At the baptism of a child, what should the godmother do? Godfather: duties at baptism and functions in Orthodoxy

Being a godmother means taking on a number of obligations not only during the sacrament of baptism, but throughout the life of your godson. Future for christening godmother must prepare in advance. How should a godmother prepare for the sacrament of baptism and what should she do during the ceremony?

Godmother - preparation for christening

Only a woman who is a Christian and has herself been baptized can become a godmother. If she didn't take holy baptism, then first of all it is necessary to baptize her, and only then the child.

Preparation for the sacrament of baptism:

A few days before the ceremony, she must confess, repent of her sins and receive communion.
Learn by heart the “Our Father” prayer and, if a girl is baptized, then the “Creed.” For the boy, the same prayer is read by the godfather.
2-3 days before the godmother ceremony, you should not use foul language, engage in gluttony or have sex. On the day of baptism, before the ceremony, it is forbidden to eat, you can only drink water.

Preparing things for the sacrament of Baptism

Blood parents practically do not take part during baptism, so the godmother needs to prepare in advance:

Buy pectoral cross ik (usually the godfather takes on this responsibility, but it doesn’t hurt to monitor this process). It can be made of ordinary, silver or gold metal. The main thing is that it depicts a crucifixion. The cross is a talisman, and the child must wear it without taking it off.
The preparation of the baptismal kit must be undertaken by godmother. This could be a regular cotton shirt with embroidery and openwork frills. The main thing is that she is smart.
Prepare a towel. It should be large, since the child will be wrapped in it after the bathing ceremony. According to custom, this towel is not used in the future; it is kept by the baptized person as a talisman.

Cross and buy baptismal set You can do it online or in the church shop, which is usually located on the church premises.

You also need to make sure that parents take with them:

a blanket to warm the baby after the bath;
a scarf or chain for a child;
a bag for the baptized person's cut hair (they are usually stored along with the baptismal towel).

How to dress for Godmother's Church?

Church is a place where bright and provocative clothing is not acceptable. The godmother should wear modest clothing with a skirt that reaches below the knees. A jacket or blouse that covers the neckline and back, with long sleeves. The head should be covered with a scarf or openwork scarf. Closed shoes should be worn with low or medium heels.

Makeup should be very modest and lips should not be painted; the priest will still force you to wipe off your lipstick, since during the ceremony you will need to kiss the cross. The nails are covered with discreet varnish. You should also avoid massive jewelry.

But the priest or mother himself will tell you what to do during the baptismal ceremony. Therefore, you should not worry about this, but simply repeat their requests.

In most churches, photography and video shooting are prohibited during ceremonies. Therefore, it is better to discuss this in advance with the people who are preparing the sacrament of Baptism.

Being a godmother means taking responsibility for the baby, playing a big role in his life. Before God, a mother is a spiritual mentor. Her responsibilities are very significant and numerous, and all of them relate to the spiritual development of the child and his involvement in the church.

The ritual of baptism is sacred. After the baby is immersed in the font, the clergyman hands him over to his godparents. And, handing over the baby, he at the same time places on them the responsibility to take care of the spiritual education of his godson.

During baptism, a spiritual relationship is established between the godson and godparents (they are called godparents). Not every woman is suitable for this role. The choice is presented certain requirements. The baby's natural mother cannot become godmother, and the same applies to the adoptive one. Moreover, godparents cannot be married to each other.

Nowadays, traditional baptismal duties have been somewhat distorted. But a godmother is a mother before God. It is important for her not only to completely take care of the child during christening, but to raise him, engage in spiritual development and involve him in the church after. And the most important thing is to take on the role of parents if something happens to them.

In order for the ceremony to take place according to traditions, the recipient must meet certain requirements:

There were often cases when joining the church occurred after participation in the ritual. The main thing when choosing a godmother is to give preference to a person who will feel responsible and will take both the sacrament of baptism and the subsequent spiritual education of the baby seriously.

Today, any baptized girl who is chosen among relatives or close friends can become a successor. As practice shows, the godmother is usually chosen by the mother.

What is a godmother supposed to do?

The responsibilities of the godmother are clearly defined, therefore, based on church statutes, she must:

pray for the spiritual development and health of the baby;
introduce the child to church, attend it together, and as he grows older, introduce him to Orthodox traditions, take you to the temple of God and be a real mentor;
providing support and assistance is mandatory;
be good example, that is, it must embody the ideal of an Orthodox believing woman, capable of directing her to perform pious deeds.

