What you need to know about child baptism. Why are godparents needed?

You have been invited to be godparents. This is a great honor and a great responsibility. What are the responsibilities of the godfather and godmother, what should they do during and after baptism?

Baby baptism. Photo from the site https://dveri.bg/uap64

Main responsibilities of godparents

During the sacrament of baptism, the godparents have the responsibility to vouch for the faith of the baby and subsequently raise him in the Orthodox faith. The child himself does not know anything yet and cannot profess faith, so godparents bring baptismal vows for him. If your faith is not strong enough, you should think seriously before agreeing to take on the responsibilities of a godfather. After all, in the future you will have to answer to God not only for yourself, but also for your godson.

Godparents pray for their godson all their lives. While the child is small, they teach him the Orthodox faith, try to get him to visit church more often, take communion, explain the meaning of the service, talk about saints, icons, and Orthodox holidays. When a child becomes a teenager, it is the godparents who must take special care of his moral condition. This explains the choice of godparents - a boy certainly needs a godfather, and a girl needs a godmother; the presence of a second godfather is not mandatory. With a godfather of the same sex, it is easier for a teenager to discuss some personal issues, problems that he may not dare to talk about with his parents.

What godparents must do before the sacrament of baptism

The future godparents, together with the baby's parents, agree on the place and time of baptism. Before the sacrament, you will need to undergo a public conversation, or “interview,” in the church where the baptism will take place. There may be several such conversations. They lay out the basics of the Orthodox faith, which every Christian needs to know.

Who exactly will buy a baptismal set, a pectoral cross and an icon does not make a fundamental difference. If godparents want to give a gift to their godson, they can bear part of the costs themselves.

Some wealthy people order a measured icon - this is an icon painted to order, on a board that corresponds to the height of the baby at birth. It depicts a saint whose name is given to the child.

More often they buy an icon in a church shop: for a boy - the Savior, for a girl - the Mother of God. You can choose any icon based on your desires, tastes and means. But it should be borne in mind that this icon will be with the godson all his life. In the old days, it was customary to bless a grown child for marriage with this icon. When entering family life, the bride and groom each brought their own icon with them, and they formed the so-called “wedding pair” of icons. Based on this, it is better to buy not the smallest icon (on which you can barely see the image), but a slightly larger one (usually chosen approximately the size of a book) and in a frame. But, I repeat, there are no hard and fast rules here, and if you are very limited in funds, an expensive icon is not at all an end in itself.

When choosing a cross for a child, you should not buy the tiniest one. It seems very suitable for such a baby, but the baby will grow up, and a tiny cross, especially on a man, will look completely different. It is better to buy a medium-sized cross.

A baptismal set, as a rule, can be bought at a church shop at a temple. It includes a diaper with an embroidered cross, a shirt and a scarf for a girl.

The sacrament of baptism. Photo from the website of photographer Nadezhda Smirnova http://www.fotosmirnova.com/kreschenie

Responsibilities of godparents during baptism

Godparents must know by heart Symbol of faith, which contains all the main truths of Orthodoxy. It will need to be read during the sacrament of baptism:

I believe in one God the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, born, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to Whom all things were. For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. She was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And again the coming one will be judged with glory by the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets. Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.

During the sacrament, the godparents hold the baby in their arms (if the child is worried and crying, it is allowed to be held by the mother, there is no violation). The most important moment is when the godfather receives the godson from the font from the hands of the priest. Therefore, godparents are otherwise called godparents. The godfather must receive the boy from the font, and the godmother must accept the girl.

Who are godparents? The Holy Father will tell you who can and should not baptize your child.

At Baptism, a child becomes a Christian, a member of the Church, receives God's grace, and must remain with it all his life. He also receives godparents for life. Father Orest Demko knows what you need to know about godparents and take into account at every stage of life.

Who are godparents? What are they for in spiritual and everyday life?

And although this is a one-time event, it is a unique event, and godfatherhood is not a one-day event. Just as Baptism remains an indelible seal for a person, so, one might say, godfatherhood is not a worn-out sign for life.

