“As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” ~ Galatians 3:27

Every baptism is a covenant, that is, an agreement, between God and man.  God promises to be our Father and we promise to be His children.  In the past, God entered into agreement with Noah, Abraham, Moses and others.  Now through baptism, He approaches and wishes to make an agreement with every person who comes into the world.  It is an agreement of love which God initiates.  He says in effect, “I will be your Father, your Savior, and you will be my son, or my daughter.” We “put Christ on” like a garment, with the hope that as we mature by our cooperation with God’s grace, we begin to be more and more like God’s Son, Jesus Christ…Christ-likeness.

Chrismation is a service of anointing with holy oil that welcomes someone who has been previously baptised in the name of the Holy Trinity into the Orthodox Church. A godparent is needed who will sponsor the candidate for Chrismation. The godparent must be an Orthodox Christian in good-standing at his home parish. The best way to find a godparent is to attend worship, coffee hour, and catechism classes, volunteer and mix and mingle with the people. When the time comes, you will know who to ask.

Sts. Markella & Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church shares the joy of your upcoming Baptism. We’re excited to be a part of this planning process with you and with the godparent(s) you’ve chosen.

PLEASE NOTE REGARDING GODPARENTS:

• • The role of the godparent is primarily a spiritual one, whereby the godparent is expected to model the Orthodox Christian Faith to their godchild through their own pious example and encouragement. Therefore, the godparent you choose must have the priest of their parish submit a letter of good-standing to Fr. John, stating that they are a “Parishioner in Good-Standing.”

  • If your choice of godparent does not yet meet these criteria, they are welcome to begin regularly attending Sts. Markella & Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church. Alternatively, you are welcome to consider finding a godparent among the faithful members of Sts. Markella & Demetrios.

When you click on this PDF, you’ll find a Baptismal Application with forms and important information regarding archdiocese policy surrounding the Sacraments of Baptism. Please fill out all the forms and then scan them, along with the birth certificate of the person being Baptized, emailing them to office@stmarkella.org.