Is it possible to be a godmother if... What does an adult who wants to receive the Sacrament of Baptism need? Can a pregnant woman be a godmother?

Our baby was already one year old when we decided to baptize her. For a long time they could not decide on godparents, because they had no idea by what criteria they should be chosen. Everything became clear after going to the priest’s church, where we were going to baptize Sonechka. Father Alexy suggested who it could be godparents, and who is not allowed, and I will tell you so that you do not waste time.

Baptism at any age marks spiritual birth and becomes the day when the guardianship of a Guardian Angel is established over a person. The thoughts and motives of the people taking part in the ceremony must be full of sincerity and purity, therefore the choice of godparents for the child must be conscious and combined with the rules of the Orthodox Church.

Who is suitable for the role of godparents?

• Both real parents and godparents bear responsibility before God at the moment of baptism, therefore important point is the parents’ sincere faith in Christ, supported by leading a full church life. They are the ones who give Orthodox vows in place of the child. In addition, godparents must know the Creed and be ready to further engage in the spiritual education of the little man.
• If it is possible to invite only one godfather, it is preferable to choose a person of the same gender as the child (for a boy - a man, for a girl - a woman), but no one forbids a woman to baptize a boy or a man a girl.
• Pregnancy and the absence of a ring on the finger and a stamp in the passport give women the opportunity to become godmothers to both boys and girls.

Who is prohibited from being a godfather?

• Believers who have fallen away from the Orthodox Church, representatives of other faiths, and atheists cannot become godparents.
• Actually, the child’s parents, unlike other relatives, cannot take on the role of godparents.
• Spouses and couples about to get married are prohibited from being godparents to one child.
• Monks and nuns cannot become recipients. IN Ancient Rus' there was no such church rule, and they became godfathers of many princes and representatives royal dynasties. Many years later, a rule appeared prohibiting this action, so that the monks would not become involved in worldly affairs.
• People who have not reached adulthood still understand little, both in terms of life and spiritual knowledge. In addition, if the parents die, they will not be able to take responsibility for the baby.
• People who have shrouded themselves in depravity.
• It is better for women during menstruation to refrain from baptismal rites.
• You should not take strangers or unfamiliar people as godparents.
• Those who are incapacitated or suffering are not suitable for the role of recipients mental disorders people who are obvious violators God's commandments, criminals and people under the influence of alcohol.

Any of these cases is considered sufficient grounds for refusal to perform a baptismal ceremony. Of course, who can stop you from leaving something unsaid, but is it really worth it? After all, you go to church not to deceive the priest, but to connect the fate of your child with two worthy people.

How many babies can you become godfather for?

There is no clear guidance in this regard: the number of baptisms depends directly on the desire of the person. If you want, there will be one, if you want, at least ten. At the same time, we should not forget that the vows made before God are inviolable and provide for responsibility for the spiritual future and moral character of the little Christian. You will have to answer for your obligations throughout your entire life.

A church myth says: the godmother, making vows for the second child, “removes the cross” from the first. The Church categorically disagrees, citing the example of the birth of another child. A mother who has a second child does not abandon the first. The situation is similar with the godmother: being a godmother at least four times, she is equally responsible for each of the children. It is quite difficult to devote time to all the godchildren, so think about who can be the child’s godparents, whether the person has enough strength, energy and time, and only after that offer such a responsible post.

Some useful information about baptism

1. After the completion of the Epiphany Sacrament, it is impossible to make personnel changes: the child has the same godfather and godmother for life, even if the person has disappeared or left the church.
2. The presence of godparents at the church baptism procedure is mandatory. Extreme cases involve performing the Sacrament without godparents.

Let's sum it up

You should not choose a person for the role of godfather who has no idea about church traditions. His main duty is to teach the basics of religion to a little Christian, and what can someone teach who doesn’t know anything?

It is foolhardy to accept responsibility for traditional upbringing. Orthodox faith a child whose father and mother are unchurched and do not intend to change the order of things, also not attaching importance to the spiritual education of the child and teaching him the basics of religion.