The duties of the godmother include explaining what the Bible is, reading it, and explaining the meaning of religious rites, holidays and traditions. Having your own children, younger sisters and brothers, as well as nephews should not become an obstacle to caring for your godson.

What is needed for christening

Christening is a significant event symbolizing the birth of a child. It is believed that performing it helps the child’s life to be sinless and pious.

The recipients take the baby in their arms immediately from the font, when he is clean, devoid of sinful thoughts and deeds, when original sin has been removed from him. After dipping, the baby is dressed in a ritual shirt (kryzhma) and a cross is put on his neck .

In the time of our ancestors, the purchase of a cross was carried out by the godfather, but the woman brought the kryzhma. Today, this tradition is somewhat broken, and sometimes all the important attributes are acquired by the parents themselves.

Since at present the christening cover in its true form is a rare find, its analogues can be a shirt, an openwork diaper or a towel, always new, which have not yet been washed.

What a child’s spiritual mentor should know

Preparation must be done in advance. At the same time, knowledge of the prayers that will be required at baptism is mandatory. In addition, you need to understand their meaning and the meaning of the sacrament itself. Although nowadays few people learn prayers by heart, and during the ceremony those present simply repeat the words after the clergyman or read from sight.

Note! Regardless of the fact that now for many this is just a formality, a woman who makes an effort to live according to the commandments should become a godmother.

It is important to know several prayers:

"Our Father";
"King of Heaven";
“Virgin Mother of God, rejoice.”

Reading the Creed is also very important. The prayers reflect the essence of the Orthodox Christian faith. Ideally, everyone present should know them. Although now this is very rare.

To better understand the need to know prayers, it is worth noting that the first “Our Father” is a direct appeal to the first one standing in Holy Trinity- To my father. Christians believe that people learned this prayer thanks to their Savior. “Our Father” is the personification of the desire for life, which is so pleasing to the Lord God, as well as hope in his favor and care for every mortal.

“To the King of Heaven” is an appeal to the Holy Spirit, who, during the sacrament, invisibly cleanses the baby’s soul from sins, gives him the strength to overcome any obstacles that may arise on the path to salvation, and the strength to bear his life’s cross.

“Hail to the Virgin Mary,” or “Ave Maria,” as it sounds in Latin, is a greeting Holy Virgin. With this prayer, the Archangel sent by God greeted the Virgin Mary. By reading “Rejoice to the Virgin Mary,” we show respect to her.

As for the Creed, these are the main dogmatic provisions of Orthodoxy that are needed for baptism. Since the baby is not yet able to pronounce the Symbol and answer to the celebrant, the recipients do this for him. Actually, this is what they should teach their godson in the future.

Nowadays, raising a child in the traditions of Orthodoxy is very hard work, which is simply impossible to do on your own. You need to pray to God to help and send strength, and also to understand and thank him.

Rules for godmother

To begin with, you need to come to church several times to talk with the catechist. This is followed by the purchase of everything necessary, since after dipping the baby must be wrapped in new, clean clothes. Before baptizing the baby, the woman chosen for this important role must confess and receive communion. In addition, there are a number of rules that are also required to be followed.

As already mentioned, she must be baptized. Moreover, the ceremony does not necessarily take place in infancy. In some cases, this may occur already at a more conscious age. The main thing is that the decision to come to faith is thoughtful and sincere.

Attention! Representatives of another faith cannot be recipients. During the sacrament, participants are required to wear their cross on their chest.

But as for the natural parents, they may profess a different faith or even be atheists, although such situations are extremely rare. The Church welcomes the choice of relatives as successors, since these ties are the strongest and break much less often when compared with friendly ones.

Useful video: everything about godparents: theory and practice

Responsibilities of a godmother during the baptism of a girl and a boy

When a girl undergoes the ceremony, the spiritual mother must be present, while as for the godfather, he can be present in absentia. The mother bears great responsibility for the girl and acts as a spiritual mentor for her.

Responsibilities of a godmother at baptism:

Some time before the sacrament, he reads a prayer for the child, as well as the Creed.
She must enter the church with her head covered with a scarf and wearing a long, modest dress.
After dipping the baby into the font, first of all he takes his goddaughter in his arms and puts it on her white clothes, symbolizing purity and innocence.
While walking around the font, following the priest, who reads prayers for the child, he holds the baby in his arms.

When a boy is initiated into the faith, a big role is given not to the godmother, but to the godfather. He is entrusted with the main responsibilities at baptism.

