Becoming A Godparent – A Blessing For Both The Child And The Ninong And Ninang

If you were born a Catholic, chances are that you have a ninong or ninong (godparents) and most probably you think that your godparents were your sort of fairy godmothers and godfathers who gave you fabulous gifts when you were a child. Or maybe not, if you are not that lucky. I, myself, can still remember that I had two godparents, ninongs, who my father and I visited every Christmas day. One is a doctor, I remember him calling him as Ninong Toti, and the other one, who we saw less often than my other Ninong.

Alice’s baptism San Nicolas Tolentino Parish Church

with my pretty inaanak Alice

I don’t have much memory of my godparents but whenever I recall these memories, I only remember good ones. My Ninong Toti is a doctor and my father always told me that the two of them were close friends. I remember my ninong’s house as big but a bit cold and there weren’t so many people in  there. Maybe because my ninong lives in the US and they were only there during the holidays. I can still remember how delicious the fruit salad at his house. Whenever I make my own fruit salad at home, it brings memories of my ninong. Then I remember that pink, crocheted jacket my ninong’s mother gave to me. Now, what I can’t recall is how young I was then.

Just this month, I became a godmother once again to a beautiful baby named Alice, daughter of one of my closest friends. My other godchildren are already grown ups, already teens. I still see them once in a while and I wish that I see them more often. Now that I have Alice as my inaanak, I’m happy that I’d be able to see her for so many years as she grows up.

Godparents are blessings for a child because they are officially their second parents. Because of this role and the good relationship with the parents, godparents can be sources of good advice, support and encouragement for the godchildren as they grow up.

Baptism booklet which we read and the candle I lighted during the baptismal ceremony. Kept them as souvenir.

Alice is a happy child and we all adore her. Looking forward to see her grow into a pretty and God-fearing lady.

In return, being godparents is also a blessing in itself. As Christian Catholics, participating in this sacrament can be considered a holy honor. You also get to be a part of a newborn or a young child’s life whom you aspire to be a good Christian. Actually, I learned that the Catholic church encourage parents to get only 1 pair of godparents, because essentially they are the second parents (and there’s only 1 pair of parents). So if you were chosen to be a godparent, it means you are close to the parents, you are entrusted, and that you are an important part of their lives.

Are there requirements for one to be a godparent? Yes. Since this is a Catholic ceremony, it’s expected that everyone should be  practicing Catholics, must be of the right age and these requirements were actually in the canon of the church. But parents are still the ones who will decide who to get as the godparents and they should be free to do so. After all, it is their child who will be baptized. Relatives are mostly being offered the role as godparents, being closest to the families but if you are not a relative and you were asked to be a godparent, you will now be bound by the sacrament of baptism.

What do godparents do after the baptism of the godchild? Certainly not only to give gifts during birthdays and Christmas. Here are some of which I’ve read and thought of:

1. Be good role models of the Christian faith.
2. Help the parents to advise the child, if requested by the parents, to walk in the Christian way.
3. Be a prayer warrior for the godchildren or help pray for the family and the child.

I hope you learned a thing or two in this post. Let me know your thoughts too! Enjoy your godparenthood!

Photo credits to JoyBites, Alice’s pretty mom where Alice got her beauty and pagka-“bungisngis”.