good standing; there are no exceptions to this rule. The priest can help couples in the selection of godparents if needed. The following requirements must be met if you wish to serve as the child's godparent: Must be an Orthodox Christian.
Godparents must be chosen by the parents or guardian and cannot be the child's mother or father. They should also be at least 16 years old and must be an active member of the church who has received the sacraments of confirmation and communion.
These days, the church requires that at least one of the godparents is an Orthodox Christian of good standing. The other godparent doesn't have to be Orthodox but both do need to be approved by the church or your priest.
A non-Catholic person may not be a godparent at a Catholic baptism. Only a practicing Catholic who meets the qualifications of a confirmed Catholic, age 16 or older, and has received the Sacrament of the Eucharist, may be a godparent or sponsor for baptism.
While the secular interpretation of godparent is a bit of a free-for-all, the Christian interpretation is not. To be a godparent to a Catholic child, you have to be a baptised, practising Catholic (although a baptised person from another denomination can serve as an “official witness”).
Can family members be chosen as Godparents too? Yes, blood relatives and members of family can be chosen as your child's Godparents too. You can also be your own child's Godparents in the Christian faith.
Can You Make Someone a Godparent Without a christening? Absolutely. While a Naming Ceremony is secular in its origin, it is entirely the personal choice of the parents as to whether any religious content, from any faith, is included at any point.
Because of the very special role of a godparent, you have to be christened yourself and ideally confirmed too. If you feel you can make those big promises in church on behalf of your godchild, you're ready. Take a look at the service to see those promises. At what age should a child be christened?
Godparents must be active members of a parish and be active stewards of their parish. This is so, because being a godparent is not something to take lightly. The godparent is and must be an active role model for their godchild in the Orthodox Faith. As such, they must be actively living the Orthodox Faith.
According to the Directory of Ecumenism, for a just cause, it is permissible that a member of a separated Oriental (Orthodox) Church act as a sponsor, together with a Catholic godparent so long as there is a provision for the Catholic education of the person being baptized, and it is clear that the godparent is a ...
The role of the Godparent in the Orthodox Church is an important one. Along with the parents, the Godparent is charged with the responsibility of assisting in the spiritual development of the child. In some cultures the Godparent is addressed by a special name ( an example is nouno/nouna in Greek.)
They should be a person of exemplary character and deep faith. To this point, he or she (they) must be ecclesiastically and financially in good standing, and if married, his/her marriage must have been sanctified in the Orthodox Church.
Normally baptism is by triple immersion, and a licit baptism must be performed by a priest or a deacon.
The Tonsure
Following the Baptism and Chrism, the Priest will tonsure the child by cutting some of his hair crosswise to signify: that Christ will be the head of the child from now on, that he will reject other allegiances.
Each child should have a minimum of three godparents and we recommend no more than four godparents per child. A girl being baptised would usually have two godmothers and one godfather. A boy being baptised would usually have two godfathers and one godmother. However one adult can be a godparent to more than one child.
In answer to your question, yes -- you yourself may certainly be the sponsor (godparent) for your grandchildren's baptisms. A father or mother may not serve as a godparent for their own child (Canon 874 of the church's Code of Canon Law), but there is no such rule prohibiting grandparents.
Sometimes parents wish to have a non-Catholic friend or relative serve as a godparent. While this is not possible, a baptized person who is not Catholic can serve as a “Christian witness” to the baptism along with at least one Catholic godparent. It is not permissible to have only a witness and not a godparent.
Can the same godparents have responsibility for more than one child in the same family? Yes, as long as they take seriously their responsibility and intention to help the children grow in faith.
Is there a non-religious version of the word 'godparent'? Yes, there are lots to choose from. The most popular alternative to 'godparent' is 'guideparent', but some families say 'mentor' or 'guardian'. Other families go for a more light-hearted term like 'sparent' or 'oddparent'!
“Things to consider are the person's reliability, their beliefs and whether or not they have the time and desire to be part of the process.” Whether you choose family members or close friends, it is worth taking the time to think about the role you'd like the godparent to play in your child's life.
Each child should have at least three godparents although they can have as many as the parent wishes.
In both religious and civil views, a godparent tends to be an individual chosen by the parents to take an interest in the child's upbringing and personal development, to offer mentorship or claim legal guardianship of the child if anything should happen to the parents.
Unless the marriage is otherwise recognized as valid by the Church, this person cannot serve as a godparent. This person may very well be a good person in many ways, but the marital situation needs to be reconciled before they fulfill the role of godparent.