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What Are Godparents & What Is Expected Of Them?

As a prominent online retailer of Godparent gifts for over a decade we have answered many question on this subject for our customers!  Therefore we have put together this handy, concise guide to help explain what it actually means to be a Godparent.

You may be thinking what is a Godparent and exactly what do Godparents do? Well Godparents are traditionally derived from religion and denominations of Christianity. They were the people who sponsored a child’s baptism and were informally responsible for ensuring a child’s religious education was carried out. Should a child become orphaned, they have the duty to care for it.

Nowadays, godparents do not specifically have religious implications but the concept is still the same to love and to care for the child should the parents become deceased. And they are chosen by the parents to take an interest in the little one’s upbringing and development. Male godparents are called godfathers and female godparents are called godmothers.

So what exactly is the history of Godparents?

The origin dates back to the 2nd century CE when baptisms became widely accepted and common. Adults were required to act as sponsors for the child and as guarantors for the spiritual upbringing. But normally the sponsors were the natural parents of the child however the Council of Munich stopped this.

What is expected of Godparents in the present day?

So what do Godparents do? Being a godparent is a very important task in the eyes of the church and being asked to be one indicates that you are deemed a good example to the child. In religious terms, the role involves helping the child to learn about God and encourage them to have a spiritual life. You need to support them in their quest to come to know Christianity and you will make promises to help to bring them up in the faith.

The role is a spiritual one and it doesn’t mean you are a legal guardian. In non-religious terms, you need to have a presence in their lives. You cannot forget their birthday or Christmas, you should always be there for special occasions like graduation, or school plays, and you should build up a special relationship by making an effort to bond with the little one.

As you can tell, being a godparent is quite a responsibility and not a decision that should be taken lightly. It is because of this that many parents like to give the Godparent a small token of their appreciation to say thank you following the Christening or Baptism.  We offer an extensive range of Godparent gifts on our website

Godparent Gifts

Here at Born Gifted, we have a fantastic selection of christening gifts for godparents to give their godsons and goddaughters. Make the child feel special and check out our lovely selection of gifts today.

Godparent Gifts

Updated Oct 2019
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