Spiritual initiation according to Christian dogmas begins with a well-known procedure carried out in an Orthodox church - this is the rite of baptism. For a long time in Rus' it was customary to share the joy of the birth of a new life with the Heavenly Father. Therefore, baptism is a kind of joining the church and bestows Eternal Life. This ritual implies a set of centuries-old rules that must be followed. Since parents planning to baptize their child have many questions about the upcoming event, it is worthwhile to figure it all out.
Previous events
Parents should think about the spiritual component of their child.
Parents preparing for the baptism of a child should approach this responsibly. The first step is to personally visit the temple and contact the priest or shop directly. There they will explain everything and tell you in detail what needs to be done next. You choose a temple at your own discretion, the one that is closer to home or which you visit more often. Nowadays, any temple has its own website on the Internet, so you can find out all the information on it in advance or call the contact number.
Important! When a child is not yet 7 years old, parents have the right to independently decide on the advisability of baptism. If the child is older than the specified age, then they must ask if he agrees. When a child reaches 14 years old, he already thinks for himself whether to be baptized or not.
Public conversation
First, the clergyman talks with the baby’s parents and godparents. This is so that the people who apply understand the whole essence of the process: how it happens, what you need to take with you, how godparents should behave. You can ask any questions you have. The date of the upcoming event will be immediately agreed upon.
The first step will be a conversation with the priest
Often relatives are indignant about the importance of such a conversation, citing lack of time or other reasons. But they must understand that, first of all, they themselves need this, and not the priest. In addition, it will be possible to understand whether the people who were appointed godparents are responsible. If they do not want to donate their personal time to such an event, then they should think about re-election.
Advice! It happens that godparents live far away and are only able to drive up directly to the baptismal ceremony itself. Then the introductory conversation can be held in another church that is nearby. There they will be given the appropriate certificate, which gives them the right to participate in the ceremony anywhere.
Prayer before baptism
Before the Sacrament of Baptism, the godfather and mother must learn 2 prayers: Our Father and the Creed. As a last resort, it is allowed to peep into the recording (previously this was unacceptable).
Prayer "Our Father"
Before proceeding directly to baptism, the priest reads 3 prayers:
- for the baby's birthday;
- for naming on the eighth day;
- mother's prayer.
When he says them, he walks around the church (baptismal sanctuary). Meanwhile, the naked baby, wrapped in a sheet, is held in the arms of his godparents. The blood mother is not allowed into the temple until the last prayer (on the fortieth day) has been read.
The final step in preparing for baptism will be reading the “Power of Faith” prayer together with the priest.
Prayer "Power of Faith"
Fasting before a child's baptism
All relatives, especially parents and godparents of the baby, must fast for 3 days before baptism. The exception would be a mother who is breastfeeding. It is advisable to give up entertainment.
Child christening in Moscow. Choosing a church.
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL Rus'
KIRILL
“3”_04_ 2013 119034 Moscow, Chisty per. 5
ORDER No. P-01/12
In connection with the approval by the Consecrated Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church on February 2-5, 2013 of the document “On religious, educational and catechetical service in the Russian Orthodox Church”, adopted by the Holy Synod on December 27, 2011 (journal No. 152), I consider it necessary to give a more systematic character implementation in the parishes of the diocese of the city of Moscow of the instructions contained in this document regarding the minimum requirements for preparing persons to receive the Sacrament of Baptism.
In all parishes, patriarchal and monastic metochions, as well as monasteries under the Patriarchal administration, the provisions provided for in Section II must be strictly observed. 1 of the document mentioned above, which, in particular, provides for the minimum requirements for the announcement of adults and children over 7 years of age who wish to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, as well as parents and adoptive children under 7 years of age. These minimum requirements include:
- in relation to those being baptized (except for infants), parents and adoptees - participation in at least two public conversations conducted by a priest or catechist about the basic concepts of Christian morality, Orthodox doctrine and church life;
- for those being baptized (except infants) - a personal repentance-confession conversation with the priest.
Conversations should be conducted free of charge.
When the listed persons undergo these conversations, they must be given a document attesting to this, signed by the catechist and (or) priest, for presentation on the day of the Sacrament of Baptism.
In cases where those preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism have undergone the catechumen in another church, they are presented with a corresponding document certified by the seal of the church. In cases where parents or adoptees have already been taught the basics of the faith and participate in church life, they must submit a recommendation from the confessor or rector of the temple of which they are parishioners.
An exception to these requirements is in cases of mortal danger for those preparing to receive the Sacrament of Baptism.
This order should be posted in all churches behind the candle box and, where there are any, in the vestibules of baptismal churches. Control over its implementation is entrusted to the Right Reverends who administer the vicariates and to the dean fathers.
KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL Rus'
God-parents
There does not have to be two godparents - one is allowed.
For a new convert, godparents are necessarily chosen, who become another parent for him for the rest of his life. Now they too are responsible for the spiritual development of the ward until he crosses the threshold of adulthood. The main thing is that they also be of the Orthodox faith. Therefore, you need to select candidates wisely. These should be reliable people who can be relied upon in any situation.
For your information! It is the godmothers who pronounce the words of renunciation of Satan and reunification with Christ during the ceremony. They take the baby from the hands of the priest after dipping him into the font.
If it was not possible to find a godmother and godfather at the same time, then there may be one: a man for a boy, a woman for a girl. It is desirable that godparents be from a close circle of biological parents, whom they know well and completely trust.
Rules for the Godfather
The godfather must buy a cross for his mentor. His responsibilities also include receiving the baby after the bath. Having dressed him in baptismal clothes, he continues to hold the new convert in his arms until the ceremony is completed. And then the godfather must pay for the past sacrament.
Rules for the godmother
The girl's godmother is her godmother. She will pick up the baby after washing in the font and continue to hold her in her arms. It is she who needs to take care in advance about the underwear for her goddaughter or godson, which they will be dressed in after the baptism ceremony. In the summer, buy a white cotton diaper, in the winter - a terry sheet or towel. In addition, you will need a jacket-colored baptismal shirt (dress) and a cap.
Important! The godmother cannot participate in the baptism ceremony if she is menstruating. Therefore, it is worth setting a date in advance.
How to choose a day
A person can be baptized at any age when he is ready for it. It is not necessary to coincide such an event with a specific day. Only the Orthodox Church advocates not delaying the moment of communion with God, since in this way original sin is annulled. So, the sooner this happens, the sooner God’s Blessing will descend on the child.
You can be baptized at any age, but it is better at an early age.
It is recommended to baptize the baby after 40 days from the date of his birth. Since before this, a woman who gave birth, according to church canons, is considered unclean and entry into the sacred temple is denied to her. Only when the priest reads the prayer of permission will she be able to attend the baptismal event of her child.
Important! The age of 3 to 6 months is considered optimal for infant baptism. Since the baby is still poorly oriented in the environment and reacts normally to strangers, the ceremony takes place without problems.
You can baptize a child on any day: during Lent, on holidays or weekdays. But each church has its own schedule, so the date should be discussed in advance.
Baptism cross for a child
The cross is a key attribute of the ritual.
The meaning of the cross is that it will be required when performing the Sacrament. It doesn’t matter where they buy it - in a church shop or a regular store. It can be in any design: gold, silver or wood. The main thing is that he is Orthodox, not Catholic. The difference is easy to understand: in Catholicism, Christ’s legs are brought together and nailed. You also need to purchase a chain or cord. The latter option is preferable for babies, as it will not rub delicate skin.
Important! Before the baptismal ceremony, the cross must be consecrated. The priest does this.
How does baptism take place in an Orthodox church?
This ceremony has its own hidden meaning and must take place according to certain rules. When all the preparatory activities are completed, it is worth telling how the baptism ceremony takes place according to Christian dogmas.
On the appointed day, all participants in the procedure arrive at the church a little earlier than the appointed time. It is necessary to give the child time to get used to the new environment, so that the father does not have to wait until the suddenly capricious baby calms down. After an invitation to come in, one of the godparents takes his ward in his arms: the girl is the godmother, the boy is the father. In the future, godparents must do what the priest tells them.
First, everyone present is distributed throughout the space, designating places for godparents with the child. Before proceeding directly to baptism, the holy father reads a prayer with which he gives the baby his new name. Now he has a heavenly protector, so at the end of the ceremony it will be necessary to present the new convert with an icon of this saint.
Immediately before the baptism ceremony, the clergyman reads prayers
After the naming, prohibitive prayers follow, designed to protect the baptized person from demonic attacks. Here comes the turn of the godparents - one of them is asked to recite the “Symbol of Faith”. So the text of the prayer book must be learned in advance. If no one knows the words, then the priest himself reads.
Then the water in the font is blessed. At the same time, special prayers are said with a request to the Divine Father to send to the water and whom they will dip their grace into it. Next, you need to undress the little one, and the holy father anoints him with oil in certain parts of the body: forehead, chest, ears, arms and legs. This act symbolizes God's Grace.
Now it’s the turn to dip the baby in the blessed water - the priest takes him and does this 3 times. Then he gives it to his godfather or godfather, who wipes him and dresses him in baptismal clothes. The cross is immediately put on.
