By Tim Rohr
This post is the third in this personal series. The first is here. The second has been temporarily unpublished until I can further edit it. However, this third is good to go.
Some preface will make Episode 3 a bit more interesting - at least for me.
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I, recently (today, actually) authored a post about Baptism, and wherein I cited Canon Law relative to the Church's requirements, both for the parent(s) and the godparent(s).
To understand why I attach the "s" as a parenthetical (s), it would be best to read the post.
In short though, Catholic baptism of an infant requires two things: 1) consent of at least one parent with intent to raise the child "in the Church;" and 2) a godparent, Baptized, Confirmed, having received First Holy Communion, and otherwise "in good standing."
In 2008, my wife and I brought our 11th child, Gianna, into this world.
As faithful Catholics, we immediately sought to baptize Gianna with her eldest brother (Timmy) and sister (Michelle) as Gianna's godparents.
However, due to some misdirection and oversight by me, Timmy and Michelle, both adults by then, had yet to be confirmed - a requirement for godparents.
So we arranged with the then-pastor of Agat (Mt. Carmel), Fr. Andre, to first confirm Timmy and Michelle, and then immediately thereafter baptize Gianna, with Timmy and Michelle as the godparents.
Normally, only a bishop can confirm. However, because we had requested that Timmy and Michelle be confirmed in the "Traditional Rite," Fr. Andre was able to obtain - from the then-bishop - particular faculties to confirm Timmy and Michelle.
And while we were at it, we decided to have the next two younger siblings, Christopher and Jessica confirmed as well.
All was going well on the evening of the Confirmation and Gianna's Baptism until Fr. Andre asked me who was the Sponsor for the confirmee's?
While some may consider me a Catholic guru of sorts, I really am not. I was so caught up in assuring that Gianna had valid godparents that I had forgotten that Gianna's godparents first needed their own godparent - a Confirmation Sponsor.
Crazy. And "thank God" for cell phones, because I immediately called my friend, Margie, a good and faithful Catholic, a parishioner of Mt. Carmel, who lived just minutes away.
Margie said "sure," and she showed up just minutes later and became, via Fr. Andre, the confirmation sponsor of Timmy, Michelle, Christopher, and Jessica.
We then proceeded to Gianna's baptism with Timmy and Michelle as Gianna's godparents...and we all lived happily ever after.
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Well, not quite. Because no story really ends that way. But the story hasn't ended. Thank you for your prayers.
Gianna continues to grow into a beautiful child both inside and out....and William too.
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