Forget what you've seen in old Disney or Hollywood films. Godmothers don't grant our every fairy tale wish, and godfathers don't knock people off on our behalf in the shady underworld of organized crime. In reality, godparents are faith-filled mentors to budding, young souls – parental supports with lifelong influence and role-model prestige.

A modern-day godparent is "a model, a mentor, a friend for the journey," explains Deacon Norm Horstman of St. Joseph's-St. Ray's in Springfield, Ohio. "Someone to keep an eye out on the road of life. Someone to keep an eye out, spiritually. The type of Catholic or the type of Christian that you would want others to model and emulate."

Steeped in history and church tradition, the need for godparents originally arose when people, then referred to as Pagans, converted to Christianity from another religion.

The Catholic Church, for example, doesn't make a distinction," Horstman says. "No matter what age you are, if you're baptized, you have a godparent. If you look at godparents, traditionally, that role is a church role – a church function. The reason the word 'God' was affixed to it is that there's a spiritual relationship between the baptized person and whomever their godparent is. It's a spiritual relationship that involves the church, plus God, plus the person they're godparenting for."

"If you think about it, it was early on, when the church was being persecuted and troubled, that the role of the godparent was one to witness – to be the in-between – to witness to the person about the belief of the church, but to also stand up and witness to the church that this person is, in fact, a believer," says Horstman. "Is serious. Is willing to change their life. Does believe. The godparent, who must be a member of the church already, is putting up their right hand, attesting to this person's faith."

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.