When accepting an invitation to become the godfather or mother of a child, whose parents support the idea of ​​​​the Orthodox baptism of their child and are ready to join the church, before making their own vows, it is worth making promises from them to follow the Commandments, pray for the child every day, attend services and churches, and try to make communion every day . Advise parents to attend Sunday school or cahetization classes in advance to understand how serious their desire to enter Orthodox Church, do they not consider the Sacrament of Baptism as a tradition of the past, some kind of magical rite.

Ekaterina Morozova - mother of many children, editor of the “Children” section in Colady magazine

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You have been chosen godmother? This is a great honor and a great responsibility. The responsibilities of the godmother are not limited only to the sacrament of baptism and congratulating the godson on the holidays - they will continue throughout life. What are these responsibilities? What do you need to know about the sacrament of baptism? What to buy? How to prepare?

Baptism - the essence and meaning of the rite of baptism

The rite of baptism is a Sacrament in which the believer dies to a sinful carnal life in order to be reborn by the Holy Spirit into spiritual life. Baptism is cleansing man from original sin , which is communicated to him through his birth. Just as a person is born only once, and the Sacrament is performed only once in a person’s life.

How godparents prepare for the baptism ceremony

You should prepare for the Sacrament of Baptism in advance.

• Two or three days before the ceremony, future godparents should repent of your earthly sins and take communion.
• Directly on the day of baptism It is forbidden to have sex and eat food .
• At the baptism of a girl godmother will have to read the prayer “Creed” , at the baptism of a boy he reads it Godfather .

Responsibilities of a godmother. What should a godmother do?

A child cannot choose his godmother himself; his parents make this choice for him. The exception is the older age of the child. The choice is usually determined the closeness of the future godmother to the family , a warm attitude towards the child, the principles of morality that the godmother adheres to.

What are the responsibilities godmother?

• Godmother vouches for the newly baptized child before the Lord.
• Responsible for spiritual education baby.
• Takes part in life and education the baby on a par with biological parents.
• Takes care of the child in a situation where something happens to the biological parents (the godmother can become the guardian in the event of the death of the parents).

Godmother is spiritual guide for her godson and an example of a Christian lifestyle.

The godmother must:

• Pray for the godson and to be a loving and caring godmother.
• Attend church with a child , if his parents do not have such an opportunity due to illness or absence.
• Remember your responsibilities on religious holidays, ordinary holidays and weekdays.
• Take problems in your godson's life seriously and support him during difficult stages of life .
• Be interested and promote a child's spiritual growth .
• Serve example of godly living for the godson.

Features of the baptism ritual

How is the sacrament of child baptism performed?

Requirements for a godmother at a christening

The most important requirement for godparents is be baptized Orthodox who live according to Christian laws. After the ceremony, godparents must promote the spiritual growth of the child and pray for him. If the future godmother has not yet been baptized, then she must be baptized first , and only then – the baby. Biological parents may be completely unbaptized or profess a different faith.

• Godmother must be aware of your responsibility for raising a child. Therefore, it is welcomed when relatives are chosen as godparents - family ties break less often than friendly ones.
• The godfather can attend the girl’s baptism in absentia, godmother - only in person . Her duties include receiving the girl from the font.

Godparents We must not forget about the day of baptism . On the day of the Godson's Guardian Angel, you should go to church every year, light a candle and thank God for everything.

What should a godmother wear? Appearance of the godmother at the christening.

The modern church is more loyal to many things, but taking into account its traditions is certainly recommended. Basic requirements for a godmother at baptism:

• Presence of godparents pectoral crosses (consecrated in the church) necessarily.
• It is unacceptable to come to baptism in trousers. Should wear a dress , which will hide the shoulders and legs below the knee.
• On the godmother's head must have a scarf .
• High heels are unnecessary. The baby will have to be held in your arms for a long time.
• Flashy makeup and provocative clothing are prohibited.

What do godparents buy for baptism?

