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Baptisms

Baptisms at St. Jonah

Infants and Children

  1. Parents: At least one of the parents of  the child to be baptized must be a practicing Orthodox Christian in good standing, who attends services on a regular basis, and intends to raise the child in the faith.
  2. God Parents: When anyone is baptized in the Orthodox Church, they must have at least one sponsor (a God parent) of the same sex of the child. They can also have a sponsor of the opposite sex — however, both sponsors must be Orthodox Christians. You should pick a sponsor for your child who is pious, and who could, if necessary, raise your child up in the Faith, if that became necessary due to the Orthodox parent(s) death or incapacity to do so.
  3. It is customary for the sponsor to provide the baptismal Cross for the child.
  4. You can bring specially decorated candles for the sponsor(s), but if not the parish will provide them.
  5. In preparation for the baptism, you will want to have some simple garment that is easily removed prior to the child being immersed in the baptismal font. Prior to that the priest will need to anoint the child with oil, and so the garment should be loose around the neck, and the child should not have on shoes or socks.
  6. If the child is an infant, the actual immersion will be done without any clothing, but you will need to have a diaper handy, to put on the child as soon as he is dried, and then a dry outfight that also does not fit tightly around the neck, and the child should remain barefooted. The parish has towels that can be used for drying the child.
  7. Older children should be dressed in shorts and a t-shirt prior to the immersion, and then have a dry change of clothes which is not buttoned up at the neck, and they should remain barefooted.
  8. The baptismal robe and the baptismal cross are put on the child by the priest.
  9. Speak with the priest about baptismal robes, even if you plan on making one yourself, so that we can be sure it will conform to the Orthodox Tradition.  Baptismal gowns for infants can be purchased at many department stores. Just make sure you get a white robe, and that the feet can be easily reached when it is time for them to be anointed.
  10. The date and time of the Baptism should be discussed with the priest as far in advance as possible.

As with any Sacrament, there is no charge for the service. If you would like to make a donation, you are welcome to do so as you may wish, but this is not required.

Adult Baptisms

  1. Adults are Baptized after first being made catechumens. The length of time that they are catechumens depends on how much they already know about the Orthodox Faith, and the decision regarding when they will be baptized is only made with the Priest, and is only when both persons are sure that the person to be baptized is ready to proceed.
  2. God Parents: The person who is to be baptized must have at least one sponsor (a God parent) of the same sex. They can also have a sponsor of the opposite sex — however, both sponsors must be Orthodox Christians. This should be discussed with the Priest.
  3. It is customary for the sponsor to provide the baptismal Cross, but if the person already has a Cross that they wish to use, that is acceptable.
  4. Prior to the Baptism, a life confession is made. This should be discussed with the priest ahead of time.
  5. You can bring specially decorated candles for the sponsor(s) and the person who will be baptized (one for each), but if not the parish will provide them.
  6. The person to be baptized should be dressed in shorts and a t-shirt prior to the immersion, should be barefooted, and have a dry change of clothes which is not buttoned up at the neck, and they should remain barefooted. The parish has bath towels for drying.
  7. The baptismal robe and the baptismal cross are put on the person by the priest.
  8. Speak with the priest about baptismal robes, even if you plan on making one yourself, so that we can be sure it will conform to the Orthodox Tradition. 

As with any Sacrament, there is no charge for the service. If you would like to make a donation, you are welcome to do so as you may wish, but this is not required.