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Mar 25th, 2025
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Hello All,
Could someone comment on the proper usage in America for a Ruthenian Catholic child to address her Godmother or Godfather?
Thanks,
Felix
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A child should always address his godparents with love and respect - this is likely to stimulate the godparents!
Fr. Serge
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Aunt and Uncle always work!
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Perhaps there are special endearing titles/names in the Slavic language that are used in the old countries which have been carried over to the U.S.? I know, for instance, that all Greek Orthodox refer to their godparents as: Nono (godfather) and Nona (godmother). Infact, the movie 'The Godfather' is subtitled 'O Nonos' in Greece!  Alice
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I know, for instance, that all Greek Orthodox refer to their godparents as: Nono (godfather) and Nona (godmother). That's good. Mine are actually slightly younger than me, so they will be tickled when I start calling them Nono Bob and Nona Molly.
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Glory to Jesus Christ!
In Hungarian, it was always Keresztmama and Keresztpapa.
It seemed to be a great title of respect for kids to observe.
Deacon El
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In Hungarian, it was always Keresztmama and Keresztpapa. I'll let Greta spring that one on them.
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We always say Nonasko for Godfather and Nonaska for Godmother.
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We always say Nonasko for Godfather and Nonaska for Godmother. What language is that?
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It is a dialect. We fondly refer to the dialect as ponasomu.
It is a Carpatho Rusyn Dialect. Also Some Lemkos use the terms
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Krestnyj and Krestna (masculine and feminine respectively) are the titles I've heard among Rusyns.
I've heard Kum and Kuma among Ukrainians and Serbians. As I understand it, this is a broader term which encompasses the witnesses at one's wedding who are then also supposed to be the godparents of one's first child.
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That is correct...
And the Rusyn terms are also used in a broader sense, in the sense that I grew up calling my siblings' godparents krestnyj and krestna as well.
Parents would call their childrens' godparents kmoter (male)/kmotra (female).
--tim
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Thanks to everyone for the helpful responses.
Felix
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Alice,
That's funny that "godfather" and "godmother" in Greek are so close to "grandfather" and "grandmother" in Italian (nanno and nonna).
Although in Sicilian, as used in my family, it's nonnu and nanna.
Alexis
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Alice,
That's funny that "godfather" and "godmother" in Greek are so close to "grandfather" and "grandmother" in Italian (nanno and nonna).
Although in Sicilian, as used in my family, it's nonnu and nanna.
Alexis Yes, I knew that and it surely must have a connection... So many Greek islands were under Genovese or Venetian rule. The island my grandmother came from was Genovese for 400 years before being taken over by the Ottomans. When I saw the famous Sicily scene from the Godfather I, I couldn't believe how many of the customs (for instance: the 'kalesma' or 'invite' to the house to celebrate the engagement, and the way they all sat around the perimeter of the house's courtyard and were offered the customary sweet almond drink to celebrate) and other cultural rituals were identical... Regards, Alice 
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