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Before being baptised in the Orthodox Church, new-born children are “churched” together with their mother. The rite of churching imitates the offering of Christ to the temple forty days after his birth by His mother, the Virgin Mary (Luke 2:22). In the New Testament Church, both male and female children are formally presented to God in the Church with special prayers on or near the fortieth day.
The churching of the mother is her re-entry into the Church after her participation with God in the holy act of birth. If she is Orthodox, she is also blessed to enter once more into communion with the mystery of Christ’s Body and Blood in the Divine Liturgy.
Baptism is the act of dying to an old way of life and being born again into a new way of life. It is the sacrament used to wash away our “original sin” and is a sign of repentance in preparation for the Kingdom of God. Christ himself was baptised by John the Baptist, not because he was sinful and needed to repent, but because in allowing Himself to be baptised he showed that indeed he was God’s “Beloved Son”, “the Saviour and Messiah”, the “Lamb of God who takes upon himself the sins of the world” (See Mt 3, Mk 1, Lk 3, Jn 1-3). Baptism is our “new birth by water and the Holy Spirit” into the Kingdom of God (Jn 3:5).
Baptism begins with the rejection of Satan and the acceptance of Christ during the Catechumen service which is read from the Narthex. Before being baptised, a person – or his/her godparent – officially proclaims the symbol of Christian faith, known as the Creed.
The godparent is also known as the sponsor since he/she speaks on behalf of the child. Only one godparent is permitted, and he/she must be an Orthodox Christian over the age of 12.
The person to be baptised is prayed over and blessed with sanctified oil as a sign of his/her reconciliation with God. He/she is fully immersed into the water three times signifying their death to this world, and their birth into eternal life through Christ’s Resurrection. Immediately after their baptism, they receive the Sacrament of Chrismation (see below).
After chrismation, the person newly-received into God’s family is tonsured. The tonsure, which is the cutting of hair from the head in the sign of the cross, is the sign that the person completely offers him/herself to God – hair being the symbol of strength (Jud 16:17).
Following the tonsure, he/she is clothed with the “garments of salvation” symbolised by the white baptismal robe or singlet. The newly-baptised is led in procession around the baptismal font three times as the symbol of his/her procession into the Kingdom of God and entrance into eternal life: “As many of you have been baptised into Christ, Christ have you put on. Alleluia” (Gal 3:27).
Please email completed forms to Father Romanos: father@gocstanna.org