Washing with holy water
The next action will be to walk around the font 3 times with the clergyman and godparents with the baby. They move in the direction opposite to the rotation of the sun. Afterwards, the priest reads part of the text from the Holy Scriptures and prays for the main participants in the process.
Now comes the turn of Confirmation. The baptized person is anointed with the sacred Myrrh (aromatic oil), conditionally recreating a cross on his body. Thus, in Orthodoxy, gifts are given from the Holy Spirit in order to reveal the image of God in a person.
A child is anointed with sacred oil
The baby also has to sacrifice something, as a sign of gratitude for his acceptance into the bosom of God. The offering consists of cutting off a lock of hair from the head of the initiate.
The procedure does not end there yet. In order for a new member to have free access to the gates of the temple, he must undergo Churching. The godfather, along with the convert and the clergyman, approach the altar. The boy is brought inside and there they bow to the Throne, then they approach the icon. Girls are not allowed access to the altar, so the Church takes place nearby. Upon completion of all necessary actions, a prayer is read and the cross is kissed. After this, parents should bow 3 times to the ground in front of the priest and pulpit.
During Churching, godparents stand with lit candles
The baptism ceremony for an adult is slightly different. Before the sacrament itself, he must confess and receive communion. Also, fasting is observed for 3 days before the sacred event. In this case, it is not necessary to involve godparents, since the person is already an adult and is responsible for himself. But everything else happens the same. Only there will not be a complete immersion in the font, but only washing with holy water.
Duration of baptism
The duration of the baptism procedure depends on the child’s behavior, the speed of the priest’s reading of prayers and the speed of the godparents’ reaction. But it usually doesn’t take more than half an hour.
How much will you have to pay
The payment for the baptism ceremony means a donation. This also applies to everything purchased on the territory of the temple. In this case, it is somehow incorrect to talk about price. Each institution has its own donation amount.
For your information! The very act of baptizing a child is considered sacred and talking about money here would be blasphemous. We are talking about typical household costs: electricity, hiring workers, participation of singers, etc.
Divine Grace
At Baptism, a person is given special Divine Grace, which must be preserved and increased. This is grace, it instantly erases all sins, but the person himself cannot change in the blink of an eye, therefore, among other things, efforts are required on the part of the Newly Enlightened One.
Precisely so that a person has a correct understanding of what is happening and an adequate attitude towards it. Before the Baptism of an adult, a joint interaction between the priest and the catechumen takes place.
What happens after baptism
At the end of the Sacrament of spiritual rapprochement with God, the godparents are given a corresponding certificate. It contains the following information: when and where the baptism ceremony was performed, the name day.
Baptismal certificate
It doesn’t end there, because in the near future it is necessary to visit the church again to give the new convert communion (in general, this should be done at least once a week). Sometimes the priest gives communion to the baptized person immediately, but more often he orders him to come back after a few days. This action is performed at the end of the morning liturgy. In this case, no prior registration is required and there will be no need to wait for the service - young children receive Holy Communion without a queue. Red wine is used for this (symbolizing the Blood of Christ).
The Orthodox Church calls on all true Christians to take communion more often. If this has not been done for quite a long period, then you can undergo the Sacrament before baptism. If this is not done, then a Christian is considered such conditionally. It turns out that while introducing a child to the church, he himself remains outside of it.
Rite of Communion
Children can receive communion in any church of the Orthodox faith. If the child is over 4 years old, then you cannot eat anything before such a procedure; children do not have to follow this rule. Until the age of seven there is no need to confess. After communion, you can leave immediately and not have to wait until the end of the entire service.
What's next? Spiritual preparation
- It is necessary to go to morning services (Liturgy) several times; it is very useful, because, for example, on the day of Epiphany, most likely, the priest will tell you about the need to attend the service first.
- Prepare all your sins on a piece of paper and testify of repentance to the priest.
- Buy a prayer book and ask the priest to explain how to use it, talk about the nuances and meaning of prayer in principle.
- Buy the Law of God and begin to study the basic principles of the Orthodox faith, part of our site is built on the principle of “introduction to the Orthodox faith.”
With a competent and serious approach, any priest will “torture” you for a long time, as it may seem to you, with formalities, but in fact, all this is necessary, it just may seem complicated, but in reality everything is simple.
On the day of Baptism, you need to come to the morning service, and immediately after it the priest will perform the Sacrament of Baptism and Confirmation, after which he will administer Holy Communion.
After performing the sacrament, it is important to understand the need to live with God. I hope the priest will explain to you all the nuances of spiritual life.
If you have recently been baptized or want to join the church, but have nowhere to turn, come to me, I will try to give you tips on the issues that you need to know on the threshold of the Temple and when taking your first steps towards God. Accordingly, we offer advisory assistance in churching to those whom we baptize.
