by John Andreozzi

Movies depicting Italian Americans as gangsters have promoted a mistaken idea about the meaning of godparents to Italians.

The institution of the godparent is central to the Italian culture and involves a very close and honored relationship. Parents carefully choose a godmother and godfather for their children. Candidates for godparents are usually respected people in the community who are trusted by the parents and can be dependent upon.

The parents know that the godparents would help raise the child if one or both of them should suddenly die or become incapacitated. In the United States, the godparents often exchange gifts with the godchild and take special interest in the child’s development and growth into adulthood.

Family is all-important in Italian culture, and the godparent becomes an extension of the immediate family. Italian immigrants and their children have valued godparents and given this institution an important position in the community. In Italian communities throughout the United States, leaders and respected individuals can be identified by the number of godchildren they have.

Names demonstrating respect and intimacy are used by the parents, the godparents, and the godchild, and these names vary by region in Italy. In the southern provinces, which provided the majority of Italy’s immigrants to America, when godparents and parents speak, the women are addressed as “comare” (cumadì or cummà in dialect), and the men as “compare” (cumpadì or cumpà) in dialect. The child refers to his or her godmother as “madrina” (little mother) and the godfather as “padrino” (little father). The terms “cummà” and “cumpà” have often been used in a more general way to address close friends and other respected individuals.

While assimilation and the passage of time have made godparents less vital in the lives of Italian Americans, they still remain a respected part of family and community life. The next time you see a film portraying Italians as gangster godfathers, remember the Real Godfather.

About the author:

John Andreozzi was born in Lackawanna, NY, to Italian parents and has worked as a teacher, clinical social worker, community organizer, and ethnic historian. He has been studying Italian American history for more than fifty years, and he holds Master’s Degrees in Sociology and Social Work. In 1985, he moved to the Twin Cities to work at the Immigration History Research Center and Archives with Prof. Rudy Vecoli. John has written two books and several scholarly articles on the experiences of Italians in the United States..

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