Youth Ministry Summer Service Trip 2025
On Sunday, July 5, 2025, St. Margaret’s Youth Ministry sent this group to Huntingburg, IN for a week of service with Catholic Heart Work Camp. We are grateful to welcome them home this weekend, and for their faith-driven service to those in need.
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
~ Last week, I wrote about the importance of baptizing an infant within a few weeks or months of his or her birth. Clearly the Church prefers and encourages parents to baptize their children as soon as possible, so that they can receive all the gifts and graces of a life of faith and being part of the family of the Church.
When parents bring their child to be baptized, they choose godparents for their child, who stand as representatives of the larger Church. The primary role of a godparent is to be an example of faith for their godchild. So, a godparent must be a person of faith, a person living their faith, and a person who will inspire and challenge their godchild to live the Catholic faith.
As a practical matter, the Church requires that one to be baptized have one Catholic godparent. To be eligible to be a godparent, one must be a fully initiated Catholic – that is, having received the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist – and be at least 16 years old. And, as mentioned before, that godparent should be living and practicing the Catholic faith. One may have two godparents, but if there are two, they are to be a man and a woman, so as to look like the mother and father. So, one may not have two godmothers or two godfathers. Sometimes, parents ask if their relative or friend who is Methodist or Lutheran or Baptist may be a godparent. A baptized Christian may be a witness to the baptism and a sponsor to the one baptized, but technically, he or she is not a godparent. So, a child may have one Catholic godparent and one Christian witness. One who is not baptized or one who does not have any Christian faith is not eligible to be a godparent.
I often challenge and encourage new parents to be very mindful of the godparents they choose for their child. First, I encourage them to pray about it, and to ask God who God desires the godparents to be. I really believe that if parents ask God to reveal the right persons to be godparents, God will answer that prayer and reveal the right choice. All too often, parents pick a brother or sister, relative or friend to be a godparent without giving it much thought. Sometimes I hear “I was the godmother to her baby, so I have to return the favor” or “We have to choose someone from both sides of the family to make it even” or “my brother is next in line”. None of these considerations matter when choosing a godparent! If a person is not living or practicing their Catholic faith, they are simply not eligible to be a godparent, no matter what.
To those expecting a child and to those preparing to celebrate Baptism: make choosing excellent godparents a prayerful priority! Along with the parents, they are to be the primary example of faith for their godchild. They should be people of deep faith and strong character, people who will be part of your family life for decades to come, people whose faith you admire! To you who are asked to be godparents: take this responsibility seriously! Pray for your godchild, encourage the parents to practice their faith, go to Mass, and give their child a Catholic education. It takes a village to raise a child, and it takes a Church to raise a Christian child! This week, pray for your godparents, and if you have any, reach out to your godchildren!