We have already baptised 171 people since 1992 at St. John Chrysostom church. However, many Melkites have already celebrated the baptism of their children in their home countries in the Middle East. Our parish records show that 78 children were baptised in the Middle East, and most of them were baptised in the Lebanon. Baptism of children does not require too much preparation, (less than ten hours). On the other hand, the baptism of adults is a different matter for it takes more than one year of preparation, and sometime 3 years. The adult candidate should attend the whole liturgical cycle, and he must attend a regular course of Christian education for at least 6 months. We have already baptised 11 adults.
FIRST PART: THE RECEPTION OF A CATECHUMEN
Usually this service takes place in the Narthex of the Church. If there are many candidates to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, all the prayers are said in the plural, except those of the Anointing with Holy Oil, the Baptism itself, and the Anointing with Holy Chrism, which are said in the singular.
Priest: Blessed is our God, at all times, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
The priest faces the child to the East, and breathes upon him or her three times, each time making the sign of the Cross on the forehead and chest of the child. Then, placing his right hand on the head of the child, the priest says:
Priest: In your name O Lord, God of truth, and in the name of your only-begotten Son, and of your Holy Spirit, I lay my hand upon this your servant (handmaid), (Name), who has been found worthy to take refuge in your holy name and to be protected under the shelter of your wings. Remove from him (her) the former delusion and fill him (her) with faith in you, with hope in you, and with love for you, so that he (she) may know that you are the only true God, together with your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and your Holy Spirit. Enable him (her) to carry out all your commandments and to observe all your precepts, for, if a man does these things, he will find life in them. Inscribe him (her) in your book of life and unite him (her) to the flock of your inheritance, so that your holy name and that of your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and of your life-giving Spirit be glorified in him (her). May your eyes always look mercifully upon him (her), and may your ears always be attentive to the sound of his (her) supplication. Let him (her) rejoice in the works of his (her) hands and in all his (her) generation, so that he (she) may give thanks to you by worshipping and glorifying your great and exalted name, and may he (she) always praise you all the days of his (her) life. For all the powers of heaven praise you, and yours is the glory of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
PRAYER
Priest: Let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
O perfect Being, O Lord and Master, who made man in your image and likeness, and who gave him the power of attaining eternal life; who did not abandon him when he had fallen into sin, but rather provided salvation for the world through the incarnation of your Christ: Now, also, deliver this your creature from the bondage of the enemy and receive him (her) into your heavenly kingdom. Open the eyes of his (her) understanding so that the light of your Gospel may shine brightly on him (her). Join to him (her) during his (her) lifetime a radiant angel, who will rescue him (her) from every snare of the enemy, from evil encounters, from the demon of impurity, and from all wicked illusions.
The priest breathes three times over the child, each time making the sign of the cross on the forehead, mouth and chest, saying:
DRIVE OUT FROM HIM (HER) EVERY EVIL AND UNCLEAN SPIRIT WHICH MAY BE HIDING AND LURKING IN HIS (HER) HEART.
The spirit of deceit, the spirit of wickedness, the spirit of idolatry, and of all covetousness which is brought about by the prompting of the devil. Make him (her) a reasonable sheep of the holy flock of your Christ, a worthy member of your Church, a vessel of holiness, a child of light, and an heir to your kingdom; so that as he (she) lives according to your commandments and preserves the seal intact and his (her) garment undefiled, he (she) may attain the blessedness of the saints in your kingdom.
Through the grace and mercies and love for mankind of your only-begotten Son, with whom you are blessed, together with your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
BAPTISMAL VOWS
The sponsors with the child, or the one to be baptized if he (she) is an adult, turn and face the West. Then the priest asks the following questions to which the sponsors will respond.
Priest: (Name), do you renounce Satan, all his works, all his angels, all his services and all his pride?
Response: Yes, I do renounce Satan, all his works, all his angels, all his services and all his pride.
Priest: Have you renounced Satan?
Response: Yes, I have renounced Satan.
The sponsors with the child now turn about to the East and the priest continues:
Priest: Do you unite yourself to Christ?
Response: Yes, I do unite myself to Christ.
Priest: Have you united yourself to Christ?
Response: Yes, I have united myself to Christ.
Priest: Do you believe in Christ?
Response: Yes, I believe in Christ as King and God.
Now the sponsors, or the one to be baptized if he (she) be an adult, recite the Profession of Faith.
I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages: Light of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man; who was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried; who rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and is enthroned at the right hand of the Father; who will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; and of whose kingdom there shall be no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke through the prophets. In one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I profess one baptism for the remission of sins. I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.
The priest again asks the following questions, to which the sponsors respond:
Priest: Have you united yourself to Christ?
Response: Yes, I have united myself to Christ.
Priest: Then worship Christ.
The candidate or the sponsors bow their heads and say:
Response: I worship the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the consubstantial and undivided Trinity.
Priest: Blessed is God who desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, at all times, now and always and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
PRAYER
Priest: Let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Priest: O Master, Lord our God, call upon this your servant (handmaid), (Name), to your holy illumination, and make him (her) worthy of the great grace of holy baptism. Strip him (her) of his (her) old self and renew him (her) to eternal life; in the unity of your Christ fill him (her) with the power of your Holy Spirit so that he (she) may no longer be a child of the flesh, but rather a child of your kingdom.
