It has long been customary for young children to be baptized in church in order to instill in them a correct spiritual life. This is how the child is cleansed from the sins of his parents or original sin. But the topic of this article is how many times one person can baptize a child, and this is what will be discussed further.
Baptizing children is a whole ritual. Through this action the child becomes a Christian. And if in the future he wants to accept another faith, then the power of baptism will still be present in him forever. A person’s baptism is not carried out alone; in addition to the person responsible for the action, godparents are also present. They will then be responsible for the child for the rest of their lives. The only question is how many times one person can baptize a child. After all, it happens that a man or woman is offered to become godparents several times because the person has a good relationship with the child’s parents.
Responsibilities of godparents
Responsibilities to your baby appear immediately as soon as you decide to baptize him, and you must follow them:
- A godparent is a person who must guide his ward to faith. He talks about the Christian faith and the importance of going to church, makes sure that children are brought to Communion, teaches how to pray and live according to the will of God.
- By their example, godparents should show how to behave correctly. It is the godfather who must teach the godson the rules of kindness and love. He must be as merciful as possible so that the child takes an example from him, because the main responsibility is to raise a believing Christian.
- He must teach the child the basic rules of Christianity. If you yourself do not know enough about the rules prescribed by Christianity, then you can always go to church and sign up for special classes. In general, you need to study and learn new things all your life, so you should read a variety of Orthodox literature, and most importantly, attend divine services, confess and receive communion at least twice a year.
This is important: remember, as soon as you took your baby and went to the temple of God to participate in the sacrament of Baptism, you made a promise to God that throughout your life you will try to bring your ward to the temple, pray for him and teach him all the rules of Christianity.
Who can't be godfather
Absolutely anyone cannot become a godparent. A well-tested, long-known person is chosen for this role. However, there are limitations to this type of parenting.
Gentiles
People from other faiths cannot baptize children. Buddhists, Jews, Muslims and others cannot participate in the ritual. Godparents must belong to the same church. In rare cases, an exception is made. When they cannot find anyone for this role and there is no one to replace them. This happens extremely rarely.
Young couples
Young people in a loving relationship cannot baptize the same child.
Godparents should only have a spiritual connection with each other. This is a strict rule that must be followed.
Parents
The baby's parents cannot baptize him. They must perform the function of care and education. The godmother or father teaches the child faith and correct behavior. They also try to participate in the lives of their godchildren.
A child can be baptized by his grandparents, aunts and uncles, and older brothers and sisters.
Strangers
In cases of despair, you can call strangers or one stranger as godparents. For a boy, a father is chosen, and for a girl, a mother is chosen. But the church recommends choosing trusted people who have known the family for a long time.
A well-known person who has a degree of trust should become a spiritual parent for a newborn. A stranger may not fulfill his responsibilities fully and may not take part in the baby’s life.
Who can be godfather
When choosing candidates, unfortunately, few people follow the rules of the Orthodox Church. Godparents can be your best friend or girlfriend, close relatives, even grandparents.
But it is important to understand that the person who will lead your child to faith must meet the following requirements:
- First of all, he himself must be a believing Christian. You cannot baptize a child if you do not profess Christianity. A worthy choice is a person who regularly attends church, prays and receives communion.
- It can be someone who is ready to direct the upbringing of children in a Christian direction, take them to services, teach them to pray, help them go to confession for the first time, instill love for God, the Most Holy Theotokos and the Holy Ascetics, and teach them how to turn to them in various life circumstances.
- After the sacrament of Baptism has been performed, it is impossible to refuse or change the godparent. A person still remains a godfather, even if during his life he refused to attend church or the Christian Orthodox faith, and cannot engage in the Christian upbringing of a child.
- An unmarried, married or pregnant woman can become a godmother, but a husband and wife cannot simultaneously be godparents of the same child.
- According to the rules prescribed in the Trebnik, one person must be a godfather. Accordingly, girls have a woman, boys have a man. But having a second godfather is just an ancient custom of the church.