• White christening shirt (dress). It can be simple or with embroidery - it all depends on the choice of the godparents. The shirt (and everything else) can be purchased directly from the church. At baptism, the baby’s old clothes are removed as a sign that he appears clean before the Lord, and the baptismal shirt is put on after the ceremony. Traditionally, this shirt should be worn for eight days, after which it is removed and stored for life. Of course, you cannot baptize another baby in it.
• Pectoral cross with an image of the crucifixion. They buy it directly from the church, already consecrated. It doesn’t matter - gold, silver or simple, on a string. After baptism, many people remove the crosses from their children so that they do not accidentally harm themselves. According to church canons, the cross should not be removed. Therefore, it is better to choose a light cross and a rope (ribbon) so that the baby is comfortable.
• , in which the baby is wrapped after the Sacrament of baptism. It is not washed after the ceremony and is stored as carefully as a shirt.
• Cap(kerchief).
• The best gift from godparents would be cross, icon or silver spoon.

Also for the baptism ceremony you will need:

• Baby blanket. For a comfortable baby in the baptismal room and warming the baby after the baptismal bath.
• Small bag, where you can put a lock of the baby’s hair, cut by a priest. You can keep it with your shirt and towel.

It is advisable to make sure in advance that the items are suitable for the baby.

After the baptism ceremony

So, the baby was baptized. You have become a godmother. Of course, according to tradition, this day is a holiday. It can be celebrated in a warm family circle or crowded. But it is worth remembering that christening is, first of all, a celebration of the spiritual birth of a baby. You should prepare for it in advance and thoroughly, thinking through every detail. After all spiritual birthday, which you will now celebrate every year, is much more important than the day of your physical birth.

Many people think that choosing godparents for their baby is very simple, but it seems so only at first glance. In fact, everything is not like that. You need to understand that godparents must be responsible for their godson before God. They are responsible for his morality and spiritual education. Godparents are not only Good friends, relatives or financially well-off acquaintances - these are the people whom you trust to raise your child, these are the people who can gain authority from the child and can become for him good example, spiritual parents. Godparents are the people you can always rely on in difficult times.

The sacrament of baptism occupies a very important place in a person’s life, since it is the second birth of a person, his spiritual birth. In the sacrament of baptism, godparents are entrusted with a very great responsibility, responsibility for the spiritual education of their godson (adopter). For this reason, when choosing godparents, one must be guided by the fact that these people are believers and have high moral qualities.

Godparents for a child cannot be:

• Parents of the child himself, as well as people who are related to each other by blood;
• Nuns and monks;
• Non-believers;
• Gentiles, and not only non-Christians, but also heterodox;
• Minors (girls under 13 years of age, and boys under 15).
• Persons who are married or persons who are going to get married, since in the future the godparents of one child cannot have intimate relationships with each other, because they are spiritually related.
• Mentally ill people and people who have fallen morally.
• Another one folk sign– the godson and godfather should not have the same name.

Who should be godfather?

1. The godfather (father) must be Orthodox Christian. A godfather cannot be someone who has fallen away from the Church (who does not regularly receive communion), a representative of another religion, or an atheist. The recipient is required not only to know the Creed and read it at Baptism, but also to spiritually educate the godson in the future, daily prayer for him.
2. The godfather must be a churchgoer, ready to regularly take his godson to church and raise him in the Christian faith.
3. The rite of the Sacrament of Baptism assumes the presence of recipients in person during its celebration. As a last resort, infant baptism is allowed even without godparents, then the priest himself is considered godfather.
4. You must be absolutely confident in your godparents, because there are often cases when, during the baptismal ceremony, other people’s illnesses and misfortunes were transferred to the child.

Who should you look at to choose godparents?

To decide on the choice of adopters for your baby, it is better to think about one of your very close friends, those who will truly care about the child. Very often, the child’s uncles and aunts, not only relatives, but also cousins, become godparents.

It is very important that future godparents attend church. The sedateness and seriousness of future recipients is no less important, because they will be the child’s spiritual educators, and therefore must serve as an example to them in everything.

