How much does it cost on average to call a priest to bless an apartment?

What is this?

Calling a priest to consecrate an apartment means inviting a priest into a home for the purpose of conducting a ceremony to expel evil spirits and invoke God’s grace.

Calling a minister may be required in the following cases:

When a family changes their place of residence, I would like to receive a blessing to live in a new place.
After the death of one of the residents of the house (especially if the death was violent, suicide occurred).
We need to strengthen our mental strength.
There is a seriously ill person in the family.
I want to find happiness and prosperity in my home.
Check-in to a new building (a new house, according to church canons, requires a blessing).
Strange things are happening in the room.

Consecration is a rite of Orthodox Christianity, during which any objects and places are cleansed from the negative influence of the otherworldly demonic world. In order to consecrate the apartment, they turn to the temple servants.

If there is a need to consecrate a house, you need to do a number of the following actions:

Visit the nearest temple.
Approach the priest and ask him to bless the apartment, agree on the day and time of arrival.
Purchase and prepare the necessary paraphernalia (candles, icons, holy water).
Wait for the priest to arrive or pick him up in your own transport.
Attend the ritual.
Pay for the work done.
Thank the priest.

The process of consecrating an apartment is as follows:

Reading the prayer “Our Father”, Psalm 90. The celebrant prays for those living in the room and for specific people.
Blessing with olive oil.
Sprinkling the room with holy water.

The ritual lasts from 20 to 30 minutes . Sometimes the priest is asked to come again.

How to invite a priest

There are situations when a priest needs to be invited to the house to perform services (confession, communion and unction of a sick person, funeral service, consecration of an apartment, house, cottage, prayer service at home or baptism of a sick person). How to do this correctly? You can also invite a priest you know by telephone, addressing him, as in church, with the word “bless.” But if you are a beginner, it is better, of course, to come to the church yourself so that you can find out from the priest or at the candle box what needs to be prepared to perform this or that service. To consecrate the house, it is necessary to put the house in proper shape (clean up, take the dog away - usually Orthodox Christians do not keep a dog in the apartment, but if there is nowhere to place it on the street, in a kennel or barn, then you need to give it a proper corner in the hallway or other place where there are no holy icons, fence off her place of residence). You should prepare holy water, candles, vegetable oil, preferably special stickers with crosses, which the priest will paste on all four sides of your house to be blessed. It is necessary that there be a table, preferably covered with a clean tablecloth, where the priest can put holy objects. You need to explain to your family the essence of what is happening, set them up for reverent behavior, that upon the priest’s arrival you should take his blessing, as well as after the rite of consecration, venerate the cross. Explain how this is done, how to contact the priest, prepare scarves or scarves so that women and girls can cover their heads. Of course, the TV and tape recorder should be turned off in the house, no parties should be started in neighboring rooms, all attention should be focused on the holy event taking place. In this case, there will be considerable spiritual benefit for your family if you invite the priest to stay for a cup of tea... If you are going to give Holy Communion to a sick person, you need to prepare him (how exactly, the priest will tell you the day before, based on the patient’s condition), and tidy up the room. You will need candles, the Gospel, warm water, clean cloth. For the unction, you need to prepare, in addition to candles, seven pods (wooden sticks with cotton wool), a bowl with grains of wheat where they will be placed, oil, church wine - Cahors. The priest will give you more detailed instructions. But remember that a priest’s visit to your home is an excellent opportunity for the whole family to resolve some spiritual issues, to take an important step in spiritual life, which they might not dare to take in another setting. Therefore, spare no effort in preparing your loved ones, do not allow the performance of religious services to turn into an exotic “event” for your household.

What does the price depend on?

The cost of consecrating an apartment by a priest varies and depends on the following factors:

Family financial situation.
The generosity of the man who called the priest.
Method of calling a priest.
Features of the temple.
Room type.
The purpose of calling a priest.
Number of rooms in the house.
Region where the church is located.
Distance from the temple to the apartment.
The need and price of church paraphernalia.

As a rule, the priest does not name the specific cost of his work. If a family has financial difficulties, the priest will not refuse free help.

Types of service

You can call a priest to bless the room in one of the following ways:

Through an intermediary (website).
Directly upon visiting the temple.
By phone (if you have priest’s contact numbers).