- You cannot become a godparent if a person has the rank of monk or nun.
- If it is not possible to attend the sacrament of Baptism, then it is possible to enter the name of the parent in absentia. The responsibilities of recipients, whether full-time or part-time, are absolutely equivalent.
- If there is no one to become your child’s godparent, go to church, they often baptize without godparents, then the priest who performed the sacrament is considered the godparent.
How many times can you become a godfather and who will be denied baptism? The abbot of the temple explains
The rector of the Church of the Holy Spirit is Priest Pavel Lukin. At what age is it better to baptize a child?
– I’ll say right away that this is not a simple question. The ancient practice (at the beginning of the first millennium) involved the baptism of only adults who consciously came to faith. They were brought to the church meeting by other Christians, full members of the church. They took guarantee for this person (this is where our godparents came from), then the church, through its pastors and catechists, prepared this person for Baptism and entry into the Church. This could last from a year to three, but there were exceptions. Everything depended on the person’s internal readiness. When the church became dominant in the empire, the practice of baptizing children began, and the baptism of infants began only in the 11th century. So, at what age to baptize a child is up to his parents to decide, but an indispensable condition for this should be the faith of them and their godparents - those people whom they invite as assistants in the spiritual education of children.
Are there days of the year when people don’t baptize?
– You can baptize on any day of the year, but usually it is done on the eve of major holidays, also on Saturdays and Sundays.
Is it possible to have one godfather? Can grandparents, older brothers and sisters be godparents?
– According to the canons of the church, there is one godparent of the same gender as the person being baptized. The second is taken according to tradition, by analogy with an ordinary family where there is a father and mother. Due to the fact that baptism is a spiritual sacrament, blood relatives should not be godparents, although this sometimes happens in exceptional circumstances.
If the godfather lives far away, how can he take care of the godson? And what exactly should he do if he lives nearby?
– In short, the duties of the godfather are to accompany the newly baptized person on the path of his churching. Those. until the moment when he begins to consciously believe in Christ and leads an active church life. But even after this, the godfather is always the first assistant and adviser, especially when it comes to issues of spiritual life.
Can a foster parent become a child's godfather?
– If the adoptive parent is a believer and a church person, he can certainly become a godfather for his child.
Can married couples baptize each other's children?
– In this case there are no restrictions. But spouses cannot be godparents to one person.
Is it possible to baptize all children in one family?
– Yes, this option is allowed. The main thing is that this is not a formality, they say, we invite you so as not to offend the person. If your godfather can't handle it, it's better to ask someone else.
How many times can you be a godfather?
– There are no restrictions here. Taking on a guarantee for a person is a big responsibility. This is a matter of many years and great efforts. Naturally, you need to understand that it is better to refuse another offer to become a godfather than to take it and do nothing. It’s better not to take someone else’s place; someone else might do it better than you. But if you undertake it, then be responsible and fulfill your calling conscientiously.
Is it possible to refuse to be a godfather?
- Yes, definitely. Human freedom always remains. If there are objective reasons for this, it is better to say about them right away so as not to offend the parents. They will understand and find someone else.
Is it possible to baptize a person if it is not known whether he was baptized as a child?
– In this case, it is important to take into account the actual life of a person in the church. If he consciously believes and participates in the Sacraments, then there is no need to baptize him. If he has never been a church person and does not believe in Christ, and moreover, there are doubts about whether he was baptized in childhood, it is necessary to baptize him, naturally, preparing him for this sacrament according to all the rules.
Can they refuse baptism for some reason?
– The church can refuse Baptism if a person is not mature for Christian life and does not believe. He may be possessed by magical ideas that are in no way connected with the true meaning of the Sacrament. He needs time and preparation. In this case, even if a person accepts baptism, it will remain fruitless for him. As they say: “I was baptized on earth, but not in heaven.” Nothing happens “automatically” here.
Is it possible to be a godfather to several children?
There are no restrictions on the number of godchildren. One person can become a godfather twice, three times, and so on - there are no obstacles to this.