It is believed that for a boy, it is the man who will later be the spiritual mentor and answer to God for the actions of his godson. At this time, the godmother performs the same functions as for the girl, with the exception that after immersion in the font, the child is given into the arms of the godfather.

In addition, the priest carries the boy behind the altar, which is not done with girls.

Useful video: about godparents

Conclusion

Currently, few people follow the rules of baptism, although this ceremony is performed by the majority of Christians. And many people greatly simplify the duties of a godmother, reducing it only to participation in the sacrament. But those who honor church traditions will definitely choose a successor who is strong in faith and will be able to fulfill everything that is required of her.

Having decided to christen their daughter, they spent a long time deciding on a godmother, and eventually offered this role to me. There are no godchildren, I don’t know what to do, so I turned to the priest from the church where the baptism was going to take place for advice. In the article I will share new knowledge and acquired experience, tell you why children need godparents, who they are and why they may not exist during the baptism of adults, what happens during the sacrament and what are the responsibilities of the godmother and father.

As a rule, children are baptized in early age when they do not understand not only the importance but the essence of the process. The sacrament of Baptism presupposes the spiritual birth of a person, the cleansing of his soul from sins, a symbol of repentance and faith. Since the last two moments cannot be expected from children, godparents are appointed at Baptism, responsible for the Orthodox upbringing of a child, instilling in him moral and spiritual standards and teaching him the basics of faith.

Choosing the godfather and mother of a baby or toddler must be done with all responsibility, but we’ll talk about that another time.

Is it necessary for an adult to have a godfather and a godmother?

The same clergyman shared the established practice: most often the baptism of an adult occurs without the presence of godparents, because the godmother and godfather are mandatory only needed by children. Adults being baptized can independently answer the confessor whether they accept Jesus as Savior, whether they wish to be baptized, or whether they promise their allegiance to the Lord. Naturally, having a mentor next to a newly converted Orthodox makes the path to faith easier and clearer, helps to quickly get comfortable in the church and master the rules, but this is not necessary.

What should a godmother and godfather do?

Agreeing to the role of godparents, many sincerely believe that the matter is limited to a couple of birthday gifts and New Year. Visiting a child, paying attention to him and giving gifts, of course, is wonderful, but the range of responsibilities is much wider. And, since we are talking about gifts, it is better that they have orthodox meaning(Children's Bible, for example).

From the point of view of the Church, godparents are charged with the following responsibilities:

Prayer. Godparents should offer daily prayer for their godson or goddaughter, turning to the Lord with requests for health and well-being. As the child ages, it is necessary to teach prayers or address the Lord in one’s own words, and instill a desire to communicate with Him.
Teaching morality. Since children do not listen to words, but repeat actions, their own positive example one should instill in the godson or goddaughter love for all things, kindness, mercy, cultivating Christian virtues.
Teaching the basics of faith. The child must learn the basics of religion with the participation of his godparents. Not enough knowledge? Fill in the gaps. An important aspect is a visit Orthodox churches together with the child, communion.
Give time to your godson (goddaughter). Young parents don’t always have enough time, so it’s okay if you take on some of the worries yourself.

The Sacrament of Baptism: how it all happens

As someone who has experience in this matter, I’ll tell you what to expect so that what happens is not a surprise to you.

Getting ready for the ceremony

Today, baptism is carried out in churches, with the exception of sick children, who are baptized at home or even in hospitals.

First, choose the temple in which the child will be baptized. Walk around the churches, contact the priest or novices to find out about the features of the procedure in each and decide on the date. So, for example, baptism can take place in the temple itself or in the baptismal chamber - a separate special room at the temple. The ceremony can be magnificent and pompous, or it can be modest and quiet.

Appearance of godparents

When that very day comes, every detail is important, including the appearance of the future godparents.

Be sure to wear crosses consecrated by the church.
For those who are not too familiar with church traditions, I remind you that a woman should have a scarf or scarf on her head.
You should wear a dress that covers your shoulders or a skirt that is longer than the knee. This rule does not apply to babies.
You should not wear heels solely for practical reasons (the ritual lasts a long time, you will get tired).
Women's lips should not be made up.
Relatively appearance There are no clear rules for men, but you should understand where and why you are going, that is, shorts and a low-cut T-shirt will be inappropriate.

How it all happens

Before performing the ritual, the priest, walking around the room, says a prayer three times, after which he asks to turn his face to the west (considered the direction of the abode of the unclean).

When a girl or boy is baptized, the godparents are always close to the priest performing the ceremony. One of them is holding a child in his arms.