The last two options are the cheapest. When using the first method, you will have to pay the site owner for selecting and calling a clergyman.

You can bring the priest to the apartment using your own transport or arrange for him to arrive on your own.

Approximate prices

Temples do not post a price list for the consecration of an apartment by a priest. Therefore, you can call a clergyman absolutely free. To consecrate a house, time, money for travel and the purchase of attributes are spent. It is advisable to pay the priest so much that these costs are at least recouped. The temple exists through donations, and payment for the service is the salary of the worshiper.

Ordering a priest’s visit through the website will cost from 5,000 rubles for the consecration of apartments and about 10,000 for offices. When calling a priest when visiting a church or by telephone, the service can cost up to 3,000 rubles . In Moscow, people usually give from 1,000 to 3,000 , in small towns - 500-1,000 rubles .

Where and from whom can I order the service?

If you need to consecrate your apartment, you can order this service in one of the following ways:

Go to a special website and call the priest by filling out the online form.
Go to the temple and arrange with the priest to come to the house.
Call a clergyman you know and arrange for help.

The last two options are preferable. They are cheaper, but take some time to visit the church and communicate with the clergy. Ordering a service on the website will be more expensive. But then you don’t need to go to church and look for the priest. After sending the application, the priest himself will call you back.

Looking for support in life and endeavors, more and more people are turning to faith, a necessary attribute of which since ancient times has been the performance of certain rituals and sacraments. In particular, people often ask to bless their apartment. The Orthodox Church, represented by its ministers, does not refuse assistance and spiritual guidance to anyone. The priests, in turn, accept money given by the laity as a token of gratitude for the sacred rite performed. The problem is that not all citizens know how much the mentioned ritual costs. Let's talk about this in more detail.

What is it about

Consecration is a Christian rite that attracts God's blessing to a particular object. It helps to spiritualize a person’s activity, allowing him to do things that are pleasing to the Lord and useful both to those around him and to the Fatherland.

The desire to sanctify your home first of all testifies to the desire to trust in God, the presence of faith in Him, and the understanding that nothing in the world happens without the knowledge of the Creator.

To perform such an important ritual, a priest is invited. Consecration may be required if:

the family moves to another place of residence;
a person died (died) in the house;
there is a need to maintain your mental strength;
someone got sick;
there is not enough peace and prosperity in life;
the apartment is new or has never been blessed before (it doesn’t matter how many years the apartment was used before);
renovation completed;
some strange things begin to happen.

The sacrament of baptism at home

The first thing the child’s parents should take care of is preparing a vessel of the required size in which to make a complete immersion. The best option in this case is a garden water barrel or other similar container. In such a barrel you can not only immerse yourself three times, but also turn the person being baptized three times around its axis, which is what some Old Believer priests do according to an ancient tradition. This cannot be done either in a bathtub or in a flat font, now common in New Believer churches.

It should be remembered that baptism in an ordinary bathtub connected to the city sewer is unacceptable. During the sacrament, the water collected in the vessel is consecrated and, at the end of baptism, must be poured into a place that is not trampled underfoot, and even more so by all kinds of uncleanness. As a last resort, it is possible to baptize a baby in a plastic bath, but even after this, the water must be drained into a special place. The baptism of a child is a technically complex sacrament, so it is best to organize the arrival of a priest with an assistant - a reader or a guide who could light the censer, wrap a towel around the priest’s armband before immersing the child, or hold the baby during certain moments of the service.

Baby baptism in the font

If the child is over 3 years old, then in order to avoid inappropriate behavior, preliminary conversations should be held with him and it should be explained to him what the priest will do and how. If the required size of the vessel is not available, or at the request of the person being baptized, this sacrament can be performed in open water - a river or lake. The place of such baptism should also be taken care of in advance, so that the nakedness of the person being baptized does not cause embarrassment either to himself or to strangers.

A simpler task seems to be confession, unction and communion for the sick, as well as funeral services outside the walls of the church. These sacraments can be performed at home, in accordance with the instructions of the spiritual father.

How to prepare

Before consecrating the apartment, it is worth cleaning it thoroughly. If repairs have been carried out, they must be completely completed.

A table is also prepared in the house - on it the priest will place everything necessary to perform the ceremony. It is recommended to cover it with a light tablecloth, but this is not important - just removing the dust is enough.