There is an opinion that one cannot refuse the cross, so there is no need to ask potential godparents directly, but slightly hint at the desire to become godfathers.

Popular questions and answers to them

What are the responsibilities of godparents?

Godmothers and fathers, participating in the Sacrament, take responsibility for the little member of the Church, so they must be Orthodox people. Godparents, of course, should be a person who also has some experience of church life and will help the parents raise the baby in faith, piety and purity.

During the celebration of the Sacrament over the baby, the godfather (of the same gender as the child) will hold him in his arms, pronounce on his behalf the Creed and vows of renunciation of Satan and union with Christ.

The main responsibility of godparents is to help the godson throughout his life, not just to meet with him periodically and give gifts, but also to teach him goodness, morality and love. After the completion of the ceremony, the godparents receive a certificate-memoir, which states that they should become godsons or goddaughters’ assistants, teachers and mentors. If godparents do not have the opportunity to often meet with their godson or daughter, they should pray for the child. Ideally, Orthodox successors should attend churches, live church life and fast, but this condition is by no means obligatory.

What to give to your godson?

Of course, you can give your godson a cross and a chain, and it doesn’t matter what they are made of; the main thing is that the cross be of the traditional form accepted in the Orthodox Church.

In the old days, there was a traditional church gift for christening - a silver spoon, which was called a “tooth gift”; it was the first spoon that was used when feeding a child, when he began to eat from a spoon.

Is it possible for a person to have only one godparent?

Yes it is possible. It is only important that the godparent be of the same gender as the godson.

If one of the godparents cannot be present at the Sacrament of Baptism, is it possible to perform the ceremony without him, but register him as a godparent?

Until 1917, there was a practice of absentee godparents, but it was applied only to persons of the imperial family, when they, as a sign of royal or grand-ducal favor, agreed to be considered godparents or another baby. If we're talking about about a similar situation, do so, and if not, then it is perhaps better to proceed from generally accepted practice.

Which relative can be godfather?

An aunt or uncle, grandmother or grandfather can become the adoptive parents of their little relatives. You just need to remember that a husband and wife cannot be godparents of one child. However, it’s worth thinking about this: our close relatives will still take care of the child and help us raise him. In this case, aren’t we depriving little man love and care, because he could have one or two more adult Orthodox friends to whom he could turn throughout his life. This is especially important during the period when the child seeks authority outside the family. At this time, the godfather, without in any way opposing himself to the parents, could become the person whom the teenager trusts, from whom he asks for advice even about what he does not dare to tell his loved ones.

I was invited to be the girl’s godmother, but everyone tells me that the boy must be baptized first. Is it so?

The superstitious idea that a girl should have a boy as her first godson and that a baby girl taken from the font will become an obstacle to her subsequent marriage has no Christian roots and is an absolute fabrication that an Orthodox Christian woman should not be guided by.

They say that one of the godparents must be married and have children. Is it so?

On the one hand, the opinion that one of the godparents must be married and have children is a superstition, just like the idea that a girl who receives a girl from the baptismal font will either not marry herself, or this will affect her fate in some way. - that's a print.

On the other hand, one can see a certain kind of sobriety in this opinion, if one does not approach it with a superstitious interpretation. Of course, it would be reasonable if people (or at least one of the godparents) who have sufficient life experience, who themselves already have the skill of raising children in faith and piety, and who have something to share with the baby’s physical parents, are chosen as godparents for the baby. And it would be highly desirable to look for such a godfather.

What should godparents have during a christening?

After the future godparents have been determined, the child must choose church name, date of christening and temple. Usually children in church are baptized on Saturdays, but this can be done on any other day; fasting also does not prevent baptism from taking place.

Before baptism, the godparents come for the godson and “take” him. Before this, they should not sit down in the godson’s house. Everyone goes to church together: parents with the baby and godparents.