I have already talked about the questions that are asked three times to the person being baptized, but little children cannot answer them, and this burden falls on the shoulders of the godparents. After completing the question and answer portion, godparents should read the Creed, which briefly explains the basics of the faith.

The priest sanctifies the water and oil and anoints the person being baptized, as a symbol of acceptance into the ranks of Orthodox Christians. The baby or little girl receives a name and finds himself in the blessed water three times, from where his godparents receive him.

If the ceremony is performed in the cold season or temperature regime indoors does not allow the child to be completely exposed; prepare arms and legs for immersion.

Let's sum it up

The role of a child's godfather or mother is not fun, but a serious responsibility to the Lord, as you promise to bring your baby to Him. This is what matters most godparents: teach the basics of faith, instill love for God and teach to be a real person, decent and spiritually rich.

All Orthodox Christians strive to baptize their child. This is done, according to custom, 40 days after the baby is born. After the sacrament of baptism, the child has godparents. From this very moment, as many believe, the child is under the protection of the Almighty. Godparents have many responsibilities, and especially the mother. She is the one who takes on great responsibility. Therefore, the choice should be approached responsibly.

So, what is included in In our time, not everyone knows and follows them. Some disappear immediately after the baptism ceremony or several months later, not realizing their importance in the upbringing and life of the child. Some show up just to give gifts for the holidays. This is, of course, good. All children love to receive gifts, and this aspect very pleasant for them. However, pampering with surprises is not the main responsibility. In addition, the godmother must be close to her godson. It is necessary to constantly communicate with the child, take an interest in his life, support him in difficult situations, praise and rejoice in case of victories and achievements. If it so happens that life has scattered you far from each other - to different ends of the city or even the world, then try not to get lost. Today's technologies make it easy to contact a person from any corner of the world: telephone, mail, Internet - everything is at your disposal.

One of the main responsibilities of a godmother, of course, is responsibility for spiritual education. She should introduce the child to Christian morality, take him to church, talk about God, teach him to pray. When the godmother's faith is sincere, the child will definitely grow up with faith in his soul. In fact, this is more important than giving the baby various gifts.

As is commonly believed, the godmother is the second mother of the child. She must definitely arrange holiday walks for her godson. This is necessary to change the baby’s environment and for him to look at some things with different eyes. In addition, this aspect will allow parents to relax a little and miss their child.

Usually on godmother you can rely on in difficult times. If a child gets sick, she is the one who enjoys the greatest trust. After all, the responsibilities of the godmother also include caring for the child, especially on days when the baby is unwell.

Of course, the godmother must protect the child’s secrets entrusted to her, and under no circumstances disclose them to strangers. She should treat her godson with love and maternal warmth. Keeping the baby's innermost secrets is also the responsibility of the godmother. Don’t forget that a child’s psychology is like a thin thread, and once you lose trust, it is very difficult, sometimes even unrealistic, to restore it.

And in the end I would like to add that throughout the entire life of the baby - from the day of christening to adulthood - the godmother is given quite important role. The child must be sure that at any moment he can entrust his secrets to her, that in a difficult situation he can count on her help. Of course, these are the most important duties of a godmother.

The sacrament of Baptism is the second birth of a person to life, birth from water and the Spirit, which the Savior speaks of as necessary condition in order toinherit eternal life. If carnal birth is the coming of a person into the world, then Baptism is his entry and joining to the Church of Christ. And the newly baptized person is accepted into his spiritual birth by his godparents, who vouch before God for the faith of the new Orthodox Christian they have accepted.

It is more useful for the godfather and godmother to begin preparing for the Sacrament of Baptism long before the sacrament itself. First of all, this preparation consists of studying the Holy Scriptures, the fundamentals Orthodox faith and the main rules of Christian piety.

Formally, the godfather does not have to fast, confess and receive communion before the sacrament, however, if you are a believer and are connected to the Church not only by your own baptism, then most likely you adhere to these rules constantly, and it will not be difficult for you to confess and receive communion in advance.

After you have agreed to become a godfather, do not put off the immediate preparation for the sacrament. First of all, visit the temple in which it was decided to baptize the baby. The priest who will baptize the baby will conduct an interview with you before Baptism and tell you what you need to buy for the Sacrament. This is a baptismal set consisting of a baptismal cross and a baptismal shirt. In addition, you will need a sheet or towel to wrap and dry the baby after immersion in the font. Traditionally pectoral cross The godfather buys for the boy, and the godmother buys for the girl, who also brings a towel. But if only one godfather buys everything you need, it’s okay. In fact, this does not have any special meaning.