What is godfatherhood?

Among Christians, one often hears the request: “Pray for me.” So godparents are those who always pray for the child, who will constantly keep him in their spiritual care before God. A child should always know that there is someone who supports him spiritually.

Thus, godparents can sometimes be quite far from their godchildren and see them infrequently. But their role is not to see each other periodically with a specific frequency; these are not gifts at least once a year. Their role is daily.

Sometimes the child’s parents may complain that godparents are not fulfilling their duties if they do not visit often enough. But, parents, take a closer look at your godfathers: perhaps they are praying to God every day for your child!

Relationships between godfathers

But what to do if relations between godfathers go wrong?

Even if godmothers have not visited a child for 3 or 5 years, parents should not be prohibited from doing so in the future. Or maybe it is for the child that understanding or reconciliation will come.

The only reason to protect a child from godparents is the objectively unworthy behavior of godfathers, an incorrect way of life.

How to choose godfathers so as not to regret it later?

Usually godparents have less time for such preparations than natural parents. Their preparation will be to comprehend this change in their lives, to understand their responsibilities. Because this event is not just another living room and not even just a show of respect for them on the part of the baby’s parents.

Of course, the Church advises to begin confession before this event. Even if this confession does not become an instant conversion or noticeable sanctification for the godparents, a pure heart is the first gift from the godparents to the child. This is the very proof of their true openness.

What should godparents provide in the process of preparing for the Baptism of a child?

Cross. It’s hardly worth buying a gold one; your child won’t wear one like that in the first place. And, perhaps, until a fairly conscious age.

What if godparents don’t know the “I Believe” prayer by heart?

But priests understand that godparents may not be too confident in knowing the prayer by heart. Firstly, this is prayer, and prayer books exist precisely so that one can read prayer from them. Secondly, godparents may be worried, confused or focused, for example, on the child himself, especially if he is crying. Therefore, the priest and clerk always recite this prayer quite loudly.

Is it possible to refuse when invited to be godparents?

The reasons for refusal may be different: those invited feel that their friendship with the child’s parents is not completely sincere and deep; or they already have a sufficient number of godchildren. If the relationship with parents is imperfect, this may cause misunderstandings in the future. Therefore, invitees should be given time to think.

Approach wisely when choosing godparents for your child - and she will be good mentors and friends for the subsequent stages of her spiritual life: getting used to going to church, first Confession in life, communion.

", published by the Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, provides in an accessible form the initial knowledge necessary for those who are preparing for the Sacrament of Baptism or are just beginning to live an Orthodox life. The book presents the main provisions of our faith, talks about the Sacraments, the commandments of God and prayer.

When I have to baptize an adult, most often I perform the sacrament of Baptism without godparents. Because godparents, or godparents, are necessarily needed only for children. When an adult is baptized, he himself can say that he believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior and wants to accept Holy Baptism in order to save his soul. He himself can answer the priest’s questions and promise fidelity to Christ. Of course, it is good when next to the adult person being baptized there is an Orthodox church person who can become his successor and help him take his first steps in church and teach him the basics of faith. But I repeat, for an adult it is not necessary to have godparents.

Why are receivers needed at all? Godparents are those people who, due to the minority of their godchildren, make vows of Holy Baptism for them, a promise of fidelity to God. For their spiritual children, they renounce Satan, unite with Christ and confess their faith, reading the Creed for them. We baptize most people in infancy, that is, at an age when the child does not yet have conscious faith and cannot answer how he believes. His godparents do this for him. We baptize children according to the faith of their recipients and according to the faith of their parents as the closest people. Therefore, both bear a huge responsibility. Godparents are not just family friends, they are not some kind of “wedding generals” standing at the sacrament with an “Honorary Witness” ribbon, as happens at weddings. No, godparents are very responsible persons; they become guarantors before God for the souls of their godchildren. At the moment of baptism, together with their parents, in front of the Cross and the Gospel lying on a lectern, they make a promise to God Himself. What promise? That they will make every effort so that the newly baptized baby grows up to be a believer, an Orthodox person. Their duty now is to pray for their spiritual children, teach them prayers, instruct them in the Orthodox faith and take them to church to receive communion, and then, after seven years, to confess. So that when their godson reaches adulthood, he already knows how to pray to God, knows what we believe in and why we go to church. Of course, the greatest responsibility for the Christian upbringing of children lies with the parents, but godparents can also greatly influence their godchildren and become their spiritual teachers and mentors.