Through the good will and grace of your only begotten Son, with whom you are blessed, together with your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
SECOND PART
THE SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT OF HOLY BAPTISM
Here the priest wears a set of white vestments, unless he has already done so at the beginning of the reception into the Catechumenate. The priest then proceeds to incense around the Baptismal Font. All the while the people hold lighted candles. The deacon says:
Deacon: Give the blessing, Father.
Priest: Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and always and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Deacon: In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: For peace from on high and the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: For peace in the whole world, the well-being of the holy churches of God and the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: For this holy place and for those who enter it with faith, reverence and fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: For our (Arch)bishop (Name), the reverend priests, the deacons in Christ, and for all the clergy and the people, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That this water may be sanctified by the power, action and descent of the Holy Spirit, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That the grace of redemption and the blessing of the
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That the purifying action of the super substantial Trinity may descend upon this water, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That we may be illumined with the light of understanding and piety through the descent of the Holy Spirit, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That this water may prove effective to avert every plot of our visible and invisible enemies, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: For he (she) who now approaches holy illumination, and for his (her) salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That he (she) may be declared a child of light, and an heir to the eternal blessings, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That he (she) may become a member and partaker of the death and resurrection of Christ our God, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That until the awesome day of Christ our God, he (she) may preserve pure and undefiled his (her) baptismal garment, and the pledge of the Holy Spirit, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That this water may be for him (her) a bath of regeneration, a remission of sins, and a garment of incorruption, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That the Lord God may hear the voice of our supplication, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: That the Lord may deliver him (her) and us from all affliction, wrath, danger and need, let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Help us, save us, have mercy on us, and protect us, O God, by your grace.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Deacon: Let us remember our all-holy, spotless, most highly blessed and glorious Lady, the Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary, with all the saints, and commend ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ God.
Choir: To You, O Lord.
Priest: Great are You, O Lord, and marvellous are your works, and no word is sufficient to praise your marvels (X3).
For You, O God, are eternal, beyond description, and beyond understanding. You have come down to earth and have taken the form of a servant, and you were made in the likeness of man. Because of your compassionate mercy, O Master, You were unable to endure and to behold the race of mankind under the tyranny of the devil. Consequently, You have come to save us. We acknowledge your grace. We proclaim your mercy, and we do not conceal your gracious acts. You have set mankind free; by your birth You have sanctified the Virgin’s womb; and since your manifestation all creation praises You. For You, O our God, have appeared on earth and have dwelt among men. You sanctified the waters of the
THEREFORE, O KING AND LOVER OF MANKIND, ALSO BE PRESENT NOW THROUGH THE DESCENT OF YOUR HOLY SPIRIT AND SANCTIFY THIS WATER (X3).
And give to it the grace of redemption and the blessing of the
The priest makes the sign of the cross on the water three times, each time breathing upon it and saying:
O Lord, manifest yourself in this water, and grant that he (she) who is baptized in it may be transformed, so as to put off the old man who is corrupt through the lusts of the flesh and to put on the new man, who was made in the likeness of yourself, his Creator: that being planted in the likeness of the death of your only-begotten Son through baptism, he (she) may also become a partaker of His resurrection, and having preserved the gift of the Holy Spirit, and having increased his (her) portion of grace, he (she) may receive the prize of his (her) calling, and be numbered among the first-born whose names are written in heaven by You, Our Lord and God Jesus Christ.
For glory, power, honour and worship are your due, and also to your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Priest: Peace to all!
Choir: And to your spirit!
Deacon: Bow your heads to the Lord.
Choir: To you, O Lord.
The Deacon brings the vessel of oil and the priest breathes upon it three times and each time makes the sign of the cross on it.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Priest: O Lord and Master, God of our Fathers, who sent a dove to those who were in Noah’s Ark, and bearing in its mouth a twig of an olive tree as the sign of reconciliation and deliverance from the flood, and thereby prefigured the mystery of grace, and provided the fruit of the olive tree for the fulfilment of your holy mysteries; who by means of olive oil filled those who were under the law with the Holy Spirit, and who made perfect those who are under your grace: Bless, also, this oil through the power, action, and descent of your Holy Spirit, so that it may become an unction of incorruptibility, a weapon of justice, a renewal of soul and body, a defence against all actions of the devil, and a deliverance from all evil for those who with faith are anointed or partake of it.
To your glory, and to the glory of your only-begotten Son, and to that of your all-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
Deacon: Let us be attentive!
The priest pours oil into the water in the form of a cross while he and people chant:
Priest: Blessed is God who enlightens and sanctifies every man and women who comes into the world, at all times, now and always and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
THE ANOINTING
The child is now undressed and the priest then proceeds to anoint the one to be baptized. The priest dips his thumb into the Oil of Catechumens and makes the sign of the cross upon the child as follows:
Forehead: The servant (handmaid) of God, (Name), is anointed with the oil of gladness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Choir: Amen.
Chest & Back: For the healing of soul and body.
Ears: For the hearing of faith.
