Since the recent posting of a Churching photo drew so much interest, here is a video from the Diocese of Eastern PA (OCA) of the Churching of a friend of mine's child. It's part of an instructional series done by the diocese. Enjoy.
(Vimeo) - After the Baptism has been performed, the Mother and Child again retire to the Narthex. The Priest comes to them, and, while taking the child in his arms and making the sign of the Cross with him (her), says:
Priest: The servant of God, ______, is churched: In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
As he walks into the Church with the child, the Priest says:
He (she) enters into Your house, to worship towards Your Holy Temple.
In the middle of the church:
Priest: The servant of God, ______, is churched: In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the midst of the church shall he (she) sing praises to You.
Then the Priest carries the child to the door of the Sanctuary and says:
The servant of God, ______, is churched: In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
If the child is a male, the Priest now carries him through the Sanctuary, entering through the South door, and exiting through the North door. If the child is a female, she is brought only to the Holy Doors.
The Canticle of St. Simeon
The Priest now returns the child to the mother, who has waited at the foot of the Ambo.
Standing in the Holy Doors, facing the congregation, the Priest says the Dismissal.
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If I understand this correctly, the churching is celebrated AFTER the baptism, right?
ReplyDeleteI don't mean to be critical, but I think it makes more sense to do the churching some time before the baptism. In the prayer for churching (at least the one we use in the Antiochian Archdiocese), it is clear that it is a prayer re-introducing the mother into the life of the Church after she has been away with pregnancy/giving birth, etc..., and it is the initial introduction of the child to the Church.
So, if we church after baptism, it's like we've just made the child a member of the Church through baptism, only to take him back OUT of the church again, just to re-introduce him.
I can certainly respect local/jurisidictional traditions with no issue, but again, in my eyes, and as we were taught at seminary, it makes more sense to do the churching prior to the baptism.
I think you misunderstand. There are two churchings. The first is for the mother and is done to welcome her back to the church after 40 days. The other churching (often seen as just something done at the end of the baptism) is done after the baptism and is for the child welcoming him to the Church for the first time.
DeleteIn Greece the churching is done at the end of the "40 days", many times on the 40th day itself. The priest does the service for the mother and child at the same time. Then the baptism usually happens at a later date.
ReplyDeleteThe video was nice, and the babe looked so sweet!
Correct. That is the common Antiochian practice, Michael from Texas. But, even in the Red Service Book, it says (following the Churching prayer) that if the Child be baptized ... he is then carried into the altar.
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