We expect that children who are Baptized will be reared as members of the Church, with Sponsors and parents seeing to it that the child is raised in a Christian home and is brought to services and to Communion regularly. For this reason, Baptisms are typically performed for persons who are members of St. Tikhon Orthodox parish, with Sponsors/Godparents who are known to be practicing, faithful Orthodox Christians.
The Rites of Initiation into the Church, since ancient times, are:
Water baptism (“in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” Mt 28.19)
Anointing with Chrism (“the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” Acts 19.6)
Holy Communion (“He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him” Jn 6.56)
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…" (Matthew 28:19).
With these words, the Lord sent his disciples as apostles into the world. They were the last words He spoke before His Ascension, and they define the entire life of the Church from that time. In them we see the centrality to the Christian life of the Sacrament of Baptism.
For all that it is central to our life in Christ, Baptism is perhaps the least understood of the Sacraments. We know that it is necessary, but few of our people could say that they truly understand what it means, and why it is the central rite of initiation in the Orthodox Christian Faith.
To understand this, we must return to Christ's baptism. For in His baptism at the hands of John in the Jordan, He prefigured His Death and Resurrection, and at the same time showed us what those great events meant. By immersing Himself in the water, He signifies the harmony, the union between Creator and Creation which He establishes by His presence in our midst, and which was completed in His death and descent into Hades. By rising again from the water, He prophecies His glorious Resurrection, by which He transforms our life, leading us and all creation from Hades into Paradise, from sorrow into rejoicing, from darkness into glory.
In our baptism, then, there is a reciprocity. As Christ joined Himself to our nature, we too now join ourselves to His nature. By our immersion beneath the water, we die to what we have been before; by our rising again from the water, the love and grace of God is granted to us, bringing transformation and newness of life; and by the invocation of the Holy Trinity as we are immersed and brought up again, we become partakers of the Divine Nature as we gain the title "Christian," or "Christ-like." In our baptism, we experience our own, personal Pascha, dying and rising again with Christ.
After the Baptism, we are Chrismated, receiving the "Seal of the Gift of the Holy Spirit," in our own personal Pentecost, following which we are tonsured, offering the first of our hair to the Lord, and are then clothed in the white garment of righteousness granted to those who are called by Christ's name and baptized into His life. And finally, we receive Holy Communion for the first time, becoming full communicants and participants in the life of the Church.
Under usual circumstances, at St Tikhon, a child is baptized between 40 days and 3 months. Age is not a barrier to baptism, however, and children may be baptized at a younger or older age. It is far easier, and much less traumatic, to baptize a child under six months of age than an older child! Adults are usually baptized after a program of instruction in the Orthodox faith. For a child to be baptized at St Tikhon both legal parents must give full and express consent to the baptism.
Most baptisms are done on Sudays, in the context of the liturgy, so that the rite of illumination is completed in the child receiving Holy Communion that day. A baptism may take place on the day before a special feast marked by a liturgy. The date must be confirmed by the Priest.
A sponsor of the same gender is required, and must be an Orthodox Christian in good standing and a regular communicant in an Orthodox parish. The sponsor is often referred to as a godparent. There may be two godparents, a godfather and a godmother. Before choosing a sponsor, parents ought to read the Baptismal service very carefully and understand that the sponsor will be making an explicit confession of his or her personal, Orthodox Christian faith before God and the Church. This is not something to take lightly. A non-Orthodox Christian may have an honorary role in the baptism, but this must be discussed with the priest performing the baptism before an invitation is issued.
The parents and sponsors should discuss how they will go about obtaining baptismal cross and white garment with which the child will be clothed immediately after the baptism. Often the sponsors provide these. In addition to the cross and white garment, a large white towel or two will be needed. A baptismal candle may be obtained at the back of the church.
The Orthodox Church views baptism as a Mystery or Sacrament of the Church. Non-Orthodox guests at a baptism should be reminded in advance that the Church is a sacred place. There should be no eating or drinking, gum chewing, or men wearing hats. We expect people to dress modestly. Please make sure that someone will be responsible for cleaning up afterwards.
FOUR WEEKS BEFORE BAPTISM
Schedule a date after talking with the priest. Submit the attached Record of Baptism and Chrismation form to the priest.
ONE WEEK BEFORE BAPTISM
Contact the priest to confirm everything. Sponsor should go to confession and communion close to the time of the baptism.
DAY OF BAPTISM
For an infant: While at home, dress the child in a comfortable, easy to remove garment. You will need: at least one large bath towel, a new white baptismal garment. A baptismal cross and icon of the child’s patron is often supplied by the sponsor or godparent.
For an adult: The priest will have advised you about the best way to dress for your baptism. In addition you will need an adult equivalent of the new white baptismal garment, two or more large towels, a baptismal cross.