One can refuse when there are doubts about not being able to cope with the responsibility assigned to him.
If you are already a godparent, but friends ask you to receive this honor again, you need to think carefully. Becoming a godfather is a big responsibility.
And if you live in the same city with one godson, are family friends, even perhaps go to the same church, you know that his parents are Christian believers, your only task for now is to pray regularly for his entire family.
It’s good if, after a while, when a grown-up child needs help or advice, he comes to you, and you and his parents can resolve a difficult issue.
And if another godson lives far from you, perhaps his family has moved, or you, due to various circumstances, have stopped communicating with his parents, this does not relieve you of responsibility. It is you who will have to answer for his Christian illiteracy before God.
How many times can a person baptize children, what should be taken into account?
There are no restrictions in the Church on how many times one person can baptize a child. Only people should approach this issue responsibly. If you decide to become a godfather, then you will have to make efforts to ensure that your spiritual daughter or son does not stray from the true path. Simply, you will not be able to forget about the responsibility you have taken for your children. It doesn’t matter how many godchildren you have, the main thing is to pay attention to all of them and communicate with them. It happens that paths in life diverge, people leave, stop communicating. Therefore, before baptizing a child, think several times whether you can be responsible for him. After all, in the future it will be you who will be responsible for him before the Lord, as the Bible says.
Baby's baptism
It happens that the same parents choose the same godparents for all their children - this is not prohibited. And it is easier for the godparents themselves to then communicate with their godchildren, watch them grow up and help in their upbringing.
When baptizing twins, you will have to take into account that it is the godfather who is required to hold both babies in his arms. That is why priests say that two foster homes will be needed for children, or that rituals must be carried out at different intervals alternately. If you agree to the rite of baptism of children, then know that this is a responsibility for life. Being a mentor for a child is already a duty, and when there are several godchildren, then in any case you will need time and effort to efficiently fulfill your responsibilities to the children. No matter what kind of relationship you have with your parents in the future, you will need to maintain connections with your child. The spiritual component in raising children will rest with you.
IMPORTANT: Orthodox Churches do not limit the number of godchildren. In fact, everyone knows the limits in this matter. Parents also decide for themselves how many children they will give birth to. After all, the main thing is not that you are ready to simply baptize the child and cannot refuse your friends or good acquaintances. The important thing is how much a person is ready to give to them in terms of spiritual education, and if necessary, then material assistance. Each individual has his own limit when he will have to refuse the rite of baptism.
According to the rules, a person is baptized only once in his life; parents and godparents take responsibility for this; they prepare for the celebration in advance. And it is not the baptismal ceremony itself that is important, but how the communication between the godparents and the child they have baptized will develop. It is the godson who will need their support in the future. Difficulties can arise with both parents and friends; godparents should be interested in the state of the godson’s soul.
Baby's baptism
According to church canons, it is believed that children can have two godparents, and one, preferably, only if there is only one mentor or mentor, then her gender should match the gender of the baby. This will make it easier for the godson and godfather to understand each other in the future. You can deviate from this condition. It is also not necessary for a person to have two godparents, or rather a godmother and a godfather.
There are the following requirements for godparents:
- The godmother or godfather must be believers, baptized
- The godmother or godparent must be an adult and make decisions consciously
- The godmother or godparent must know the godson and be on good terms with the parents
- The godmother and godfather should not be a wife or a husband. They cannot have close connections other than spiritual ones.
Both grandparents and grandmothers are allowed to be godparents separately; only the child's adoptive parents and real parents are not allowed to become godmothers or godfathers.
Mystery of Baptism
Before taking responsibility for someone else’s child and having a number of obligations to him, a person must find out what is hidden behind this ritual and what role godparents play in it. And only after a person deals with this issue, he himself will understand how many godchildren he can have.
The main thing that every person needs to understand is that the ritual involves introducing a child to church life. At the same time, all the sins of family and friends that were passed on to him with blood are removed from the baby.
