By Mesu Felicia A. (Rev. Sr.)
Abstract
A child is a product of a love encounter between a man and a woman. This child bears physical
and biological features of these two persons and grows under the guidance and protection of the
two persons who are called Parents. The child learns how to be a good parent thereafter from his
experience of right upbringing. The protection received and enjoyed by the child from his
parents cannot be over-emphasised because it nurtures values of self-respect, respect for life,
discipline and communal living in the child. Different parents raise their children in different
ways and they also provide protection using varying means guided by culture, norms, tradition
and values. The religious or ecclesial duties of parents must be supported by those of the god-
parents for an all-round upbringing.
Introduction
The birth of a child in any culture is a gift to the community as a whole and it connotes posterity,
regeneration, freshness and life itself. This is the reason for special prayers rendered on married
couples to bring forth children in single or in multiple births. Part of the Nuptial prayer at
Catholic marriages reads thus: “… may they be blessed with children and prove themselves
virtuous parents, who live to see their children’s children”. Hence, children must be received
and accepted as God’s gift always “Children are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the
womb a reward”. (Psalm 127: 3) Couples who are challenged at child bearing pass through
forms of trauma and could go to any length to ensure that they have a child of their own. They
can be encouraged to be god-parents to raise children to be good Christians and members of the
church.
Caring for children and ensuring that they have all that is required to keep them growing well
includes religious upbringing and this is a task that involves discipline from parents. The parents
need acquisition of values that they can transmit to the children. They also need to keep children
safe from all that could endanger their life. Matthew 18:10, 14 states, “see that you do not
despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of
my father in heaven”. Over the years, some children have been known to encounter bad parenting, unjust treatment from the society that perceives them as voiceless persons and as a
result they suffer gravely from this. American SPCC (2025) observed that bad parenting can cast
a long shadow over a child’s emotional and psychological well-being. Children raised in environments of neglect, inconsistency, unpredictability, criticism, or abuse often face challenges
such as low self-confidence, anxiety, depression, and trust issues. The emotional scars inflicted
during childhood can linger into adulthood, affecting relationships, decision-making, and overall
mental health. In effect parenting is a mission that challenges the parents to remain faithful role-
models till death.
Practical parenthood
-Ensure that the child is baptised.
-Provide basic human needs for your children.
-Be a lead and a guide at religious activities by:
•Assigning them to lead family prayers.
•Taking them for Masses, confession and other liturgical functions.
•Encouraging them to join and participate in church societies.
-Provide steady presence at your child’s developmental stages.
-Be a good listener.
-Provide them with responsible god-parents etc.
Who is a god-parent?
A Godparent is a person who, at a baptism ceremony, promises to help a new member of the
religion, usually a child, in religious and moral matters. (Cambridge online dictionary, 2025).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church CCC 1255 states thus: “For the grace of Baptism to
unfold, the parents’ help is important. So too is the role of the godfather and godmother,who must be firm believers, able and ready to help the newly baptized – child or adult on the
road of Christian life. Their task is a truly ecclesial function (officium)…” Also in Canon
872 the role of the god-parent is highlighted, “In so far as possible, a person being baptised is to
be assigned a SPONSOR. In the case of an adult baptism, the sponsor’s role is to assist the
person in Christian initiation. In the case of an INFANT baptism, the role is together with the
parents to present the child for baptism, and to help it to live a Christian life befitting the
baptised and faithfully to fulfill the DUTIES inherent in baptism”
A baptised person is born in Christ and needs a guide, guard, protector and parent till he/she
reaches maturity in Christ. Thus as Baptism is a sacrament which cleanses us from original sin
makes us Christians, children of God and member of the church, the god-parents role is
principally to ensure that the new-born in Christ remains a Christian, child of God and a member
of the church. This translates to the fact that they must do all it entails to save the souls of these
children and Matthew 18: 14 records this as, “in the same way your Father in heaven is not
willing that any of these little ones should perish”. Jesus remains a guide when it comes to
caring for children and by extension young people in the faith. He displayed his loving treatment and protection of children in –
– Luke 18: 15 – 16 when the disciples conceived the children as irrelevant and insignificant
persons and chased them away from Jesus, he (Jesus) sternly warned them not to hinder them from reaching him.
– Luke 15: 22 – 28, he healed the daughter of the Canaanite woman and in Mark 9:14-48,
he healed a possessed son of a man. These healings were done so that the children could
be set free to live out their potentials and be useful as children of God and members for
the present time and for the future.-
– On other occasions he raised the only child of the woman of Nain (Luke 7: 11 – 15) so that this only son can be a support and hope of posterity for his mother and society.
– In John 4:46-54, Jesus healed a sick son of a royal official in Cana, galilee.
These are but a few of Jesus’ undaunted love, care and protection for children especially in the
conservative Jewish tradition where the voice of the child is seemingly unrecognized.
To assume the office of SPONSOR, as noted by Canon 874, a person must:
- be appointed by the candidate for baptism, or by the parents or whoever stands in their
place, or failing these, by the parish priest or the minister; to be appointed, the person
must be SUITABLE for this role and have the intention of FULFILLING it; - be not less than sixteen years of age, unless a different age has been stipulated by the
diocesan Bishop, or unless the parish priest or the minister considers that there is a just
reason for an exception to be made. - be a CATHOLIC who has been CONFIRMED and has received the BLESSED
EUCHARIST, and who LIVES a LIFE of FAITH* which befits the role to be
undertaken; - not labour under a canonical penalty, whether imposed or declared Must be in good
standing with the Church: They should lead a life in harmony with the faith and be an
example of Christian living. - not be either the father or the mother of the person to be baptised…”
Practical ways of being a god-parent or sponsor
a. keep constant touch with the parents of your god-daughter or son through phone calls and
visit as permissible.
b. Ensure that the child attends Mass as much as possible especially Sundays and Holy days of obligation.
c. Take the child for confession.
d. Ensure that the child attends catechism classes for the reception of sacraments (Holy
Eucharist, Confirmation, Holy Order, Matrimony etc.)
e. Do a check up on his/her social/moral life.
f. Be an example for the child in your moral and social life.
Conclusion
Readiness, availability and intentional consciousness of the intricacies in child bearing and child
upbringing are the first steps parents must take in the process of procreation. Every adult who
desires to enter into this venture must therefore commit self to God in constant prayer to fulfil
this mission faithfully. It is important to remember Jesus’ clarifying words in Matthew 18: 5 – 6
“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. If any of you put a stumbling
block before one of these ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea”
References
-American Society for the positive care of children (2025)
https://americanspcc.org/effects-bad-parenting-child/ 8 Long-term effects of bad
parenting on a child’s mental and emotional health. Retrieved 30th August, 2025.
-Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press and Assessment.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary Retrieved 22nd August, 2025.
– Catechism of the Catholic Church (1995) Pauline Publication
.-https://www.vatican.va/archive Code of Canon law Title I.
Baptism (Cann. 849 – 878) Retrieved 30th August, 2025.
-National Council of the Churches of Christ (1991) New Revised Standard Version
Catholic Edition.
-The Roman Missal (2011) Pauline Publication, Africa. P.1013.
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