It is also important that the person who made the request for consecration is present at the ritual and participates in it. He can also read some prayers, if, of course, the priest blesses him for this.

Put your phones on silent and try not to talk about unrelated topics until your home is cleared.

Procedure

So, you have a need to consecrate your house. To do this, you must act in a certain order. First of all, go to the nearby Orthodox church. Wait for the priest and ask him to perform the ritual in the apartment where you already live or just intend to live.

Immediately agree on what day and time the minister will arrive to you. Also find out if you need to purchase anything in advance. Father will definitely need the following:

Holy water;
icons;
candles, etc.

Some bring everything with them, while others entrust the purchase to the laity. It's hard to say how much it might cost. Look into the shop at the church, they sell the necessary things. Also check whether the priest will get there on his own or should be brought by car.

On the appointed day, prepare, make sure that everyone at home is present at the ceremony.

When the priest blesses the apartment, thank him for being able to come and pay.

During the ritual, the minister of the Church will read the “Our Father”, and after that the 90th Psalm. Next, he will pray for the whole family and additionally for other people (if asked). Having blessed the room with olive oil, the priest sprinkles it with holy water.

How long will the described ritual last? As a rule, everything is completed in 20 minutes, maximum – half an hour.

In some situations (illness of a loved one, for example), it is worth immediately agreeing on a second visit by the clergyman. How much will it cost? Same as the previous one.

What affects the cost

The ritual in question is, by definition, not a service. This is a private worship service. The priest who came to bless your apartment represents the Orthodox Church, which exists solely on the donations of believers.

Simply put, asking how much a ritual costs is incorrect, because the person asking for it does not pay, but only donates a certain amount that is feasible for him as a token of gratitude.

If you do not have extra money, and you are afraid that the priest who will consecrate the apartment may consider your payment insufficient, then clarify this point in advance. The minister of the Church bears certain expenses for ordering a taxi, purchasing everything necessary for the ceremony, etc. There is also a fixed contribution that must be transferred to the temple.

At the very least, it is necessary to accurately understand how much all the above items cost in order to offset the costs of them.

If you don’t want to disturb the priest, then ask the parishioners - they are almost always present in the church. It is better to discuss a sensitive topic with older women who help maintain order.

How they now receive communion at home: photo report by “Thomas”

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes.

Due to the threat of the spread of coronavirus, Patriarch Kirill called on believers to pray at home. In this case, if necessary, you can call a priest to your home for confession and communion. About how the Sacraments are celebrated at home in isolation - in the photo report “Thomas”.

Archpriest Vladimir VIGILYANSKY

All my life I have received communion, confession and unction both at home and in hospitals. I recently recalled how many hospitals I visited during my priestly service: it turned out that I knew about half of Moscow medical institutions precisely because I performed services there. This practice has existed in our parish for a long time, because there are always elderly people who cannot attend church, but are in great need of the Church Sacraments - confession, unction, communion - and in general prayer support. Now, due to forced isolation, this has become especially in demand.

Recently I went to give communion to two elderly women, long-time parishioners of our church, who in recent years have not been able to go out. One of them is 82, and the other is 85 years old. I visit them at least 2-3 times a year for Christmas and Easter. So I decided now, in such a difficult time for everyone, but especially for older people. One parishioner called me herself, and I called the other, because she is a very delicate woman and is afraid to disturb me again. “I couldn’t even dream about this!” – I heard a joyful voice on the phone.

When we arrived at one of them, I, like a shepherd, began to ask her about her life and health. One, a doctor of historical sciences, told me about her works and even asked me to help her find an Italian translator to translate one difficult sonnet. Another talked about how her neighbors help her: she is very lonely. Both were preparing for my arrival: it was clear that they had even dressed up to receive the guest. I joked with them, told all sorts of stories from parish life to cheer them up.

Each confessed and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. I administered communion with disposable spoons to keep them safe. After that, each of them had a modest meal: we drank coffee and had a heart-to-heart talk. And we have known both of us for about 20-30 years, so there was no embarrassment: everything went calmly, friendly and warmly.

I am always ready to come to our elderly parishioners who are now forced to be at home. For example, there is another parishioner who is already 104 years old, and I am going to visit her next time.