The priest, godparents and child are the main participants in the sacrament. The child’s natural parents only observe the sacrament and pray along with those invited.

The duties of the godfather at Baptism include holding the baby in his arms if a boy is baptized. The godmother is standing nearby at this time. If a girl is baptized, then everything happens the other way around. Before performing the sacrament, the priest in white vestments walks around the baptismal or temple, reading three prayers. After this, he asks the godfather and godson to face west and asks the person being baptized several questions. If the person being baptized is an infant, then the godfather answers these questions for him. In addition, during baptism, godparents read the Creed aloud instead of the baby and pronounce vows of renunciation of Satan on his behalf. Try to learn the Creed by heart. It is in any prayer book that you can purchase at any church store. The boy is taken from the font by the godfather, and the girl by the godmother. The second godparent helps dry the baby and put on his baptismal shirt.

The responsibilities of the godmother and godfather, among other things, include the question of what to give the godson for christening.

Responsibilities of a godfather after Baptism

The responsibilities of the godfather, which he assumes in the Sacrament of Baptism, are very serious, so you must clearly understand what is required of you in the future.

The godfather is obliged to give spiritual education to his godson, bring to the child’s attention the main canons of the Orthodox faith, teach the child to resort to the saving sacraments of Confession and Communion, help parents in raising and caring for the godson, and bear responsibility for the upbringing and life of the child in the event that something will happen to his parents. But, of course, the main responsibility of the godfather is prayer for the godson.

The responsibilities of godparents also include guarding the godson from various temptations and sinful temptations, which pose a particular danger in childhood and adolescence. The godfather, knowing the character, talents and desires of the godson, can help him with the choice of education, future profession and even a spouse.

Remember that the fate of your godson will largely depend on how well you fulfill your duties as a godfather, so a frivolous attitude towards them is simply unacceptable.

Now you understand why you should not thoughtlessly agree to an invitation to become a godfather, especially if you already have a godson. Think about whether you have enough strength, patience, wisdom and love to cope with such a serious responsibility as the spiritual education of your child.

The godfather must be aware of the responsibility for his duties

Unfortunately, basically the duties of a godfather now boil down to buying a pectoral cross for the future godson, paying for the sacrament, drinking to the godson’s happiness and saying goodbye to him until an unknown date, regularly marking his godfatherhood with toys or a bill in an envelope. However for Orthodox Church The duties of a godfather are not like that at all.

In the Sacrament, instead of the baby, you renounce the devil, his pride and his service, and express your complete readiness to marry Christ for the baby. Try to raise your child in such a way that you yourself will not be ashamed of your guarantee in the future.

Remember that there is no responsibility higher, more sacred or more terrible than those you assign to yourself by becoming a godfather. Of course, it is difficult to lead others through difficult life path, if you yourself constantly stumble, and this is necessary to do, because you yourself agreed, took on this and are now endlessly responsible for the one you vouched for.

You might think that such responsibilities and to my own father not able to fulfill. But that is precisely why the Church gave you to help him. You must help each other in the difficult task of raising a child. In addition, you, as a godfather, are obliged to monitor even the baby’s natural parents. Remember, there are so many families in which parents do not care at all about the spiritual and moral upbringing of the child. There are so many dads who don’t consider it their responsibility to raise a child. There are so many mothers who give their children to nannies so as not to burden their lives and not give up their usual pleasures. This is where your field of spiritual activity as a godfather lies. It is here that you must take the floor and remind the father of his family duty to raise and teach his baby, and remind the mother, burdened by maternal responsibilities, of her duty.

If it seems to you that these tasks are very difficult and impossible, then think about the hallowed dignity of the title of godfather and the activity that gives you the right to be the earthly guardian angel of a little person; think about what blessings the Heavenly Father prepares for those who teach and educate a person in the Love of God.

In addition, for you personally, the activities of your godfather will not be useless. If you understand the need for the spiritual education of your godson, but you yourself are not very strong in this science, then, by all means, study it yourself together with your child.

If you yourself do not often attend church, then now, no, no, go with your child. If you like to chat or discuss someone's actions, then you will have to think a hundred times before saying something, because your little godson or goddaughter is spinning around you. It’s both pleasant for you and good for the child.

Now, if God has brought or will lead you to become a successor for someone, then you will agree to this not headlong, but having thought it over and prepared for everything thoroughly, and you will become a true godfather for your godson.