What do I need to bring with me?
Who can act as godparent?
Can I be baptised again?
Is the baptism conducted in Greek or English?
Is there parking?
What do I need to bring with me?
At
the baptism, you should bring with you:
- A cross to be worn around the neck of the newly baptised;
- New clothes (ideally white) to be worn after baptism — an adult will often wear a white robe or dress;
- A large towel for the person being baptised, and a small hand towel for the priest;
- A myropáni, a large sheet roughly the same size as the towel;
- A bottle of olive oil;
- A white candle (lampáda).
- The child’s birth certificate and, ideally, the godparent’s certificate of baptism.
- Christening shops will often sell ready-made sets containing the above items.
Who can act as godparent?
- As the name suggests, the godparent’s role is to help in the spiritual upbringing of a child. It is essential, then, that the would-be godparents are active and faithful members of the Orthodox Church who are conscious of the spiritual responsibilities that come with this important role. They can be members of any canonical parish or jurisdiction.
Can I be baptised again?
- In the Nicene Creed, we ‘confess one baptism for the remission of sins’. We confess one baptism (as opposed to ‘any baptism’) because there is one God, one Lord, one faith, and one Church, but also one baptism (as opposed to ‘many baptisms’) because baptism can only happen once. It would be a blasphemy to knowingly re-baptise anyone who has already received a valid Orthodox baptism.
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Is the baptism conducted in Greek or English?
- Baptisms can be conducted entirely in English, entirely in Greek, or in half-and-half depending on the wishes of the family.
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Is there parking?
- Baptisms can be conducted entirely in English, entirely in Greek, or in half-and-half depending on the wishes of the family.
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