The modern institution of godparents has become almost formal. Some parents choose godparents from among rich people who would give their godson expensive gifts and provide for him, while forgetting about the real responsibilities of godparents. And others are looking for ideal candidates for godfathers, deeply religious and constantly participating in the Sacraments of the Church, but finding such people is problematic.
Therefore, many people have questions about Baptism: is it possible to baptize a baby without godparents or with one godparent, when no godparents are needed; believing parents themselves are able to raise a child in the faith?
Why are godparents needed and how to choose a godparent?
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Many questions disappear by themselves when parents find out what the Sacrament of Baptism is and why they need to baptize a child (first of all, the blood father and mother must answer this question for themselves).
A child, especially under 7 years old, cannot testify to his faith, is not able to answer the priest’s questions and renounce Satan, and does not understand the meaning of the Sacrament. Therefore, during the baptism of children, it occurs according to the faith of their godparents, who promise to God to raise a newborn member of the Church in the Orthodox faith.
The main criterion when choosing godparents is that they must be churchgoers who can instruct the child in the faith, help him fight sins, pray for him and love the child.
Consequently, only people of the Orthodox faith, believers and adults can be godparents.
What are godparents for?
For an adult, baptism without godparents is allowed. He participates in the sacrament consciously, according to his own faith. Children cannot yet understand the meaning of the sacrament, so they are baptized according to the faith of their godparents. The latter are also called spiritual parents or receivers. During Baptism, they receive the godson from the hands of the priest. Also, during the sacrament, the recipients, instead of the child, renounce Satan. They publicly declare their desire to join Christ and recognize the basic dogmas of the Orthodox Church.
In ancient times, a godfather was an experienced Christian who vouched for the Church for its new member. The recipient brought the person who wanted to become a Christian to the priest and participated in the sacrament.
The “Guarantor” confirmed that the newcomer (neophyte) is sincere and firm in his intentions. Also, the presence of a recipient was a guarantee that the person wishing to be baptized was not a secret enemy. In those days, Christians were persecuted by the state, so they had to be wary of enemy “spies.”
In our time, spiritual parents also vouch for their child before God and gradually “bring” him to the Church. Godparents must not only pray for their godson all their lives. Their task is to teach him prayer and participation in church sacraments by their own example.
Is it possible to baptize a child without godparents?
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There is no unanimous answer to this question among the priesthood of the Russian Orthodox Church. For example, Archpriest Andrei Efanov believes that if parents are firmly confident in their own abilities and can raise their child in the Orthodox faith, then they can baptize him without godparents. The famous professor Osipov A.I. is against the baptism of children. He is sure that they themselves must choose what to believe in. Many church rectors do not agree to baptize children without godparents, following the tradition established in the Russian Orthodox Church.
Currently, almost all churches conduct public conversations before receiving the Sacrament of Baptism. At them, parents of children and candidates for baptism and godparents are explained the basics of faith, what Baptism is and what the responsibilities of recipients are. There you can also ask questions about preparing for the Sacrament.
It is good for any person (even an adult) to have a mentor - a person who is trusted by a godson or goddaughter, who instructs in spiritual matters. If parents can find such a godfather, the child will benefit greatly.
Mandatory presence of godparents
In most cases, people undergo the ritual in infancy. The baby is not yet aware of his faith and cannot make promises before God. His godparents do this for him. In addition, spiritual mentors take responsibility for the sins of the recipient until he reaches adulthood. For this reason, the presence of godparents is considered mandatory.
The Church makes concessions to those who undergo the ritual and allows the presence of only one godfather at the sacrament. For a girl, the presence of a godmother is more important, because it is she who will be entrusted with the main responsibility for the spiritual education of her successor. A boy must have a godfather as his godfather.
There are other church canons that you need to know about before your baby’s Baptism:
- The presence of one godmother for a boy and one godfather for a girl is allowed, if the second spiritual mentor was unable to attend the sacrament for good reasons.
- It is possible for several spiritual parents to be present at the sacrament - father and mother.
Up to 7 years of age, at least one of the spiritual parents must be present at the Christening of a child.
However, there are life situations in which the church can make an exception. We'll talk about them further.
Important! The Church places emphasis on the number of recipients per person. Only 1-2 children are allowed to be baptized. After all, the godfather must devote a lot of time to each successor in order to adequately raise him and introduce him to the Orthodox faith.
What to do if the priest refused to baptize a child without a godparent?
First of all, don't panic. We need to understand the reasons why Baptism was denied. It often happens that parents want to baptize their baby only because everyone else is baptizing. At the same time, they forget that the Church baptizes children according to the faith of their recipients and parents. If the father and mother of the child do not go to church and do not lead a spiritual life, then how can they be entrusted with raising the child in the Orthodox faith?
Secondly, each case is individual and all issues can be resolved by coming to a specific church and talking with the priest and explaining to him the reasons why the parents want to baptize the child without godparents.