The baptism ceremony is the new religious birth of the baby. During the sacrament, the child begins to commune with God. Now responsibility for his fate lies not only with his parents, but also with God, who will protect him from trouble and evil.
After the ritual, parents must raise their child in the Orthodox faith. Their godparents help them in this task. If you are ready to take on this responsibility and are a believer, then you can calmly baptize as many children as you are asked to do.
Prayers that a godfather should know as a keepsake
Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
Symbol of faith
I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, visible to all and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, who was born of the Father before all ages; Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, to whom all things were.
For our sake, man and our salvation came down from heaven and became incarnate from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became human. Crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried. And he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures. And ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And the one who is to come will judge with glory the living and the dead, His Kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father, who is with the Father and the Son, we are worshiped and glorified, who spoke the prophets.
Into one Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I confess one baptism for the remission of sins. I hope for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century. Amen.
Virgin Mary
Virgin Mary, Rejoice, full of grace Mary, the Lord is with You, Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb, for You have given birth to the Savior of our souls.
Source
Belogorsk
- a city in Russia, the administrative center of the Belogorsk region, one of the oldest settlements in the Amur region.
The city is located in the Asian part of Russia (50° 55' 00" N, 128° 28' 00" E, altitude: 178 m) on the Zeya-Bureya Plain, on the left bank of the lower reaches of the Tom River — the Zeya River basin 50 km from its mouth. It is located in the southern part of the Amur region, 116 km from the city of Blagoveshchensk (regional center) and the border with China.
The territory of the city occupies 135.51 m2. The permanent resident population of the city is 75,164 people (2011 data).
Day of the city
Year of foundation of the city of Belogorsk - 1860
.
In Belogorsk, City Day is celebrated on June 12
:
- in 2012 it is the second Tuesday of the month (152 years);
- in 2013 - the second Wednesday of the month (153 years);
- in 2014 - second Thursday of the month (154 years);
- in 2015 - the second Friday of the month (155 years);
- in 2016 - the second Sunday of the month (156 years);
- in 2022 - second Monday of the month (157 years);
- in 2022 - second Tuesday of the month (158 years);
- in 2022 - second Wednesday of the month (159 years);
- in 2022 - second Friday of the month (160 years).
Story
The first settlement on the site of the city was the village of Aleksandrovskoye, founded in 1860
immigrants from the Perm region - families of peasants Putilovs, Tretyakovs and Mogilnikovs.
In 1883,
near the village of Alexandrovsky, on the river channel, the village of Bochkarevka was founded.
In connection with the construction of the Amur Railway in 1913,
the village of Bochkarevka became a junction station.
In 1926,
the village of Aleksandrovskoye and the Bochkarevka station were transformed into the city of Aleksandrovsk-on-Tomi.
In 1931
the city was renamed Krasnopartizansk,
in 1935
- Kuibyshevka-Vostochnaya, and
in 1957
the city was named Belogorsk.
It is believed that the existing name of the city may be associated with the white color of quartz sands in the coastal cliffs of the local river.
Having become an independent administrative-territorial unit, not only the name changed, but the city itself was transformed: it became more comfortable and beautiful. Neighborhoods, neighborhoods, streets, parks and public gardens are being improved. Its construction continues, housing and communal services are being reformed.
Belogorsk is an industrial and railway junction. A branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway departs from here to Blagoveshchensk and the Baikal-Amur Mainline.
Highways of regional and federal significance connect the city with populated areas of the Amur Region, as well as Yakutia, Khabarovsk and Primorsky Territories.
Located in the center of a vast agricultural territory, Belogorsk is one of the centers for the processing of agricultural raw materials. In terms of food production (meat processing plant, bakery plant - the largest in the Far East, semi-finished and canned food plant, creamery, pasta factory, etc.) it ranks second in the region, second only to Blagoveshchensk. There are also brick and asphalt factories and a branch of the regional Museum of Local Lore.