Many parents approach the Baptism of their children quite formally and choose godparents in the same formal manner.

Now a little about the sad things. Most modern godparents are very poorly prepared. Unfortunately, many parents approach the sacrament of Baptism of their children completely formally and choose godparents in the same formal manner. After all, a godfather should not just be a good person, with whom we enjoy communicating, our friend or relative - he should be an Orthodox person, a churchgoer and someone who knows his faith. How can we teach someone the basics of faith if we ourselves don’t even know the basics, haven’t read the Gospel, don’t know prayers? Indeed, in any field, if a person knows something well, for example, knows how to drive a car, work on a computer, solve mathematical problems, do repairs, he can teach this to others, pass on his knowledge. And if he himself knows nothing in this area, who can he teach?

If you are godparents and feel a lack of knowledge in the spiritual field (and none of us can say that he has fully studied the Orthodox faith, for it is an inexhaustible reservoir of spiritual wisdom), it is necessary to fill this gap. You need to educate yourself. Believe me, there is nothing complicated about this, especially now, when no one forbids us to read any spiritual literature and when books, brochures, and CDs telling about the Orthodox faith are sold in all churches and bookstores. The Lord reveals himself to everyone who turns to Him, at any age. My grandfather received Baptism at the age of 70 and then mastered the basics of the Orthodox faith so well that he could even teach and mentor others.

You need to start spiritual education with the very beginning, basic books, such as “The Law of God”, “First Steps in an Orthodox Church” and others. You definitely need to read the Gospel; you can start with the “Gospel of Mark”, it is the shortest, only 16 chapters, and was written specifically for new pagan Christians.

The godfather must live according to the commandments of God, pray to God and receive communion

The recipient must know the Creed and read it at baptism; this prayer book briefly outlines the Orthodox faith, and the godfather must know what he believes. And of course, the godfather must live according to God’s commandments, pray to God and receive communion. According to church canons, a child is entitled to one godfather, of the same gender as the person being baptized, but our Russian tradition presupposes two godparents - a man and a woman. They must not be married to each other. Godparents then cannot marry or marry their godchildren. The child's father and mother cannot be his godparents, but other relatives: grandparents, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters may well become godparents. Recipients, preparing for the sacrament of Baptism, must confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.

Hello dear guest of the blog “THE WORLD AROUND”!
Let's talk about godparents. Since I’m like a fish out of water in this spiritual area and often come across how godparents are chosen for their children, I’ll just write about the responsibilities of godparents.
Well, I’ll start with the main thing, why do a child need godparents? And in general, why are children baptized?
Baptism is a sacrament, a promise of a good conscience before God. At baptism, the soul is cleansed of original sin and prepared for communion with the church.
For the sacrament, godparents are needed - if a girl is baptized, then her godmother receives her from the font, and if a boy is baptized, then the godfather.

And in general, according to church regulations, only one godfather is enough. The boy has a godfather, and the girl a godmother. Well, if they also want a couple of godparents, then this is not prohibited. In Moldova and western Ukraine, they even choose three pairs of godparents for a child.
Well, now what are godparents for?
A godparent is a parent in spiritual education. He is responsible for spiritual maturation in the church. That is, godparents teach the child from the very beginning how to make the sign of the cross, what church, communion, and confession are. In a word, what is the Orthodox faith, the study of the commandments and why go to church!

