On Sunday Luke and I became godparents to Ava Lynne Kelley.

When my friend Jill asked Luke and I to be godparents we felt honored and loved. It truly is a blessing. She has so many friends and family and to be the ones chosen feels sacred and special.

So, I'm pretty open about my faith. I am Catholic. Yeah, a crazy Catholic. (I'm not Irish though!)

I know, I know... lots of people have their ideas and opinions about Catholics. But don't judge. Judging is not nice.

I grew up Catholic and wouldn't change it for the world. I love the old Bible stories and I love the feeling of people getting together in one place and actually agreeing on one thing at the same time. I was taught, as a Catholic, to also respect other faiths and religions. I agree with the basic values and spirituality of the Catholic church. I am also raising my son under the beliefs of the Catholic church.

Don't get me wrong though... I'm no perfect Catholic. (Do those exist?)  I mean, everyone sins.

There are some things I don't necessarily agree with about the way the Catholic church handles things, such as:

- women not being able to become priests
- the church's stance on gay marriage
- all the up and down and kneeling going on (ouch)
- asking me for money when I seriously don't have any... (hey, the mortgage is due)

And there are some things that Catholic people say that really stress me out and make me uncomfortable/UPSET, such as: "You shouldn't get married in the Catholic church because you don't go to church every Sunday ..." Oh really? And you going to church every single Sunday makes you a better person than me because ????? Let's leave the decision making up to the one who is actually uniting us, the priest.

I don't believe you have to go to church every single Sunday to prove that you are a good Catholic or even a good Christian. Sometimes going every Sunday becomes a chore and is no longer meaningful. There are so many other ways of showing that you have faith. One of the best ways is to just simply... LOVE. I also believe that you can pray anywhere you want and that God is always listening.

Oh my gosh, I hope my priest doesn't read this...hah.

Now I'm starting to blab. I need to get back on target... oh yeah... godparents.

Anyways, here are a few traditional roles that Godparents have:

1. Start with the sacrament of baptism and agree to sponsor and support the Godchild in living a Christian life and share with them your own Christian values. 

2. Godparents must be in a valid marriage and must be Catholic

3. A godparent should be a trustworthy witness of the faith who will help the godchild attain salvation.

4. Being a godparent is NOT connected with civil guardianship or future care of the child (although we would take Ava in a heartbeat!)

5. The godparent must be someone who attends church regularly (um... yeah...)

6. Godparents have a spiritual relationship with the godchild and support the godchild's parents in raising and educating the child.

I'm really psyched about our new relationship with Ava.  Thank you Jill, for giving Luke and I this responsibility.

How many of you out there are godparents? (We are also the godparents to my nephew, Dylan) If you aren't Christian, have you ever heard of godparents?

Are there any other religions/faiths that have a similiar "sponsor" with similar roles?

I think if Ava ever decided to not be a Catholic anymore, I know Luke and I would still have a special relationship with her. We would respect her decisions and would continue to support her in the path she chooses.

Woah, I bet some of you didn't know I had a little faith in me, eh? See, I'm not so evil. 

And I'll end with a really cool quote:

"For those who blame religion for the woes of the world, know that it is the abuse of religion that causes these woes."  -anonymous.