Feet: That he (she) make walk in the way of your commandments, O Lord.
Hands: Your hands made me and fashioned me. Explain your commandments for me to learn.
The priest, facing the East, brings the candidate over the baptismal font and immerses him (her) three times in the water (if a child), saying:
THE SERVANT (HANDMAID) OF GOD, (NAME), IS BAPTIZED IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN.
The priest then takes the garments of the newly baptized and blesses hem with the sign of the cross, saying:
Priest: The servant (handmaid) of God, (Name), is clothed with the garment of righteousness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Choir: Amen.
Then the priest and the people will chant the following hymn in the 7th Tone.
Give to me a robe of light, You who clothe Yourself with light as with a garment, O most merciful Christ our God.
THIRD PART
THE SERVICE OF THE SACRAMENT OF CHRISMATION
The priest says the following prayer while he rests his hand on the head of the one to be chrismated. If there are many, he raises his hand above the heads of the candidates.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord have mercy.
Priest: Blessed are You, O Lord God Almighty, Source of all good things and Sun of Justice, who, through the manifestation of your only-begotten Son, our God, made the light of salvation shine upon those who were in the darkness; and who granted to us, unworthy as we are, a blessed cleansing in holy water, and also divine sanctification through life-giving unction. Blessed are You, who now again have been pleased to cause the rebirth of your servant (handmaid) newly enlightened through water and the Spirit, and have granted to him (her) the remission of sins both voluntary and involuntary. Therefore, O Master and most merciful King of all, grant to him (her) the seal of the gift of your holy, almighty, and adorable Spirit, and the communion of the holy body and precious blood of your Christ. Keep him (her) in your holiness; strengthen him (her) in the true faith. Deliver him (her) from the evil one and from all his cunning, and through a salutary fear of you, preserve his (her) soul in purity and in righteousness, so that he (she) may please you in every word and deed, and thus may become a child and heir to your heavenly kingdom.
For you are our God, the God of mercy and salvation, and we give glory to You. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
The priest then anoints the candidate with the Holy Chrism, making with it the sign of the cross on the forehead, the eyes, the nostrils, the mouth, the ears, the chest, the hands, and the feet, saying each time:
Priest: The seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The priest then wipes with cotton or a purificator those places anointed. Now the child is fully dressed with his (her) baptismal garments.
The priest, with the sponsors, the child and the people present, who are carrying lighted candles, make a procession around the Font and then proceed into the church, singing the following hymn, as sung during the Liturgy before the Epistle:
All: All of you who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia. (X3).
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever. Amen.
Have put on Christ. Alleluia.
All of you who have been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia.
Deacon: Let us be attentive!
Reader: The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the fortress of my life, of whom should I be afraid?
Deacon: Wisdom!
Reader: A reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans.
Deacon: Let us be attentive!
Reader: Brethren, you have been taught that when we were baptized in Christ Jesus we were baptized in his death; in other words, when we were baptized we went into the tomb with him and joined him in death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the Father’s glory, we too might live a new life. If in union with Christ we have imitated his death, we shall also imitate him in his resurrection. We must realize that our former selves have been crucified with him to destroy this sinful body and to free us from the slavery to sin. When a man dies, of course, he has finished with sin. But we believe that having died with Christ we shall return to life with him: Christ, as we know, having been raised from the dead will never die again. Death has no power over him any more. When he died, he died, once and for all, to sin, so his life now is life with God; and in that way, you too must consider yourselves to be dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.
Priest: Peace to you, O reader!
Choir: Alleluia (X3).
The Alleluia is repeated after each of the following verses:
- My heart is stirred by a noble theme; I address my poem to the king.
- Of all men you are the most handsome, your lips are moist with grace, for God has blessed you forever.
Deacon: Wisdom. Let us stand and listen to the holy Gospel.
Priest: Peace be to all.
Choir: And to your spirit.
Priest: A reading from the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the Evangelist.
Choir: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You!
Deacon: Let us be attentive.
Priest: At that time, the eleven disciples set out for
Choir: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You!
After the Gospel it became customary to omit the usual Ektene and to say the Prayer of Ablution.
FOURTH PART
SACRAMENTAL WASHING
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
Choir: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: He (she) who has clothed himself (herself) with You, O Christ our God, also bows his (her) head with us to You. Always keep him (her) an invincible fighter in every attack of those who assail him (her) and us; and make us all winners, even to the end, through your incorruptible crown.
For it belongs to You to have mercy on us, and to save us, and we give glory to You, together with your eternal Father, and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and forever and ever.
Choir: Amen.
The priest now washes the face of the recipient with a towel and clean water, saying:
Priest: (Name), you have been baptized, enlightened, confirmed, sanctified and cleansed, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Choir: Amen.
THE DISMISSAL
Priest: Glory to You, O Christ God, our hope, Glory to You!
May Christ our true God who accepted to be baptized by John in the Jordan for our salvation, have mercy upon us and save us through the prayers of His all-pure Mother, of His holy and glorious Apostles who are worthy of all praise, of Saint (Name), patron of the newly baptized, and of all the Saints, for He is good and loves mankind.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.
Choir: Amen.