Here is your answer to why godparents are needed.
Now let's see in reality. Why do they choose godparents for children, and by what criteria? Firstly, to have a wide cough, so that he can give worthy gifts. And it’s also important to be close, well, so that we can see each other more often. And when they met, he spoiled his godson.
Is not it? Exactly!
We have often encountered the fact that by choosing richer godparents, children are not raised at all. Over time, such godparents generally disappear from the godson’s life. The child was not taught church rules at all; such a child grows up as an unkempt “ornamental plant” If there are relatives in the family, such as a grandmother, then she brings him to the temple in infancy, without explaining anything to the baby. Well, when a child reaches adolescence, he doesn’t need a temple, he grows up from that age, and since the grandmother is no longer an authority, and she’s old and senile (sometimes), such children don’t even bother to go to the temple.
If you choose godparents, you need to ask yourself the questions: what do you expect from godparents, what responsibilities do you assign to them, and what is more important to you, a godfather with money or one who will give spiritual education to a child?
The responsibilities of godparents are, firstly, in teaching church communion, and in the background everything else, including financial assistance.
“... truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (GOSPEL OF JOHN: 3:5-6.)
Well, it seems like everyone else. If you have questions, write in your comments!

16.04.2018 1021 0

In some cases, it is impossible to do without godparents during baptisms performed in a church. But many people do not know why godparents are needed, or they make mistakes, which introduces misunderstandings into the baptism process.

What is baptism?

Baptism is one of the church sacraments, which marks a person’s arrival in the Church, his cleansing from sins, and his desire to unite with God. The peculiarity of this sacrament is that it is performed once in a lifetime; you cannot be baptized again. A person of any age from infant to old age is baptized in any church. Baptism occurs every day during the calendar year. The sacrament has a certain sequence, a baptized person receives the grace of the Holy Spirit in it, and after baptism can fully participate in church life.

The history of godparents

In the era of the emergence of Christianity, when as many people as possible sought to be baptized, the institution of godparents arose. Then they received a second name - receivers. They were entrusted with the responsibility not only to teach children (they were baptized in sufficient numbers) doctrinal truths, but also to become their teachers and educators if necessary. Accordingly, high demands were placed on their level of education and morality. Most often, they were not related by family ties to their godchildren; they had to reach a certain age and be free from monastic vows. This was the situation in the Roman Empire.

For people who wanted to be baptized in adulthood, an indispensable condition was the presence of a godparent, who guaranteed the seriousness of the intentions of the person being baptized, but the latter pronounced the vows independently, unlike children, for whom godparents did this. Then it was clear why a godfather was needed. It was needed for a boy. The answer to the question why a godmother is needed is also clear - the girl would not be baptized without her. Subsequently, the situation changed towards closer relations with blood relationships - the newly baptized person had to have godparents of both sexes.

This custom became widespread in Rus', where babies were most often baptized a few days after birth. The minimum age for godparents was fixed by the Synod and was 14 years old; there were also provisions according to which the godmother must be 13 years old, and the godfather must be 15 years old. The responsibilities of the godfather and mother were divided: the father was responsible for covering all financial expenses, and the mother had to prepare clothes for the godson/goddaughter.

Who needs godparents now?

These days, it is mandatory to have godparents for babies. There is no upper age limit; in church practice, godparents are usually needed for children under 14-15 years of age. In some cases, it is possible to have recipients up to the age of majority - 18 years. There is nothing wrong with the fact that godparents are people deeply immersed in church life and are ready to share their spiritual experience with their godson. The main thing is that this happens with the consent of both parties, and there is complete mutual understanding between them.

Sometimes they ask why godparents are needed when baptizing an adult. As a general rule, they are not needed, but sometimes people who are not recipients are present at baptism. Their task boils down to supporting a person entering Christian life and providing assistance in his first steps in the church. Priests note this as a positive trend.

