Infant Baptism Catholic Guide: Choosing Godparents & Role of Parents

Infant Baptism is the sacrament that welcomes a baby or young child into the Catholic faith community, usually within their first few months of life. If you're planning your child's Baptism, this guide covers what to expect: how to get started with your parish, choosing godparents in a way that fits modern family life, and what happens on the day itself.

Getting Started: Talking to Your Parish

If you'd like to have your baby baptised, the first step is simple:

1. Contact your parish: Call the parish office or pastoral associate to make an appointment.
2. Attend a preparation session: Most parishes ask parents to attend a short session to talk through the meaning of Baptism and the commitment involved. Many parishes now offer these in the evening or online to fit around work and other commitments, so it's worth asking what's available when you call.

It helps to think of this preparation as a chance to understand the faith you're asking your child to be raised in, rather than a box to tick.

Choosing Godparents Today

A godparent's role is to stand with the parents in presenting the child, and to be a source of help and support to your child in growing in faith over the years that follow.

What the Church Requires

To take on the role, the Church asks that godparents meet a few specific conditions:

• Must be Catholic: At least one godparent must be a practising Catholic.
• Sacraments: They must have been confirmed and have received the Eucharist.
• Age: They must be at least sixteen (a priest may allow a younger age for a good reason).
• Commitment: They should be living a life of faith consistent with the role they're taking on.

Modern Families, Traditional Roles

Families today are often more spread out and more religiously diverse than the Church's guidelines were originally written for — here's how that plays out in practice:

• Orthodox Christians may act as a godparent alongside a Catholic godparent.
• Other baptised Christians (Anglican, Protestant, and so on) are welcome to take part as a Christian witness to your child's Baptism, even if they can't formally be a godparent.
• Unbaptised loved ones can't act as a godparent or witness in the formal sense, but that doesn't mean they're left out — many families ask them to do a reading, help host the celebration afterwards, or simply stand with the family on the day.

Tip: Choose godparents who are genuinely likely to stay present in your child's life — but don't rule out someone wonderful just because they live interstate or overseas. Plenty of godparents today keep the relationship strong through video calls and visits, and still fulfil the role meaningfully from a distance.

The Ceremony: Your Family's Role

If One Parent Isn't Catholic

Non-Catholic parents are fully welcome to take part in the ceremony, and you can choose how involved you'd like to be. During the rite, you'll typically be asked questions such as:

• "What name have you given your child?"
• "Do you clearly understand what you are undertaking?"
• "Is it your will that your child should be baptised in the faith of the Church?"

You're also invited to trace the sign of the cross on your child's forehead, and you may hold your baby or help light the candle.

Why Baptism Is Often Part of Sunday Mass

Baptism is often celebrated during Sunday Mass so the wider parish community can welcome your child — the celebrant says, "The Christian community welcomes you with great joy." That said, many parishes today also offer Baptism outside of Mass for a smaller, more private ceremony, so it's worth asking your priest which options they offer.

The parish also keeps a record of the Baptism, which is needed as a prerequisite for future sacraments like Confirmation and Marriage.

The Baptismal Candle: A Lasting Keepsake

The baptismal candle is a central symbol of the Light of Christ entering your child's life. Either you or a godparent lights it from the Paschal (Easter) Candle during the rite, and it becomes a lasting keepsake many families relight on future anniversaries of the Baptism.

Make this moment last with a personalised baptismal candle, handcrafted with your child's name, date and a photo or wreath design as a beautiful, custom memento of this sacrament.

Browse our Personalised Baptism and Christening Candle Designs

Related Baptism Planning Resources

• Choosing Godparents: Read our full guide on Choosing Godparents, plus thank-you gift ideas.
• The Big Day: Use our full Organising a Baptism Checklist to make sure you don't miss a step.
• What to Expect: Read our walkthrough of The Day of Baptism for a full look at the ceremony itself.