Before the baptismal ceremony, godparents buy things for the baby, a list of which is usually given in the church:

1. a traditionally shaped pectoral cross – bought by the godfather;
2. an icon, preferably (but not necessarily) of the saint whose name the child will be baptized - bought by the godmother;
3. The godmother also buys kryzhma - the material necessary for the sacrament, maybe with decorations, but more often just plain white fabric;
4. a baptismal shirt, and for the girl a scarf or cap - it is not necessary to buy, you can replace it with a clean vest and scarf from your existing wardrobe.

TO appearance godparents during christening special requirements no, the usual rules for visiting church are followed. Both godparents must be with pectoral crosses, a man without a headdress, and a woman with her head covered, with her shoulders and elbows covered and in a skirt or dress below the knees.

Which makes a person a Christian forever. Even if he ever changes his faith, the grace of baptism still remains with him all his life. Since ancient times, there has been a tradition of conducting this sacrament with the participation of recipients who are responsible for the churching and righteousness of the convert’s entire future life.

In this regard, Orthodox Christians have a question: how many times can one person baptize a child?

Child baptism in church

Allowed number of godchildren

The Church does not place any restrictions here. The only thing that can stop a person from agreeing to become a godfather is fear of responsibility. After all, if the recipient has not made enough efforts to teach his spiritual son or daughter the Christian faith and guide him on the path of salvation, he will have to answer to God.

Read about the Sacrament of Baptism:

People have invented many superstitions related to baptism. Like, what if a woman takes a second godchild, then her spiritual motherhood will be “removed” from the first.

It's not worth listening to this nonsense. Taking several spiritual children is the same as giving birth to several children. It’s hard and responsible, but a mother will remain a mother to everyone.

Allowed number of godparents

A person may have one or two godparents - a godfather and a mother. If there is only one godson, then it is customary to choose for this role a person of the same gender as the godson. But this is just a tradition, if for some reason it is impossible to do this, there is no sin in breaking it.

It happens that the priest himself becomes the recipient.

Child baptism in church

If a baby is baptized, the godfather must make vows to God in his place and receive the baby from the font. When there are two recipients, this is done by the godmother if the child is a girl, and by the father if the child is a boy.

As you know, when accepting Christianity, a person goes through a wonderful ritual -. According to tradition, for baptism you need godmothers and the father, or one of them.

What should godparents be like?

The very first sacred act in a person’s life is baptism. Godparents are the most important people after parents who should assist in the spiritual upbringing of the child, become support and support. In fact, they are family members. Their responsibilities are not limited to giving gifts and maintaining communication with his family. Their main function is spiritual development godson, joining the faith and church.

When choosing godparents, you need to remember that the baptism ceremony is carried out once and the child cannot be baptized, therefore, it will not be possible to change godparents. The Church makes an exception only if the godfather has changed his faith or leads a blatantly immoral, unpious lifestyle.

A child may have both godparents or only one, but in this case he must be of the same gender as the godson.

Becoming a godparent for several children is allowed, but the godparent must evaluate his strength, whether he can cope with his main responsibility, whether he has enough time and attention to raise all of his children accordingly.

Who is prohibited from becoming a godfather according to the canons of the Orthodox Church

People who have taken monastic vows cannot become godparents. There are also restrictions for godparents. The boy must be 15 years old at the time of accepting the duties of godfather, the girl who has decided to be the mother must be 13 years old. Parents, relatives or adoptive parents cannot become godparents for a child. There is a ban on intimate relationships between godparents, so spouses or people planning to get married should not become godparents of the same child.

Since godparents must initiate the godson into the church, they must be baptized. Unbelievers and unbaptized people cannot become .

Non-Orthodox and non-Orthodox people are also prohibited from becoming godparents. An exception can only be if there are no Orthodox Christians in the environment, but a person of a different faith wants, and there is no doubt about his ability to raise a child as a highly moral and spiritually developed person.

It is unacceptable to take mentally ill people and morally fallen people as godparents.

In various sources of esoteric and near-religious orientation one can find a number of other prohibitions. However, it is worth remembering that baptism is a rite that obeys the laws of the Orthodox faith, and church ministers and true believers know it best. However, only parents can decide what information to rely on.