Requirements for godparents

• - Orthodox religion - people of other faiths cannot be godparents. Atheists who deny God cannot become recipients.
• - Churching is a condition that, given the current rhythm of life, is often not possible to fulfill. Ideally, a person preparing to become a godfather should regularly attend church, participate in the sacraments, and know the basics of the Orthodox faith in order to pass them on to his godson.
• - High moral qualities, in order for this person to be able to teach a child good things, the vices of modern society - alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking - must be alien to him.
• - There is no consensus regarding the age of godparents. The average age is 14 years, but most often persons over 17 years of age are allowed to serve as godparents. There is no upper age limit.
• - Currently, when baptizing, it is mandatory to have at least one godparent of the same gender as the child being baptized. Sometimes a godfather and godmother are invited.

• - Blood parents cannot become godparents for their child. They are also not allowed to become foster children for one child. Future marriage between a godmother and father who met at a christening is not permitted.
• - Relatives of children - grandparents, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts - have the right to be godparents. Often parents choose their friends or good acquaintances as godparents.

Sometimes there are opinions about why a godmother is needed if she is unmarried or pregnant. This is speculation and superstition - they can be full-fledged godmothers. You can be a godparent as many times as you like; godparents can have many godchildren.

Responsibilities of godparents

The explanation of why godparents are needed follows from a consideration of their duties. The responsibilities of godparents are divided into those that they are required to perform before and during baptism, and those that they must perform in the future.

The first group includes the following responsibilities:

• - Before baptism, the godparents, and sometimes the child’s parents, must undergo public conversations at the church in which it is planned to baptize the child. Their form and duration are determined individually.

• - The recipients pronounce the required vows in place of the baptized baby, say prayers: the Creed and the Our Father. It is advisable that they know more about Orthodoxy than is necessary within the sacrament of baptism.
• - Godparents are not required to give gifts, but they can do so. A popular gift for babies is a small spoon, which will be the first spoon the baby will use to eat.

Understand why a child needs godparents after baptism , easy if you look at their responsibilities. They are divided into three groups:

• - Prayerful - they should try to pray for their godchildren and teach them at least basic prayers.
• - Doctrinal - to give the godchildren an idea of ​​the Orthodox faith.
• - Moral - to teach godchildren to behave according to their conscience and to be a worthy example for them.

Problems associated with godparents

There are several of them, some of them can be solved quite easily, since they are often far-fetched, while the other part requires serious thought.

• - The degree of closeness between the family of the baptized child and the godparents. Situations arise when people who are completely strangers to the family are called to be godparents. Often this is done by a priest who finds a parishioner (parishioner) of this temple and asks them to become godparents for the child, because the parents could not find suitable people. This will end well provided that the family gets to know the godfather/godmother, and he/she will actively participate in the life of the godson/godson.
• - Often, during baptism, the recipients know little about the Orthodox faith, so they have nothing to teach the baptized child. If they actively participate in church life and strive to learn new things, then the fulfillment of their duties can be considered successful.

• - Sometimes there is a desire to introduce a godson to Orthodoxy, but the godparents live too far from him, so they cannot take him to church. It is better from the very beginning to try to choose those people who live close to you as godparents.
• - Some parents become dissatisfied with the godfather or mother, perhaps without reason, and want to change them by baptizing the child. This procedure is unacceptable. It is desirable that there be a trusting relationship between the child’s blood and godparents. Also, some recipients want to abandon their responsibilities, but this cannot be done. Before baptism, it is necessary to carefully weigh everything and refuse the proposed mission - the baby’s parents should not be offended.
• - Another problem that often arises is when the relatives of the child who is to be baptized are against it. This could even be one of the parents; this situation is undesirable. Baptism, secret from one of the parents, will complicate life for everyone in the future; a consensus must be reached even before the sacrament is performed.

Baptism is the most important sacrament for an Orthodox person. If it occurs in childhood, then the child has godparents, who, along with his blood parents, become close people to him. In spiritual terms, their connection is even greater, so godparents are required to be determined to fulfill their duties with full dedication, which can be quite difficult in the modern world.

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