The Order of Holy Baptism
The following texts, translated from the Roman Malyj Trebnyk (1952), are based on the work of the Inter-Eparchial Liturgical Commission of the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Metropolitan Church of Pittsburgh, and being made available for study by cantors enrolled in the courses of the Metropolican Cantor Institute. These texts are unofficial and provisional, and you should obtain episcopal permission before using them for any purpose other than private self-study.
The candidate should be dressed in plain, loose-fitting clothing, with the head uncovered and the feet bare. If the candidate for baptism is an infant, he/she is unclothed for the immersion.
If the church has a baptistery, all process to the baptistery, and all the candles are lit. The priest incenses around the baptismal font.
If the church has no baptistery, all process to the tetrapod or portable baptistery in the church, and all the candles are lit. The priest incenses around the baptismal font or the place where the baptism is to take place.
The priest then stands before the baptismal font, and bows.
Deacon: Reverend Father, give the blessing.
Priest: Blessed is the kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever.
Response: Amen.
The deacon intones the following litany, and to each petition the faithful respond, “Lord, have mercy.”
Deacon: In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
– For peace from on high and for the salvation of our souls, let us pray to the Lord.
- For peace in the whole world, for the stability of the holy Churches of God, and for the union of all, let us pray to the Lord.
- For this holy church and for all who enter it with faith, reverence, and fear of God, let us pray to the Lord.
- For our holy father (Name), Pope of Rome, let us pray to the Lord.
- For our most reverend Metropolitan (Name), for our God-loving Bishop (Name), for the venerable presbyterate, the diaconate in Christ, and all the clergy and people, let us pray to the Lord.
- For our government and for all in the service of our country, let us pray to the Lord.
- For this city, for every city, community, and for the faithful living in them, let us pray to the Lord.
- That this water may be sanctified by the power, action, and descent of the Holy Spirit, let us pray to the Lord.
- That the grace of redemption and the blessing of the Jordan may come upon it, let us pray to the Lord.
- For him (her) who now approaches holy enlightenment and for his (her) salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
- That he (she) may prove himself (herself) a son (daughter) of light and an heir of eternal blessing, let us pray to the Lord.
- That this water may become for him (her) the bath of rebirth, the forgiveness of sins, and a garment of incorruption, let us pray to the Lord.
- That he (she), together with us, be delivered from all affliction, wrath, and need, let us pray to the Lord.
- Protect us, save us, have mercy on us, and preserve us, O God, by your grace.
Deacon: Commemorating our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary with all the saints, let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole life to Christ our God.
Response: To you, O Lord.
During this litany, the priest prays the following prayer silently. If there is no deacon, the priest says this prayer privately immediately before the service of baptism.
Compassionate and merciful God, you alone search the heart and soul and know their secrets. There is nothing hidden from you; all things are naked and exposed to your sight. Since you know everything about me, do not loathe me nor turn your face from me; but rather, at this time, overlook my offenses, as you overlook the sins of all when they repent. Wash away the filth of my body and the stain of my soul and make all my being holy and perfect by your unseen power and your spiritual right hand, that while I proclaim freedom and offer it to others by the perfect faith of your unspeakable love for humanity, I myself may not be found an abandoned slave of sin.
O Master, you alone are good and loving; do not humiliate me, but send upon me the power from on high, and strengthen me for the ministry of this great and heavenly mystery. Form Christ in him (her) who seeks to be born again through my humble ministry. Build him (her) firmly upon the foundation of your apostles and prophets and do not destroy him (her). Plant him (her) as a planting of truth in your holy, catholic, and apostolic Church so that he (she) may not be rooted out, and that as he (she) grows in the practice of faith,your all-holy name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit may be glorified in him (her), now and ever and forever. Amen.
At the conclusion of the litany, the priest prays aloud one of the following two prayers for the blessing of water.
First prayer:
The priest says three times:
Great are you, O Lord, and wonderful are your works; no word suffices to give praise to your wonders.