Photos of the city of Belogorsk:
- foto-planeta.com - photo of Belogorsk;
- etoretro.ru - retro photo of Belogorsk, Amur region;
- fototerra.ru - photo of Belogorsk;
- bigcatalogphotos.ru - photo of Belogorsk;
- goroda-rossii.com - photos of Russian cities: Belogorsk;
- bel28.ru - photo of Belogorsk (May 9).
Information sources:
- belogorck.ru - official website of the municipal district of Belogorsk: history of the city;
- calend.ru - project “Calendar of Events”: Belogorsk;
- ru.wikipedia.org - Wikipedia: Belogorsk;
- panoramy.ru - cities of the world: Belogorsk;
- slovari.yandex.ru - Great Soviet Encyclopedia: Belogorsk.
Additionally on Guenon:
- About the history of which cities can you learn on Guenon?
Refusal is not a crime
A person who understands responsibility can safely refuse such responsibilities. The reason for disagreement should be explained in detail to the parents. If you are not able to convey such information to the consciousness of your friends on your own, then a priest will help. Father will explain in detail how many times you can become a godmother and why. Refusing to be a godfather is not a sin. But taking a child during the sacrament, whom you will not be able to guide on the right path in the future, is a heavy guilt.
It should be noted that, besides this, there are no other serious reasons to refuse to baptize a baby. The only exceptions are people who were raised in a different faith. After all, the main task of a mother or father is to help the child become a true Orthodox Christian.
Inquiry Office
In any situation where it is difficult to find a solution on your own, it is worth asking a priest for advice. This concerns not only the material side of the ceremony, but also how many times you can be a godmother, whether you can marry your godfather...
A person who is poorly versed in the Holy Scriptures, and instead believes in gossip and prejudices, cannot soberly and correctly assess the situation. In addition, a person who does not understand the laws of the church should not independently draw conclusions based on the opinion of a neighbor or work colleague. These people can also confuse speculation and truth.
Father, on the contrary, will be able to answer questions of interest in an accessible and correct manner. His task is not just to mint it briefly, but to explain to the person why in this situation it is worth doing in this way.
Before answering you how many times you can be a godmother, the priest will definitely ask whether you are a believer and ask about your relationship with children for whom you have already become a church mother.
Allowed number of godparents
The exact opposite question is asked by the baby’s parents: how many adoptive children can one child have? Here the church answers unequivocally - a maximum of two (father and mother). In this case, it is allowed to choose one godfather, but only of the same gender as the baby. Sometimes a priest can become a spiritual parent for a child.
Since the baby cannot speak for himself, vows before the Lord are made on his behalf by his successors. They take him in their arms at the end of the ablution: the mother - a girl, the father - a boy.
Mixture of statements
More than a thousand years have passed since Christianity spread across our lands. Along with the new religion, traditions and rituals unique to the area arose. Part of the reason for the appearance of extraordinary rituals was the previous pagan faith. Time and mentality have left no less imprint on Orthodoxy. Church rituals have become overgrown with many prejudices and gossip. Among them is the sacrament of baptism.
Therefore, now modern people know little about the laws of the Almighty, and believers have many questions. In particular, how many times can you be a godmother or father?
Religion does not give a definite answer. But the priests say that this problem can only be solved by the person himself. Along with the title of second parents, godfathers take on significant responsibilities, failure to fulfill which is considered a grave sin.
Religion and people
The main disputes arise from gossip. For example, you can often hear that a woman should baptize a boy first. Regarding this dilemma, the church gives a clear definition: it doesn’t matter who you follow. Gender doesn't matter at all. But there is another concept, deeper and little known.
The main responsibility for the child lies with only one person, who is in the first pair (and of the same sex as the child). That is, the godfather will account for the boy in the next world, and the woman for the girl. If you don’t yet have “real” godchildren, then the answer to the question of how many times you can be a godmother emerges on its own - how life will turn out. The tradition of matching one sex with another, the opposite, is not church, but folk. Moreover, one person can baptize a child.