Responsibilities of godparents
Godparents need to ensure the child’s worthy spiritual development in the bosom of the Holy Church and help take the first steps towards God. Do everything so that in the future the godson can independently continue this saving path. Saint John Chrysostom said that recipients “must show great care, convincing, advising, correcting, showing fatherly love” (“Handbook for a Clergyman”). Therefore, it is necessary for spiritual parents to be responsible, church-going people who take their responsibilities seriously.
Archpriest Pavel Gumerov emphasizes that the godfather must know his faith well and be a spiritual guide for the child:
“The recipient must know the Creed and read it at baptism... And of course, the godfather must live according to the commandments of God, pray to God and receive communion.”
Let us also quote the words of Archpriest Alexei Uminsky:
“The recipient must still love his godson first of all, and try to show his love for him. And through your love for him, show your love for Christ.”
The recipient should give the godson a prayer book and the Gospel, regularly take the child to church, and introduce him to the Church Sacraments. And of course, the godfather must pray for his godson all his life. This is the importance of the question of whether it is possible to baptize a child without godparents. There should be godparents and their duties are by no means formal.
Archpriest Mikhail Vorobyov tells the recipients:
“You were not just “registered” as a godparent, you were given responsibility for the correct Christian upbringing of your godson. Godparents guarantee before God that their godson or daughter will grow up to be a decent, worthy, believer. That he or she will feel the need to live a full church life.”
When can you be baptized without godparents?
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If a person is in mortal danger, seriously ill, then he is baptized urgently. Even a layman can baptize a person, including a baby. Such baptism is performed in trust in the mercy of the Lord, and if the sick person recovers, then the Sacrament of Confirmation is performed on him in the church. Also, an adult can be baptized independently without recipients.
It is best to follow the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church and try to choose two godparents for the child. So that he has an example of the life of not only biological parents, but also his adoptive children who attend church and live according to the commandments of the Lord.
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What exceptions to the sacrament are there?
The main situation when it is allowed to perform a sacrament without spiritual mentors is a serious illness of the infant. If the baby cannot attend church, then it is allowed to baptize him within the walls of a medical institution. In this case, a nurse or doctor can replace the child’s godfather. After recovery, it is allowed to perform the sacrament according to all church canons - with the participation of spiritual mentors.
There are other situations when the Baptism of a child without mentors is allowed. The clergy claim that the baby is not to blame for the impossibility of his godparents being present at the sacrament. He, like other children, has the right to accept faith.
Respectable cases in which a child is allowed to be baptized without the participation of one or both spiritual parents:
- If the godmother begins menstruation, and it is impossible to find a replacement for her. During menstrual periods, women are prohibited from attending church.
- Urgent departure of the godfather or his serious illness.
If the spiritual parents are not present at the sacrament, then the priest pronounces the words of renunciation for him. If the priest does not agree to take on the role of godfather, then you can ask another clergyman to do this. Even the clerk serving the priest can read the words of renunciation.
Christenings without godparents - superstitions and traditions
The sacrament of baptism is one of the most important rites of Orthodox Christians. Therefore, it must be carried out according to all the rules.
If you follow the ritual, then both biological parents and godparents must be present at the ceremony. It is impossible to say exactly how the church feels about the absence of the latter in a particular case.
Some priests refuse to perform the ritual if these people are not present, while others are ready to write down their names from the words of the parents. People call this “absentee christening.”
“Absentee christenings” were practiced until 1917. Everyone could ask the Tsar of Russia to act as a godfather and present an approving written answer to the priest.
Therefore, if you want to perform this ritual, but for some reason could not find godparents, most likely the priest will refuse, but it’s worth trying to talk.
Can relatives or a priest baptize?
If you have not found a girlfriend or boyfriend who could become godparents to your child, then you can turn to your close relatives for help. Grandparents, aunts and uncles can fill this important role. This in no way contradicts the laws of the church.
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The only thing is, according to Rule 53 of the VI Ecumenical Council, adoptive parents are not allowed to baptize a child. The question regarding stepfather and stepmother is very ambiguous. Very often, priests refuse to perform the ritual if these relatives apply for the role of godfather or godmother.
In extreme cases, the priest himself can become godfather. Various facts can push parents to make such a decision:
- someone believes that no one worthy was found among ordinary people;
- someone is sure that the holy father will be able to invest more in the child than the biological parents.
Church laws do not prohibit a clergyman from participating in such a ceremony (and not just conducting it). However, you should not count on this option and confront the priest with a fact. After all, he has every right to refuse.
Perhaps this will happen due to the fact that most likely you will never see this person again, you have never known him before and you are not going to communicate further. In this case, the clergyman will not fulfill his role, will not be able to instruct the child, teach him, and because of this he will take sin on his soul. However, both a priest and a deacon can become godparents to the children of their friends, acquaintances and parishioners.