And then continues:
By your will you brought forth all things from nothingness into being; by your might you control creation, and by your providence you govern the world. You created all things from four elements, and crowned the cycle of the year with four seasons. The spiritual powers tremble before you. The sun praises you, the moon glorifies you, the stars serve you. Light obeys you, the depths tremble before you, and the springs adore you. You spread out the heavens like a tent. You established the earth upon the waters. You fringed the seas with beaches of sand. You poured forth air for breathing. The angelic powers serve you; the ranks of archangels worship you; the many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim stand before you or hover over you, yet they dare not gaze at your unapproachable glory. Although you are God, boundless, indescribable, and without beginning, you came upon earth, and taking the likeness of a servant, became like one of us. Because of the depth of your compassion, O Master, you could not bear to see the human race under the tyranny of the Devil, and so you came to save us. We profess your goodness; we proclaim your mercy, and we do not conceal your graciousness. You freed all human offspring by sanctifying the virginal womb through your birth. All creation praises your appearance, for you, our God, came upon earth and dwelt among us. You sanctified the streams of the Jordan by sending down your Holy Spirit from heaven, and you crushed the heads of serpents there.
O Loving King, come now and through the descent of the Holy Spirit sanctify this water. (three times)
Grant it the grace of redemption and the blessing of the Jordan. Make it a fountain of incorruption, a gift of sanctification, a forgiveness of sins, a healing of sicknesses, the destruction of demons, impregnable to hostile powers, and filled with angelic might. Let those who would like to ensnare your creature flee from this water. For we have called upon your name, O Lord, which is wondrous and glorious and fearful to the enemy.
Then the priest signs the water in this way: he immerses his fingers held in the form for blessing, then breathes upon the water and says the following.
May all the enemy powers be crushed by the sign of your cross.
This is done three times, and then the priest continues:
We pray you, O Lord, let all the invisible spirits of the air flee from us, and do not let a demon of darkness hide itself in this water, and do not let an evil spirit, bringing hidden purpose and rebellious thoughts, go down into it with the one who is being baptized. Now, O Master of all, declare this water to be water of redemption, water of sanctification, cleansing of flesh and spirit, loosening of bonds, forgiveness of transgressions, enlightenment of soul, washing of rebirth, renewal of spirit, gift of adoption, garment of incorruption, source of life. For you, O Lord, have said, ‘Wash yourselves clean! Put away the misdeeds from your souls; cease doing evil.’
You indeed have given us the grace of rebirth from on high through water and Spirit. Reveal yourself, O Lord, in this water, and grant that the one being baptized in it may be transformed for the putting off of the old self corrupted after the desires of deception, and may put on the new self renewed after the image of his (her) creator. Thus planted in the likeness of your death through baptism, he (she) may also become a partaker of your resurrection. Having guarded the gift of your Holy Spirit and increased the deposit of grace, may he (she) receive the prize of his (her) calling from above and be numbered with the firstborn, whose names are inscribed in heaven, in you our God and Lord, Jesus Christ. For to you is due glory, power, honor, and worship, together with your eternal Father, and your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and forever.
Response: Amen.
Continue after the second prayer and signing of the water.
Second prayer:
For pastoral reasons, the following shorter prayer may be said when the Baptism is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy.
Lord God, Ruler and Creator of all things visible and invisible, you created heaven and earth and the sea and everything that is in them. You gathered the waters into one place, enclosed their depths and sealed them by your awesome and glorious name. Raising the waters above the heavens, you made the earth firm upon the waters, and established the sea by your power. You crushed the heads of serpents in the waters. You are awesome and who can withstand you? Look, O Lord, upon this your creature and upon this water and grant it the grace of redemption and the blessing of the Jordan. Make it a fountain of incorruption, a gift of sanctification, forgiveness of sins, a healing of sicknesses, the destruction of demons, impregnable to hostile powers, and filled with angelic might. Let those who would like to ensnare your creature flee from this water. For we have called upon your name, O Lord, which is wondrous and glorious and fearful to the enemy.
Then the priest signs the water in this way: he immerses his fingers held in the form for blessing, then breathes upon the water and says the following:
May all the enemy powers be crushed by the sign of your cross.
This is done three times, and then the priest continues:
For to you is due glory, power, honor, and worship, together with your eternal Father, and your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and forever.Response: Amen.
