If you stood for her at her baptism, it is more than an office. Canon law gives a godparent a standing duty to help that child live the faith — which means the prayer below is something you already undertook to say.
Historical Context
St Agnes is the saint to ask for a girl, and the reason is her age. She was a child — the tradition puts her at twelve or thirteen when she was killed under Diocletian — and the Church thought her important enough to name in the Canon of the Mass, where she is still said aloud at every Eucharist that uses the First Eucharistic Prayer. A young girl is not a small subject to the Church. She is in the central prayer of the Roman rite.
A Prayer for My Niece
Lord, watch over my niece.
Give her a clear head and a brave heart.
Let her grow up knowing she is loved by more people than she can count,
and that I am one of them.
Give her one good friend who tells her the truth.
Keep her from the harm I cannot see and cannot prevent.
And when she will not talk to her parents,
make me easy to talk to, and slow to repeat it.
St Agnes, pray for her.
Amen.
A Prayer for a Goddaughter
Canon 872 puts it in plain terms: the sponsor is “to help the baptised person to lead a Christian life in keeping with baptism.” Nothing in the canon limits that to childhood.
Father, I answered for this child at the font
before she could answer for herself.
Hold me to it.
Let the faith I promised on her behalf
be something she has actually seen in me,
and not only heard about.
If she leaves it for a while, keep the door open,
and keep me from making her ashamed to come back.
Amen.
A Prayer Before Her Confirmation
Standing as a sponsor at Confirmation is a second, distinct undertaking. Canon 892 charges the sponsor to see that the confirmed person “behaves as a true witness of Christ and faithfully fulfils the obligations inherent in this sacrament” — and canon law prefers that the baptismal godparent be the one to do it.
Come, Holy Spirit, upon my niece.
Give her wisdom to know what is true
and courage to say so out loud.
Give her the counsel to choose well
when nobody is watching her choose.
She is taking a saint’s name today —
give her that saint’s company for life.
And make me a sponsor worth having.
Amen.
A Prayer for a Niece Who Is Ill
Lord Jesus, who laid your hands on children,
lay them on my niece.
Take the fear out of the hospital for her.
Give her parents sleep, and something to hold on to.
Give me the sense to be useful rather than anxious.
St Agnes, who was younger than she is, pray for her.
Amen.
Best Times for This Prayer
- On 21 January, the feast of St Agnes.
- At her baptism, First Communion, or Confirmation.
- On her birthday, and on her name day if she has a saint’s name.
- When she is ill, or frightened, or being badly treated at school.
- When her parents are struggling and she is the one absorbing it.
- When she has stopped going to Mass and you are the only one not arguing with her about it.
Scripture Connection
“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” — Mark 10:14
The disciples were not being cruel; they were being practical, keeping the children out of the way of important business. Christ’s objection is to the ranking. A niece is not a minor item in a family’s prayers, to be got to once the serious petitions are dealt with — the verse puts her at the front of the queue.
Related prayers
For a nephew, the companion page is the Prayer for My Nephew, built on Tobias and the Archangel Raphael. Praying in the other direction, for the aunt rather than the child, see the Prayer for My Aunt.
If you are her godmother, the Godmother Prayer is the promise itself. St Agnes has her own page, and for a girl facing something specific, St Philomena and St Lucy are both traditionally asked for young girls.