If the first prayer of blessing was used, continue here.
After the water has been blessed, the service continues:
Priest: Peace be to all!
Response: And to your spirit!
Deacon: Bow your heads to the Lord.
Response: To you, O Lord.
As the deacon holds the oil [if there is no deacon, the priest holds the oil], the priest breathes upon it, in the form of a cross, three times and signs it with his hand three times.
Deacon: Let us pray to the Lord.
Priest: Master, Lord and God of our Fathers, to those in Noah's ark you sent a dove bearing in its beak a twig of the olive tree as a sign of reconciliation and of salvation from the flood, foreshadowing the mystery of grace. You have provided the fruit of the olive tree for the celebration of your holy mysteries, and by it, you have filled those under the law with the Holy Spirit, and have perfected those under grace.
Now bless this oil through the power, action, and descent of your Holy Spirit, that it may be an anointing of incorruptibility, a weapon of righteousness, and a renewal of soul and body, turning away every work of the devil. May it deliver from all evil those who are anointed with it in faith and partake of it, for your glory and for the glory of your only-begotten Son and your all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and forever.
Response: Amen.
Deacon: Let us be attentive!
The priest, singing Alleluia three times with the people, pours some of the oil upon the water in the form of the cross three times, retaining a sufficient amount of oil for the anointing to follow. Then the priest exclaims:
Blessed is God who enlightens and sanctifies everyone coming into the world, now and ever and forever.
Response: Amen.
The priest then takes some of the oil and makes the sign of the cross with it on the forehead, breast, ears, shoulders, hands and feet of the candidate:
The servant 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.
Forehead: That his (her) mind may be opened to the understanding and acceptance of the mysteries of the faith of Christ, and to the knowledge of his truth, now and ever and forever. Amen.
Breast: For the healing of soul and body, and that he (she) may love the Lord God with all his (her) heart, with all his (her) soul, and with all his (her) mind, and that he (she) may love his (her) neighbor as himself (herself).
Ears: That his (her) ears may be ready to listen to the teachings of faith, and accept the words of the divine gospel.
Shoulders: That he (she) may willingly take upon himself (herself) the easy yoke of Christ and gladly carry his light burden and that he (she) may shun all craving of sensuality.
Hands: That he (she) may innocently raise his (her) hands to heaven and do the right thing at all times and bless the Lord.
Feet: That he (she) may walk in the path of the commandments of Christ.
The preferred method of baptism is that of immersion.
If a child is being baptized, the priest holds the child upright, looking toward the east. At the pronunciation of each name of the Most Holy Trinity, the priest lowers the child into the water, making certain the water touches the person’s head, and immediately lifts him (her) out.
If an adult is being baptized and the circumstances allow for immersion, then the priest, looking toward the east, immerses and lifts up the person three times, once as each name of the Most Holy Trinity is pronounced, making certain the water touches the person’s head.
If there are difficulties, for example, if the candidate is ill or weak, then baptism may be administered by the pouring of the water upon the head three times.
Priest: The servant of God (name) is baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Response: Amen.
After the baptism, the priest cleanses his hands. Then, clothing the baptized person with a white robe, he says:
The servant of God (name) is clothed in the robe of righteousness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
During the clothing, the cantor and faithful sing:
Troparion, Tone 8: O most merciful Christ our God, you clothe yourself with light as with a garment, give me a robe of light.
The cantor may chant one or more of the following verses from Psalm 31 (v. 1, 2, 5b, 11) during the clothing; after each verse, the troparion is repeated.
v. Blessed are they whose trespasses are forgiven and whose sins are remitted.
v. O happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, in whose spirit is no guile.
v. You, Lord, have forgiven the guilt of my sin.
v. Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones!
v. O come, ring out your joy,all you upright of heart.
A lighted candle is given to the newly baptized, or to his (her) sponsors:
Priest: Receive this lighted candle, and during your entire life strive to shine with the light of faith and good deeds, that when the Lord comes, you may be able to meet him with light together with all the saints and enter unhindered into the court of his heavenly glory and reign with him through all eternity. Amen.
The service continues with the Rite of Chrismation.